I just read this interesting piece from WSJ’s Health Blog, reporting on a new commentary published in JAMA on the underutilization of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients whose depression does not respond to antidepressant treatment. The idea of sending electric currents through a person (some may even liken the procedure to controlled electrocution) has created [...]
Medical and Science Research
Acomplia (generic name Rimonabant) was not approved in the US because the FDA’s expert panel was concerned about suicidal thoughts that appeared as a treatment side-effect in patients. Acomplia is a drug that was approved in the EU for treatment of weight loss and diabetes. According to Forbes, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has updated [...]
I found this article summary of a study that found that people who took selenium supplementation increased their diabetes risk compared with people who took placebos. In case you’re wondering why you’re reading about selenium supplements and a link to diabetes on a mental health website: 1) There are patient anecdotes on taking selenium to [...]
The link between suicide and antidepressant (especially SSRI) use has been debated for the past few years, particularly on the potential causative link that antidepressant use may cause suicidal risks in certain patients (pediatric and teens). In the July issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry, a paper titled, “Relationship Between Antidepressants and Suicide Attempts: [...]
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Invega (paliperidone) for treating schizophrenia. Invega is a first-in-class (new molecule drug), which this is the first drug of its kind in the therapeutic category. Invega is an active metabolite of a drug already available for treating schizophrenia, risperidone. Common side effects included the following: Restlessness, Extrapyramidal [...]
Mecamylamine is an antihypertensive and has been used to treat high blood pressure or hypertension. Mecamylamine controls nerve impulses to relax blood vessels and therefore lower blood pressure. Now, a company called Targacept is looking at this drug as a potential add-on treatment with the antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) to see if patients who did not [...]
Newer Not Necessarily Better. An October 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry has published a report that suggests second-generation (“newer”) antipsychotic medications offered little advantage over older drugs for schizophrenic patients, which runs counter to a wide belief that newer antipsychotic agents are safer and more effective. Based on this study’s findings, justification for [...]
