Mood disorders are a group of mental health conditions that involve dysfunctional changes in the everyday stability of mood or psychological/emotional state of mind. Well-known conditions within this group include major depression and the classic manic-depressive illness called bipolar I disorder. One of the widely used treatments for bipolar I disorder is the mood-stabilizing medication lithium.
Naloxone is a medication that temporarily stops heroin and other opioid substances from reaching the brain. When used promptly, it can help stop a person from dying from an opioid overdose. In recent years, public health officials and researchers have sought to increase the availability of naloxone and make the drug easier to administer in […]
Starting next month, it will be easier to rid your home of unwanted narcotic painkillers. Calling prescription drug abuse “an urgent and growing threat to our nation and its citizens,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced this week that the Drug Enforcement Agency is loosening its rules to allow neighborhood pharmacies, hospitals and drug treatment […]
Treating bipolar disorder can be so complicated that a patient ends up taking a variety of medications. A recent study investigated the challenges facing patients required to take multiple medications to treat their symptoms.
As researchers continue to uncover the secrets of addiction, we are beginning to learn more about how to treat this terrible disease. One of the biggest advancements in addiction research and treatment in recent years is the use of medications. Addiction has too long been treated without being informed by research. Today we know that […]
The prescription drugs naltrexone and acamprosate were approved for the treatment of alcoholism in 1994 and 2004, respectively. Both of these substances can help reduce the incidence and intensity of the cravings associated with alcohol dependency, and both have emerged from several rounds of clinical testing with their reputations intact. Naltrexone and acamprosate are usually […]
Given that one person in the world dies every 10 seconds from alcohol consumption, the need for help in staying sober is starkly clear. So why has more than a decade passed with little use of two effective medications for alcoholics? That was the question undertaken by researchers at the University of North Carolina at […]
A study from the University of Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England, has linked certain anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and hypnotic (sleeping) drugs with an increased risk of early death. The study was published in the British journal BMJ.
People affected by opioid addiction sometimes receive one of two opioid-based medications, called methadone and buprenorphine, as part of their treatment. Current evidence indicates that significant numbers of people who abuse these medications also get involved in the abuse of common prescription substances called benzodiazepines. In a study published in May 2014 in the journal […]
A new study of 17,000 Swedish residents with ADHD found a startlingly lower serious accident rate when male drivers were on their medication versus when they were not. The study found there was no such connection for female drivers. A UCLA researcher who studies attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder noted Friday that the findings, while important, can’t yet […]
Gabapentin is the only medication shown to improve sleep and mood in people who are quitting or reducing their drinking. Addiction is an incredibly difficult disease to fight. If you have experience with alcohol or drug abuse, you know how challenging it is to stop using. People who struggle with addiction may want to stop […]
Quetiapine (Seroquel) is a medication designed to treat the symptoms of psychosis in people affected by schizophrenia, as well as the symptoms associated with depression and bipolar disorder. Previous studies have also indicated that the medication may have usefulness in the treatment of certain disorders related to substance abuse, including a condition called cannabis withdrawal. […]
A new study published in the online journal Psychiatric Services suggests that more than half of the people who receive prescriptions for psychotropic medications have not received a formal diagnosis of a mental illness. The study examined the MarketScan claims of more than 5 million patients, and found that 58.2 percent of patients on at […]
Alcoholism is a destructive addiction that can literally ruin people’s lives. Whether you’re struggling with excessive drinking yourself or you love someone who is, you understand all too well the path of devastation this chronic condition can bring, from splintered relationships to serious medical issues. Professional addiction treatment, individual therapy and attending support groups can […]
Antipsychotic medications are a diverse assortment of medications designed to treat psychosis, the collective term for a number of symptoms found in people with schizophrenia and several other mental disorders. Doctors generally divide antipsychotics into two groups: older medications called typical antipsychotics and newer medications called atypical antipsychotics. Recent findings indicate that people who take […]
Turn on the TV for two or three hours and you’re likely to see a commercial for Abilify – one of the newer antipsychotic medications being used to treat a variety of symptoms and disorders. It’s advertised as an adjunct medication for those taking antidepressants for depression who aren’t quite experiencing the benefits they’d hoped […]
There is a relatively new treatment for addiction on the market. It isn’t a new type of therapy or a variation of a 12-step program and it isn’t a replacement for a drug, like methadone, which acts as a replacement for heroin. The new drug, called Vivitrol, is an injection that prevents addicts from getting […]
Topiramate, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of epilepsy and weight loss, may also prove effective in helping curb cocaine use in people addicted to both alcohol and cocaine. So say researchers at Penn Medicine’s department of psychiatry in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. But while prior studies by other researchers indicated […]
Naltrexone is a medication that alters normal function in the brain and body by blocking access to sites called opioid receptors, which appear on the exterior surfaces of certain nerve cells. Originally developed to combat the addictive effects of opioid narcotics such as heroin, oxycodone, and codeine, it is now also used to reduce the […]
If you are taking antidepressants, there may come a time that you want to stop using them. Your decision might be due to uncomfortable side effects, the expense, weight gain, fear of dependence, interactions with other medications, or because you just feel ready.
Antidepressant medications are often used in the treatment of major depression, anxiety disorders, and many other psychiatric conditions. They are most effective when used in combination with other treatments. By helping to alleviate troubling symptoms, they can help you live a more normal life.
Trazodone, also marketed as Desyrel, Beneficat, Deprax, Oleptro, and other brand names, is an atypical antidepressant with FDA approval for the treatment of depression and sleep disorders (primarily insomnia but also disturbances such as night terrors and nightmares). This medication is chemically similar to the other better known atypical antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft […]
Whatever a person’s opinion about the nation’s current healthcare debate, one thing seems certain; Medicare and Medicaid budgets are currently stretched to the breaking point. The programs need to find some way to ease the fiscal tension.
We have all seen the advertisements for mood-enhancing drugs to battle depression. Antidepressant medications seem almost magical in their promise to improve daily living by improving mood. But do they work for everyone? Are there risks and, if so, how serious are they?
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