medications Archives - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Dextromethorphan Vs Ketamine: A New (Affordable) Depression Treatment Option Explained

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 17, 2024

Looking for a more affordable alternative to ketamine for treatment-resistant depression? Discover how dextromethorphan/bupropion offers new hope. This article breaks down the differences between ketamine and dextromethorphan, their effectiveness, and how these antidepressants work. If you’ve struggled with depression treatments or face challenges accessing expensive therapies like ketamine, this guide might offer the answers you’ve been searching for. Dive in to learn more about this innovative approach.

New, Unique Sleep Medication — Dayvigo, Lemborexant

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 11, 2021

A new and unique sleep medication is typically welcomed by the mentally ill population because those with mental illness (particularly mood disorders) tend to also have sleep problems like insomnia. However, a sleep medication that works in a unique way hasn’t been introduced in years: util lemborexant (Dayvigo), that is. Lemborexant is an insomnia medication that works on orexin receptors, which in and of themselves are actually a new-ish discovery. Read on for how lemborexant could be useful and why you might even consider switching.

Treatment of Bipolar in Children: Lithium – Good or Bad Idea?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jul 9, 2018

Childhood bipolar disorder is a scary proposition and that’s what makes the treatment of bipolar disorder in children so critical. I recently came across a Psychiatric Times article by Chris Aiken, MD that talks about treating children with bipolar disorder with lithium and I wanted to outlay the research findings Dr. Aiken talks about as well as my own thoughts.

Can You Be Fat and Happy on Bipolar Medication?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 9, 2018

For many of us, we are expected to be fat and happy on bipolar medication. This is because many...

Antipsychotics Should Be Used for Non-Psychotic Depression Treatment

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 6, 2017

While some disagree, it’s important that people understand that antipsychotics need to be used for non-psychotic depression treatment, when appropriate.

At any one time, 14 million people suffer from depression but only 60-70% of these people respond to antidepressant treatment. Of those who do not respond, 10-30% exhibit treatment-resistant symptoms including “difficulties in social and occupational function, decline of physical health, suicidal thoughts, and increased health care utilization.” Treating these people presents a huge issue for healthcare practitioners and one of the options they consider is the use of a medication class known as antipsychotics.

Recently, a group called the Therapeutics Initiative wrote a letter entitled Antipsychotics should not be used for non-psychotic depression. Their conclusions are as the title suggests: this body found little evidence to support the use of antipsychotics in the treatment of non-psychotic major depressive disorder.

And while I respect the work of this body and while they have considered some evidence (in the case of quetiapine [Seroquel], an antipsychotic), there is more to consider on the issue.

New Drug Approved for Bipolar Depression – Lurasidone

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jul 3, 2013

I’m always going on and on about how there are only two medications approved to treat bipolar depression (quetiapine and a fluoxetine/olanzapine combination) and about how we need new, novel ways of treating depression in bipolar disorder.

Well, this might not be novel, but it is new.

Lurasidone (Latuda) has now been approved both as monotherapy and as adjunct therapy (with lithium or valproate) in the treatment of bipolar depression by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lurasidone was tested and approved for people with bipolar I.

Hope for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 17, 2013

Recently, I wrote a piece for PsychCentral that outlined some recommendations for treatment-resistant bipolar disorder. This piece talked about first-line and second-line agents for the treatment of bipolar disorder but I wanted to delve a little further into the novel agents that are now being studied for the treatment of bipolar depression. These are medications that are not typically used to treat bipolar disorder, work in new ways and show promise in recent studies. This is cutting edge and if you’re treatment-resistant this is an area that can offer you hope.

Why Are Novel Agents Needed in the Treatment of Bipolar Depression?

The reason why this piece is about unusual bipolar depression medication and not medication for mania is because the medications we have for mania are quite effective for most people. It is the bipolar depression that, typically, is very hard to treat. Additionally the two Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved bipolar depression treatments (quetiapine and an olanzapine/fluoxetine combination) tend to carry very serious side effects like weight gain, risk of diabetes including diabetic ketoacidosis and others. We also know that most people with bipolar disorder spend vastly more time in a depressed state than in a manic state.

According to Dr. Prakash Masand, CEO and founder of Global Medical Education, “Less than 30% of bipolar patients achieve remission that is maintained long term. There are great unmet needs in the treatment of bipolar depression. Innovative approaches are needed rather than ‘me-too’ agents that offer little incremental benefit.”

Dr. Masand notes the following are new, novel agents that look promising in the treatment of bipolar depression.

Stop Stigmatizing Mentally Ill Children on Medication

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 9, 2012

If you’re not following the Bipolar Burble blog on Facebook, you likely missed it but we had quite a conversation last night about an image that’s going around Facebook. The image says, “STOP PSYCHIATRIC DRUGGING OF KIDS.” The image is of an innocent, sweet-faced child holding up a sign with the words. The image is attributed to a user on Facebook whose political views are listed as “anarchism.” Righty-then.

Regardless as to who made this image, the image itself has been circulating in, you guessed it, antipsychiatry circles. (I won’t bother drawing lines between antipsychiatry and anarchism, but, you know, I probably could.) Not surprisingly, one reader with a mentally ill child took offense to this image and all the passing around of it.

This image suggests that:

Giving psychiatric medication to children constitute “drugging”
Parents shouldn’t be giving their children medication
Children shouldn’t be taking medication
Parents who give their children medication are doing something wrong.

In other words, it stigmatizes both parents of, and mentally ill children themselves.

Psychiatric Medications Don’t Work – a Fact?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Aug 22, 2012

Again, a commenter last night popped onto the blog to tell me how psychiatric medications “do more harm than good” and how “I [the commenter] know for a fact that these meds no not work.”

Sigh.

I’m not sure how so many people confuse “fact” with “opinion.” It is the opinion of some people that psychiatric medications don’t work. It is the opinion of some people that psychiatric medications do more harm than good.

I am not of that opinion. And I actually have facts on my side.