Enlyte is a therapeutic food that has been designed to help people at risk of functional deficits in folate and methylfolate that may be associated with treatment resistant depression. It contains a mixture of folate, folinic acid and l-methylfolate as well as other co-factors. EnLyte/EnBrace HR/EnLyte-D helps with concentration, motivation, and sleep. Symptoms include depressed mood, loss of interest, problems concentrating, insomnia, …
ADHD Medication Reduces Accidents
ADHD medication reduces accidents significantly according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry. Chang and colleagues analyzed data in the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database to identify people aged 18 and older who had received an ADHD diagnosis or ADHD medication between January 2005 and the end of December 2014. The researchers compared the number of emergency department visits …
Maternal SSRI Use and Autism
The CBS Evening News (4/18, story 9, 1:15, Pelley) reported, “Studies have shown that pregnant women who take antidepressants are more likely to have children with autism.” Newly published studies examine whether the medication is causing this. TIME (4/18, Park) reports that in two studies, investigators “found that other factors, including genes linked to mental illness, may be more strongly …
Protected: Alcohol Use Disorder Guidelines
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Motivational Interviewing for Change
We were inspired, as we often are, by the discussion in the most recent session of our bipolar 101 group to add some more content on our webpage about motivational interviewing and motivational enhancement therapy. These techniques are so often relevant to the people that we work with because mood disorders are frequently associated with difficult problems such as substance …
Marijuana Potency and Psychiatric Adverse Effects
The steady increase in THC content raises a question about the relationship between marijuana potency and psychiatric adverse effects which is summarized in an article in Current Psychiatry by Joseph M. Pierre, MD, Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in the February 2017 issue. The table below summarizes data about …
Pregnancy and Bipolar
Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Bipolar Disorder A recent review of the topic of bipolar and pregnancy from the MGH Center For Women’s Mental Health on November 14, 2016 sparked us to write this post. When talking with a bipolar woman contemplating pregnancy there are two considerations: what additional risks to the unborn child are created by taking psychiatric medication and what risks exist …
Lithium Thyroid Effects
A young woman who has had a relatively good response to low dose lithium treatment has labs that suggest she may be developing hypothyroidism (low thyroid) and asks what her options are. What can be done to treat the problem? What risks are there for developing it? And what would happen if she decided to taper off the lithium, would …
Lithium Weight Gain
Does lithium cause weight gain? It is remarkable how difficult it can be to find out the answers to relatively simple questions on the internet. One of my patients asked me about the effect of lithium on weight and, while I was explaining my experience with many hundreds of patients treated with lithium (not a significant cause of weight gain …
SSRI Antidepressants and Pregnancy – 2016
Several recent articles provide additional information about the effects on the infant of exposure to SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. A large study published in Pediatrics adds to information that suggests that exposure to SSRI antidepressants, particularly late in pregnancy, may be associated with birth complications. As with other studies, one major limitation in the design of the study is that it …