Faculty of the 23rd Annual Psychopharmacology Update Opine

‍

Greetings, Psychiatry Newsletter Readers! As a part of our ongoing Candid Dish series, we sat down with a handful of key opinion leaders and asked them what their real thoughts are on potential up-and-coming novel treatments. This month in Part 2 of Candid Dish, they share thoughts on these treatments:

• Ketamine and ECT in treatment resistant depression
• Psilocybin/psychedelics for treatment resistant depression, mood disorders, anxiety, and PTSD
• Asenapine transdermal antipsychotic
• Bupropion or theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Esmethadone for major depression
• Dexmedetomidine—sublingual alpha 2 adrenergic agonist medication for agitation

‍

Next month’s issue will feature Round 3 of Candid Dish, giving you the downlow from thought leaders on the following:

• Xylazine—solution or problem?
• Glycine transport inhibitor for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia
• New illicit drug classes (eg, nitazenes) on the horizon
• Fentanyl’s role in decreasing effectiveness of medications, and making treatment options more challenging, for opioid use disorders (OUD).

‍

Huge thanks to these faculty for their willingness to share true opinions for Medscape’s Candid Dish!

‍

Need CME?—Don’t Miss!

23rd Annual Psychopharmacology Update
Cincinnati, OH | October 25-26, 2024

Earn up to 13.25 CME/CE Credits and get the latest updates in the advancements of psychiatry.

Save your spot and Click Here!

‍

Thank you to this month’s thought leaders for their candid thoughts and perspectives! Please contact me at colleen@cmhadvisors.com with any comments. –Colleen Hutchinson

‍

Candid Dish on New Treatments—ROUND 2!

23rd Annual Psychopharmacology Update Faculty Opine

‍

Use of ketamine and ECT in treatment resistant depression.

Dr. Nasrallah: Two excellent therapies to resort to when standard antidepressants fail. 

Dr. Parikh: More options for our best treatments.

Dr. Zisook: Wish we had better data on how these fit into lifelong management.

Dr. Goldberg: The two best known treatments.

Dr. Higgins: It should work, but it is difficult to get ketamine across the finish line.

Dr. Meyer: Treatment resistant major depression is heterogeneous - personalized treatment requires use of all available effective options including ECT and ketamine.

Dr. Correll: Last-resort treatments that will hopefully have lots of oral competition.

‍

Psilocybin/psychedelics for treatment resistant depression, mood disorders, anxiety, and PTSD.

Dr. Zisook: A new and exciting frontier.

Dr. Goldberg: Everybody wants to try it regardless of efficacy data.

Dr. Napoleon Higgins: Should work, abuse risk, and create a new market.

Dr. Meyer: One size does not fit all. MDMA plus highly structured therapy appears promising for PTSD. The best use of psilocybin for major depression is still being studied.

Dr. Parikh: A trip down novel approaches.

Dr. Correll: Rapid-onset psychoneuroplastogens that want to become neuroplastogens.

Dr. Nasrallah: From pariah to savior: the resurrection of psychedelics as therapy for a range of challenging psychiatric disorders.

‍

Esmethadone for major depression.

Dr. Nasrallah: Forget fentanyl: opioid pathways are involved in MDD and can be harnessed as a new therapeutic target. 

Dr. Goldberg: Too soon to tell. Will be uphill FDA approval.

Dr. Meyer: An oral glutamate-based strategy for major depression under study.

Dr. Correll: Antidepressant mechanism still in need to prove itself.

Dr. Parikh: New mechanism.

‍

Asenapine transdermal antipsychotic.

Dr. Citrome: First and only antipsychotic patch available in the US.

Dr. Nasrallah: From skin to blood: An innovative delivery of antipsychotic medications.

Dr. Parikh: Easier compliance.

Dr. Goldberg: Who cares? Weak drug.

Dr. Meyer: An option that should not be overlooked.

Dr. Meyer: Patches are difficult propositions in psychiatry and schizophrenia treatment.

‍

Bupropion or theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Dr. Nasrallah: A promising, rapid-acting neuromodulation therapy. 

Dr. Goldberg: Bupropion: old drug, not much to say. Theta burst: promising initial study, crazy expensive off label.

Dr. Higgins: Combos are nothing new, but they give med and non-med options.

Dr. Parikh: Theta burst TMS is new wave therapy.

‍

Dexmedetomidine—a sublingual alpha 2 adrenergic agonist medication for agitation.

Dr. Nasrallah: A novel strategy to control agitation in serious mental disorders. 

Dr. Parikh: A great alternative to antipsychotics. 

Dr. Citrome: Can avoid injections.

Dr. Goldberg: Expensive guanfacine.

Dr. Correll: First alpha-2 agonist for agitation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.