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PsychiatryRounds Psychiatry News's Blog – November 2002 Archive (3)

Calcium Channel Blocker-Drug Interactions: Strategies for Avoiding Untoward Effects

(PSYCHIATRIC TIMES) - Calcium channel blockers are commonly prescribed to treat several cardiovascular diseases and may be helpful in other conditions, such as migraine and bipolar disorder.1 These agents are associated with numerous clinically significant drug interactions.1-3 While some of these interactions, such as the effect of verapamil on serum digoxin concentrations, are well-known, others are not widely recognized— yet warrant attention.

My aim here is to heighten your… Continue

Added by psychiatryRounds Psychiatry News on November 1, 2002 at 5:30am — No Comments

Taking a New Look at Psychosis in Alzheimer's Disease

(PSYCHIATRIC TIMES) - Psychotic symptoms, namely hallucinations and delusions, are common in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This article will examine the proposal that Alzheimer's disease with psychosis (AD+P) has an underlying genetic and neurobiologic basis distinct from that of AD without psychosis.

Most estimates of the prevalence of psychosis in patients with AD range from 30% to 40% (Wragg and Jeste, 1989). Rates in community samples are similar (Lyketsos et al.,… Continue

Added by psychiatryRounds Psychiatry News on November 1, 2002 at 2:30am — No Comments

The Role of B Vitamins, Homocysteine in AD and Vascular Dementia

(PSYCHIATRIC TIMES) - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and debilitating neurodegenerative condition, and the most common cause of dementia among the elderly. Despite considerable advances in the cellular and molecular biology of AD, however, little progress has been made in identifying the causes of the disease. Both the canonical plaques and tangles correlate poorly with the extent of cognitive decline, and it is unclear whether they themselves are the primary culprits or rather… Continue

Added by psychiatryRounds Psychiatry News on November 1, 2002 at 2:30am — No Comments