Central nervous system agents

Rapid-acting antidepressants face a slow journey to wider use

Evidence is mounting for the effectiveness of rapid-acting antidepressants for treatment-resistant depression — but will their use ever take off in the NHS?…

Case-based learning: safe withdrawal and tapering of antidepressants

How to use hyperbolic tapering to avoid withdrawal effects when stopping an antidepressant.…

Every community pharmacy in Scotland to stock emergency supplies of naloxone from October 2023

The naloxone emergency supply service will be added to the community pharmacy public health service in Scotland from 30 October 2023.…

‘Limited’ supply of weight loss drug semaglutide launched in UK

Manufacturer Novo Nordisk said it will monitor demand and work with regulators to ensure Wegovy is accessible to eligible patients.…

NHS weight-loss drugs could be prescribed via apps, says NICE draft guidance

Some of the apps that could be made available include the ability to prescribe weight-loss management medication to eligible patients.…

MHRA consults on reclassifying codeine linctus as a prescription-only medicine

The Commission on Human Medicines previously said that codeine linctus is being used as an ingredient of 'purple drank', an illegal recreational drink that has been popularised through social media and music.…

‘Painkillers don’t exist’: how our campaign helped to reduce opioid prescribing

Educating patients on the risks of analgesics and non-pharmacological alternatives has helped North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board reduce opioid prescribing.…

Women with epilepsy need choice, not diktats, when it comes to sodium valproate

The NHS needs to fully audit its approach to valproate and should be supporting women to make informed choices regarding their treatment.…

ADHD and central nervous system stimulant prescribing nearly doubles in adults in three years

Exclusive: Prescribing of central nervous system stimulants and medicines for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults in England increased by 91% between January 2020 and January 2023.…

Drug-related deaths among people treated for opioid dependence more than treble in ten years, study finds

Analysis of Scottish data found that there were fewer drug-related deaths among people with opioid dependence who were receiving treatment than those who were not receiving treatment.…