Psychotropic drugs

Prescribing dilemma: clozapine prescribing in prison

The third article of our new prescribing dilemmas series, exploring real-world dilemmas that pharmacist prescribers encounter in clinical practice.…

Spotlight: Pharmacists in community mental health teams

In this ‘Spotlight’ episode of The PJ Pod, we delve into the progress made towards embedding pharmacy support for patients with severe mental illness into community teams.…

Lithium monitoring and toxicity management

Pharmacists across sectors should be able to counsel patients on the recognition and prevention of lithium toxicity.…

Psilocybin: a psychedelic alternative to antidepressants?

Decades on from its widespread use as a recreational drug during the 1960s, research shows that psilocybin could be a credible treatment for symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders.…

Little change in antipsychotic prescribing in decade despite withdrawal recommendations, study finds

Prescriptions of antipsychotic drugs for adults with intellectual disabilities did not change significantly in the decade between 2004 and 2014 in the Greater Glasgow area, a study in BMJ Open has said.…

Reviewing the safe and appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic depots

Antipsychotic medicine is prescribed to treat many mental health conditions, alleviate suffering and improve daily functioning[1] . However, a significant barrier to the successful treatment of psychotic illnesses is medication adherence. Antipsychotic medication in the form of an int…

Calculating the fatal dose of novel psychoactive substances

The article ‘Have legislative changes curbed use of ’legal highs’?’ (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2018;301:7920) concerning novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) highlighted the huge number of these drugs that are now available, with more appearing each w…

‘Like a hug from everyone who loves you’ — how MDMA could help patients with trauma

When combined with intensive psychotherapy sessions, MDMA — commonly known as ecstasy — has elicited impressive results in phase II trials and a global phase III study is just beginning.…

UK developer of medical cannabis products raises $345m through share sale

The UK biopharmaceutical company GW Pharmaceuticals, a leading global developer of medicinal cannabis products, has released 2.1 million shares on the US stock exchange raising US$345m.…

Benzodiazepines linked to risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Although data showed benzodiazepine and Z drug use was linked to only a 6% increase in the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say their prescribing should be avoided if possible.…