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Biomedical subjects

A Ontiveros

Publications and source records attributed to A Ontiveros.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Sodium valproate and clonazepam for treatment-resistant panic disorder.

Sodium valproate (VA) and clonazepam (CLZ) were combined in the treatment of 4 patients with panic disorders (PD) who were resistant to several antipanic drug treatments. A significant improvement was found in the symptomatology of these patients, but relapses occurred when CLZ dosage was reduced. A potentiation of the GABAergic properties of VA and clonazepam is postulated. This combined treatment could be advantageous for some treatment-resistant PD patients but needs to be studied further.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Probable interaction of sodium divalproex with benzodiazepines.

1. After drug discontinuation and 1 week placebo washout, 12 patients with panic disorders received, for 6 weeks, either placebo or sodium divalproex. During 6 consecutive weeks, alternate medication was given. 2. Severity of panic and anxiety attacks was improved only in patients receiving sodium divalproex as a first medication. 3. Protracted benzodiazepine effects may occur in the dichotomous antipanic activity of sodium divalproex.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Refractory depression: the addition of lithium to fluoxetine or desipramine.

We carried out an open clinical study with 60 consecutive patients suffering from major depression with melancholia who were resistant to anti-depressants. After at least 6 weeks of desipramine (DMI) or fluoxetine (FX) without improvement, lithium carbonate was added to the anti-depressant. Semistructured clinical interviews using the 7-point Clinical Global Impression Scale and 90-item Symptom Checklist were done at baseline and weeks 1, 6 and 14. Following the addition of lithium, more patients on FX improved within the first week than those on DMI. However, with FX, 6 relapses occurred during the 2 months of follow-up and none with DMI. The unified serotonergic and noradrenergic hypothesis for the antidepressant action could be relevant in drug-refractory depression and should be studied further.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Panic disorder: vascular evaluation with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.

Several recent studies have shown neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic abnormalities in panic disorder. This study aimed to assess by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography the magnitude of the changes in blood flow during panic attacks induced by intravenous sodium lactate infusion. The subjects consisted of 30 patients with panic disorder (DSM-III-R) and 25 controls; all were between the ages of 18 and 40 years and were right-handed. The flow in the middle cerebral artery was recorded bilaterally before the infusion began (to provide baseline readings) and at 3-minute intervals during the infusion. The patients showed a more rapid acceleration of flow (p less than 0.05) than the controls. Higher maximal velocity and higher variations in velocity (p less than 0.05) were observed in the patients sensitive to lactate but only in the right middle cerebral artery. These results suggest that abnormalities of local cerebrovascular autoregulation occurred in the patients with panic disorder during attacks induced by sodium lactate.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Social phobia and clonazepam.

Five patients meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia, without any other psychiatric diagnosis, were treated with clonazepam, a high potency benzodiazepine. All patients improved markedly within four weeks. By the end of the eighth week of treatment, a marked improvement of their symptoms was reported. The adverse effects were minimal at an average dose of 3 mg per day. The authors suggest that clonazepam is a safe and effective medication in the treatment of social phobia. Moreover, clonazepam is easier to use as compared to other drugs which are used (atenolol, phenelzine, alprazolam).

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Lithium carbonate augmentation of desipramine in refractory depression.

An open clinical study with 20 consecutive outpatients suffering from major depression with melancholia (DSM-III) was carried out. All patients were resistant to desipramine after at least six weeks of treatment. A significant improvement was found in 13 of the 20 patients when lithium carbonate was added. Among the responder patients, five improved in the first week of lithium augmentation, while eight others improved after one week of lithium. The mechanism of action of the lithium augmentation effect in tricyclic-resistant depressed patients is discussed in view of our findings. We suggest that the unified 5-HT/NE hypothesis used in affective disorder could be applied in drug refractory depression.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1989

Correlation of severity of panic disorder and neuroanatomical changes on magnetic resonance imaging.

Thirty consecutive lactate-sensitive panic disorder patients were studied with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the relationship between temporal lobe abnormalities and panic disorder. Neuroanatomical abnormalities, most involving the right temporal lobe, were found in 43% of patients, compared with 10% of the control subjects. Patients with temporal lobe abnormalities were significantly younger at the onset of panic disorder and had more panic attacks compared with patients with normal MRI scans (p less than .05). These results suggest that panic disorder could be secondary to temporal lobe dysfunctions and that panic disorder patients with abnormal MRIs could have a worse prognosis than those with normal MRIs and would require long-term pharmacological treatment.

Adult↗