Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P J Goodnick

Publications and source records attributed to P J Goodnick.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of affective disorders--III. Tolerability, safety and pharmacoeconomics.

The clinical use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) is often complicated by toxicity and safety problems due to their effects on multiple mechanisms of action, many of which are unnecessary for therapeutic effect. The development of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), with their selective mode of action, has resulted in a class of antidepressant drugs possessing an improved side-effect profile, while retaining good clinical efficacy. Their introduction into clinical practice has led to enhanced patient compliance with antidepressant therapy and the ability to maintain treatment over longer periods of time at an adequate therapeutic dose. Although, as a result of their selective action, side-effects associated with SSRI therapy are minimised, distinct variations between individual SSRIs in terms of their tolerability profiles have been observed. The wealth of clinical data now available has revealed differences in their potential to cause psychiatric and neurological side-effects, dermatological reactions, anticholinergic side-effects, changes in body weight, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, discontinuation reactions and drug-drug interactions. Patients who suffer from concomitant depression and physical illness may experience different tolerability profiles, in addition to the greater likelihood that they will be receiving concomitant medications with the potential for pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions with coadministered SSRI therapy. In addition, the safety margin of SSRIs in overdose may vary within the group. Knowledge of the differences that exist among the SSRIs in respect of tolerability and safety will aid physicians in the selection of the most beneficial treatment strategy for their patients. A successful clinical outcome leads to a reduced economic burden for the patient, their family and the healthcare services. Thus, pharmacoeconomic considerations are also important in choosing antidepressant therapy. The SSRIs, despite relatively higher prescription costs, have been demonstrated to be a more cost-effective option than the TCAs. Furthermore, there is evidence that the emerging clinical differences between SSRIs may translate into significantly different economic outcomes within the group.

Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation↗
PubMed1997

Sertraline in diabetic neuropathy: preliminary results.

UNLABELLED: Previous research has shown that antidepressants have been useful in the treatment of pain, particularly diabetic neuropathy. This study was an initial open investigation into the use of sertraline in diabetic neuropathy. Eight patients with diabetic neuropathy but not depression were treated with increasing doses of sertraline to a maximum of 150 mg/day for 8 weeks. Sertraline treatment led to significant reductions in mean visual analog scale (VAS) ratings, e.g., pain from 71.2 to 23.1 (t = 3.74, p < .01) and paresthesias from 53.8 to 15.0 (t = 4.15, p < .01). Baseline platelet serotonin (5HT) content also correlated significantly with improvement in pain (r = 0.70,p =. 05). Plasma sertraline (SRT) correlated with improvement in paresthesias (r = 0.70). CONCLUSION: This preliminary result indicates the potential application of sertraline to treatment of diabetic neuropathy. A replication is now underway.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1997

Sertraline in coexisting major depression and diabetes mellitus.

As many as 25 percent of patients with diabetes mellitus may also have depressive symptoms. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) may produce increased appetite and weight gain with adverse consequences for diabetes. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), however, may improve fasting blood sugar in laboratory studies. In an initial application, sertraline was administered at a dose of 50 mg/day in a 10-week open study to 28 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients with DSM-III-R major depression after a 2-week single-blind placebo washout period with a minimum 17-Item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) score of 18. The patient group included 16 males and 12 females with a mean age of 54.2 +/- 8.8 years. Results indicated (1) significant improvement in mean HAM-D (22.6 +/- 3.4 to 4.9 +/- 5.9, p < .001) and in mean Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores (21.9 +/- 10.5 to 12.7 +/- 8.3, p < .001); (2) fall in platelet serotonin (5-HT) content (79.7 +/- 22.5 to 13.6 +/- 12.7 ng/10(8) platelets, p < .001); (3) correlation of baseline platelet 5-HT content with response to sertraline by BDI scores (r = 0.51, p < .05); (4) improved dietary compliance for those with baseline value below 70 percent (59.7% to 69.1%, p < .005); and (5) 13 of 17 patients with baseline glycosylated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) levels greater than 8.0, showed a reduction (p = .018). Sertraline may be an effective antidepressant in patients with diabetes mellitus and response may be predictable by higher baseline platelet 5-HT content, with the potential to improve dietary compliance and reduce HbA1c measures. As with all open studies, replication is essential.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1996

Treatment of mania: relationship between response to verapamil and changes in plasma calcium and magnesium levels.

Twelve patients meeting DSM-IIIR criteria for mania received verapamil over a 2-week period, with dosing up to 360 mg/day. Severity of mania was measured at baseline and weekly by use of the Young Mania Scale. Plasma calcium and magnesium determinations and an ECG were obtained at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment. Mean improvement was from a baseline of 32.4 to 12.8, -60.5%. Decreased severity of mania correlated significantly with increased plasma calcium. This result may lend a method for monitoring successful treatment of mania with calcium channel inhibitors.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Treatment of depression in patients with diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Depression occurs frequently in patients with diabetes mellitus. Little has been published on the epidemiology, biochemistry, and treatment of depression in diabetic patients. METHOD: We searched MEDLINE for literature from January 1966 to July 1993 and cross-referenced the terms diabetes, glucose, hyperglycemia, or hypoglycemia, with each of the following: antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and bupropion. The results reviewed were 20 papers on epidemiology, 15 papers on neurochemicals and glucose control, and 28 papers on antidepressants and factors of importance to diabetics. Additional papers were selected from the reference lists of the retrieved articles. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression in diabetics varies from 8.5% to 27.3%. Severity of depression correlates strongly with many symptoms of diabetes mellitus. The hydrazine monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), e.g., phenelzine, potentiate animal models of hypoglycemia due to direct influence on gluconeogenesis secondary to the hydrazine structure, not to MAOI considerations. Dopamine and norepinephrine influences in these models appear to be hyperglycemic. Serotonergic influences, in the presence of MAOIs, which decrease serotonin metabolism, are in contrast hypoglycemic. Clinically, MAOI use is limited by the possible severity of the induced hypoglycemia, induced weight gain, and required diets. The tricyclic antidepressants may lead to hyperglycemia, to an increase in carbohydrate craving (from 86% to 200%), and impaired memory. Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be hypoglycemic (causing as much as a 30% decrease in fasting plasma glucose) and anorectic (causing an approximately 2-lb decrease), while possibly improving alertness. CONCLUSION: Depression is frequent among diabetic patients and impairs diabetic management. To maximize response of both depression and diabetic disorder, one should consider the SSRIs in preference over the TCAs.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Pharmacokinetic optimisation of therapy with newer antidepressants.

Since the early 1950s, when imipramine was first introduced, a whole series of antidepressants with differences in structures, neurochemical effects and pharmacokinetics have been developed. Structurally or functionally, they have been classified as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), or selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In addition, there is a series of antidepressants with unique structures. Many of the newer TCAs appear to have shorter half-lives than the standard TCAs (e.g. imipramine), allowing for the possibility of a more rapid response, but requiring the drugs to be given in multiple daily doses, which may reduce patient compliance. The short time to peak plasma concentration (tmax) can also lead to rapid onset of adverse effects. The tetracyclic antidepressants have longer elimination half-lives (t1/2) than the TCAs, but there is only very minimal evidence for a relationship between drug concentrations in the blood and clinical response. The triazolopyridines, like the newer TCAs, show pharmacokinetic evidence for rapid onset of adverse effects and the need for multiple daily doses due to short tmax and t1/2. The newer MAOIs are a significant addition to therapy, as the rapid binding action of these medications increases their safety margin with regard to tyramine interactions. Further information in this area is required. In addition, moclobemide has pharmacokinetic features that are clinically beneficial (e.g. aging and renal dysfunction have little effect on the elimination of the drug), but also features that are not beneficial (e.g. nonlinear pharmacokinetics). Among the SSRIs, there are a range of t1/2 values for the parent drugs, from relatively short t1/2 values of less than 24 hours (paroxetine, fluvoxamine) to among the longest found (e.g. 2 days for fluoxetine). Only 2 of the agents (sertraline and citalopram) have linear pharmacokinetics, and 1 drug has nonlinear pharmacokinetics within the usual therapeutic range (fluvoxamine). Once a therapeutic blood concentration is established, linearity is helpful in avoiding the small dose changes and repeated rechecking of concentrations of medications that would be required for those agents with nonlinear pharmacokinetics. Sertraline stands out as having the best effects on behaviour among all antidepressants. However, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine are least likely to penetrate into breast milk. All 3 of the structurally unique newer antidepressants [amfebutamone (bupropion), viloxazine venlafaxine] have relatively short tmax values (1 to 2 hours), which may relate to the early onset of adverse effects. Amfebutamone has the benefits of linear pharmacokinetics with potential for defined therapeutic blood concentrations, lack of effect of liver enzymes on metabolism of the drug, and lack of significant effects of either aging or hepatic dysfunction on elimination of the drug. Thus, the antidepressants best suited for pharmacokinetic optimisation of therapy are the following: desipramine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, citalopram and amfebutamone.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1993

Psychotropic treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and related disorders.

BACKGROUND: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia frequently are associated with symptoms of major depression. For this reason, antidepressants have been used in treatment of these disorders; however, little direction has been provided into this application in psychopharmacology. METHOD: First, nine studies were reviewed regarding the relationship of the symptoms of fatigue and depression. Next, 23 reports (12 double-blind studies, 7 open studies, and 4 case reports) were reviewed for the effectiveness of therapy as assessed by global response and improvement of both depression and pain. Studies were differentiated by type of controls, as well as by alleged mechanism of action of the pharmacologic agent. RESULTS: Disturbances in brain neurochemistry shared by CFS and major depression may serve as a basis for the effectiveness of some antidepressants in CFS. Response to some antidepressants in patients with CFS or fibromyalgia may occur at doses lower than those used in major depression, e.g., amitriptyline 25-75 mg/day. We further found that the more serotonergic treatments (e.g., clomipramine) were more successful in alleviating pain than depression, whereas catecholaminergic agents (e.g., maprotiline, bupropion) seemed particularly effective for symptoms of associated depression. CONCLUSION: To maximize response of the physiologic and psychological consequences of the disorder, more investigation is needed to replicate the apparent findings that relate the neurochemical impairment underlying CFS and fibromyalgia to the type of antidepressant mechanism.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1992

Bupropion treatment of fluoxetine-resistant chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) includes many symptoms of major depression. For this reason, many antidepressants have been used to treat the symptoms of this disorder. Among the more recently released antidepressants are fluoxetine and bupropion. In this open study, nine CFS patients who either could not tolerate or did not respond to fluoxetine showed significant response when administered 300 mg/day of bupropion for an 8-week period in both rating of HDRS (t = 4.80, p < 0.01) and BDI (t = 2.48, p < 0.05). Furthermore, bupropion improvement in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale correlated significantly with change in plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) (r = 0.96, p < 0.01). Plasma total methylhydroxyphenolglycol (MHPG) also increased significantly during bupropion treatment (t = 2.37, p = 0.05). Measures of T1 microsomal antibodies also decreased over treatment time; increases in natural killer cell numbers correlated inversely with change in plasma levels of free MHPG (r = -0.88, p < 0.05). Bupropion responders were more likely to have trough blood levels above 30 ng/ml (chi 2 = 3.6, p = 0.05).

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Blood levels and acute response to bupropion.

Twenty-three patients with major depressive disorder were treated with bupropion in an open-design protocol. Fifteen (65.2%) of the 23 responded with a more than 50% decrease in scores on the Beck Depression Inventory. Patients with trough blood levels of 10-29 ng/ml had a significantly better response than those with trough levels of 30 ng/ml or more. This preliminary result warrants further, double-blind evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Lithium pharmacokinetics.

Lithium, in various forms, has been used in the treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar affective disorder since the mid-1960s. In the past 30-plus years, much has been learned regarding lithium's effects on the renal function, improved ways and forms of administering and monitoring serum lithium levels, the effect of mood state on lithium kinetics, and the influence of age and disease factors. Furthermore, the interaction of lithium with other psychotropics as well as with non-psychotropics, in particular, the diuretics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, has frequently become a source of concern. This review highlights current knowledge on these topics with a view toward future developments.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Pharmacokinetics of second generation antidepressants: fluoxetine.

Fluoxetine is a serotonin-specific antidepressant approved in 1987 by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of depression. In this article, information will be reviewed concerning fluoxetine's pharmacokinetics and relation to blood levels and clinical response, to use in geriatrics, to use in medical illness, and to drug interactions.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1991

Pharmacokinetics of second generation antidepressants: bupropion.

Bupropion is a relatively dopamine-specific antidepressant approved for release by the Food and Drug Administration in 1989. Topics included in this review are pharmacokinetics as related to blood levels and clinical response, bupropion's use in the elderly and in the medically impaired, and drug interactions of note.

Antidepressive Agents↗