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Biomedical subjects

R F Prien

Publications and source records attributed to R F Prien.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Drug therapy in the prevention of recurrences in unipolar and bipolar affective disorders. Report of the NIMH Collaborative Study Group comparing lithium carbonate, imipramine, and a lithium carbonate-imipramine combination.

In a double-blind, long-term follow-up study, 117 bipolar patients received lithium carbonate, imipramine hydrochloride, or both and 150 unipolar patients received lithium carbonate, imipramine, both lithium carbonate and imipramine, or placebo. With bipolar patients, lithium carbonate and the combination treatment were superior to imipramine in preventing manic recurrences and were as effective as imipramine in preventing manic recurrences and were as effective as imipramine in preventing depressive episodes. The combination treatment provided no advantage over lithium carbonate alone. With unipolar patients, imipramine and the combination treatment were more effective than lithium carbonate and placebo in preventing depressive recurrences. The combination treatment provided no advantage over imipramine alone. The lithium carbonate-treated group had fewer manic episodes than the other groups. Treatment outcome, which was evaluated primarily in terms of the occurrence of major depression or manic episodes, was significantly related to characteristics of the index episode, ie, the episode that brought the patient into the study.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1983

The role of antidepressants in the treatment of affective disorders.

The paper reviews studies of the effectiveness of antidepressants in acute depression and variables accounting for nonresponsiveness. Data supporting continuation and maintenance therapy are presented. The authors discuss nonspecific psychotherapeutic components of drug management and also review studies of the usefulness of antidepressant and psychotherapy, alone and in combination.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1978

Hospital surveys of prescribing practices with psychotherapeutic drugs. A critical examination.

Hospital surveys of psychotherapeutic drug prescribing in the United States have been generally critical of the treatment practices of physicians and have been used to support claims that psychotherapeutic drugs are overprescribed and misused. This report examined several recent multihospital surveys of psychotherapeutic drug use and concludes that the surveys have failed to provide sufficient information to determine the appropriateness of treatment practices. The limitations of these surveys and the need to develop more adequate information about physician prescribing patterns are discussed.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1976

Relationship between dosage and response to lithium prophylaxis in recurrent depression.

The authors analyzed the results of a multihospital collaborative study on the effectiveness of lithium prophylaxis in recurrent depression in terms of dosage and found that serum lithium levels between 0.5 and 0.7 mEq/liter and doses below 1000 mg/day were relatively ineffective in preventing recurrences. Serum lithium levels between 0.8 and 1.0 mEq/liter and doses above 1000 mg/day were associated with a relatively low failure rate. The authors discuss the relevance of these findings to current prescription guidelines for lithium carbonate.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1975

The use of psychoactive drugs in elderly patients with psychiatric disorders: survey conducted in twelve Veterans Administration hospitals.

A survey conducted at 12 VA hospitals included the collection of detailed information on the use of psychoactive drugs in 1,276 elderly psychiatric patients. On the day of the survey, 61 per cent of the patients were receiving psychoactive drugs. Prescription practices relating to the choice of drugs, prevalence of drug use, dosage, combination drug preparations, and antiparkinson agents are discussed in terms of such factors as the patient's age and the diagnosis. Also discussed is the literature on psychoactive drugs, particularly as it pertains to elderly populations.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

[Practical considerations on treatment with antipsychotic preparations].

On the basis of a study of several hundred patients using the method of a double blind control the author showed the possibility of a successful maintenance treatment using intermittent dosage schedules with a marked reduction in the administration of antiparkinsonic agents. It is also demonstrated that patients under the age of 40 currently hospitalized less than 10 years on high doses of chlorpromazine in addition to showing generalized symptom reduction showed significant improvement in areas of social adjustment.

Adult↗