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Biomedical subjects

M Z Wincor

Publications and source records attributed to M Z Wincor.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Development and implementation of drug use evaluation (DUE) criteria for risperidone in an outpatient psychiatric setting.

Risperidone is a recently approved atypical antipsychotic that offers the advantages over existing typical antipsychotics of improved efficacy against negative symptoms and a decreased incidence of extrapyramidal side effects. However, risperidone is much more expensive than other antipsychotics. A drug use evaluation (DUE) was undertaken to assess the prescribing practices of risperidone in a large public adult psychiatric outpatient clinic. After a through literature review, criteria describing the appropriate prescribing of risperidone were approved after consultation with the medical staff. Criteria were developed to delineate appropriate patient selection, laboratory and clinical monitoring parameters, documentation, and outcome measures. After a chart review was conducted to evaluate existing prescribing practices, the criteria and results were presented to the medical staff and the appropriateness of the criteria were discussed. After 1 month, a second chart review was conducted to evaluate changes in prescribing practices in response to these criteria. Risperidone was prescribed to 44 patients in the outpatient clinic. Sixteen of these patients were resistant to treatment with traditional antipsychotics, 19 had developed intolerable extrapyramidal side effects during treatment with traditional antipsychotics, 10 had developed tardive dyskinesia, and 11 were noncompliant with other treatment regimens (some patients fell into more than one category). In 35 patients able to be evaluated for side effects, the most common were termed "activating side effects" and included restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, and unspecified activation. These side effects occurred in 9 patients. Another 5 patients developed extrapyramidal side effects and 3 patients developed a tremor. The initial chart review showed deficiencies in several areas, including laboratory and clinical monitoring and documentation. After presentation of these results to the staff, a second review was conducted; the results demonstrated improvements in many of the areas that were originally deficient. In conclusion, it was shown that the criteria developed had an overall positive impact on the appropriate prescribing of risperidone.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The pharmacist's role in the recognition and management of insomnia.

Pharmacists, in collaboration with physicians, are in a unique position to assist the many patients who complain of disturbed sleep and/or impaired daytime functioning. The aim of this article are to familiarize physicians with the role that is and can be played by the pharmacist and to reinforce for practicing pharmacists their multifaceted approach to the insomniac patient. Suggestions are made for pharmacist involvement in patient evaluation, education, and monitoring, and for other possible roles of the pharmacist in dealing with the insomniac patient and the appropriate use of hypnotics.

Databases, Bibliographic↗
PubMed1991

Alprazolam levels and response in panic disorder: preliminary results.

Fifty-five young adult patients completed a study comparing alprazolam, propranolol, and placebo in the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia with panic attacks. Twenty completed 5 weeks of treatment with alprazolam. No concomitant psychological treatment was administered. Plasma alprazolam levels were determined at baseline and at the end of the trial by means of automated gas chromatography. These levels were significantly correlated with dose (p = 0.001). Dividing the data into quartiles based on alprazolam concentration, no direct, linear relationship was found between alprazolam levels and response (as defined by a criterion of zero panic attacks). However, analysis of the combined middle two quartiles versus the combined upper and lower quartiles showed a positive trend toward a curvilinear relationship; i.e., there was a greater response rate within the 18-62 ng/ml concentration range than in the combined 0-17 plus 63-107 ng/ml range, (chi 2 = 2.4; p = 0.12). The findings are very preliminary in nature. It remains to be seen if the results will reach significance with a large sample size and a more tightly controlled study design.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Comparison of pharmacist and physician prescribing for psychiatric inpatients.

Drug prescribing for inpatients by three certified pharmacist prescribers and two psychiatrists at a 40-bed mental health facility in California was evaluated. The pharmacist prescribers were assigned diagnosed patients whose treatment plan was primarily pharmacologic. For each prescriber, 60 prescriptions were randomly selected to include 20 neuroleptic drugs, 20 anticholinergic drugs used to alleviate the parkinsonism-like syndrome induced by neuroleptic drugs, and 20 antidepressants. A panel of four clinical judges independently evaluated the appropriateness of each prescription using explicit screening criteria; the judges' mean scores were reported. The patients treated by pharmacists and physicians were similar in age, sex ratio, number of drugs prescribed, and number of medical diagnoses. There was no significant difference in the appropriateness of prescribing between pharmacists and physicians for anticholinergic drugs, while mean scores for pharmacists were significantly better than physicians for neuroleptic and antidepressant drugs. The mean scores for all prescribers in most areas were in the appropriate range. While the results are not applicable to all pharmacists, the certified pharmacist prescribers in this study prescribed drugs for psychiatric inpatients as safely and appropriately as the physicians.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A naturalistic comparison of adverse effects between slow titration and loading of divalproex sodium in psychiatric inpatients.

BACKGROUND: This study compares the incidence, severity and onset of treatment-emergent adverse effects between slow titration and loading of divalproex sodium in psychiatric inpatients. METHOD: Forty-seven patients were prescribed either loading or slow titration of divalproex sodium. Under single-blind conditions, adverse effects were assessed using a valproate adverse effects rating scale. Except for a statistically significant greater incidence of somnolence in the slow titration group, no statistically or clinically significant differences in incidence, severity or onset of treatment-emergent adverse effects were found between groups. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: Overall, adverse effects were well tolerated by both groups.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Possible serotonin syndrome in association with 5-HT(3) antagonist agents.

The serotonin syndrome results when serotonergic activity increases to abnormally high levels. It occurs with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), opioids, and other serotonergic agents when the serotonin system has been modulated by another serotonergic agent or compromised by illness. Although the symptoms are quite variable, the syndrome is characterized by a triad of altered mental status, neuromuscular abnormalities, and autonomic dysfunction. The authors report the probable occurrence of the serotonin syndrome with serotonin receptor subtype 3 (5-HT(3)) antagonist therapy when used to control nausea associated with chemotherapy in two seriously ill children. The first case involves combined use with mirtazapine and the second with fentanyl. These agents may pose a potential risk when used in such combination in seriously ill patients.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗