This episode will offer practical guidance and answer questions about how to interpret abnormal liver function tests in a patient taking psychotropic medications.

Faculty: Sandra Jacobson, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 0.75 CMEs: Laboratory Testing in the Practice of Psychopharmacology
• Interpreting Liver Function Tests

In this episode, we discuss the diagnosis and management of extrapyramidal symptoms.

Here are some questions Dr. Pontone addresses:

• Are there any biomarkers or neuroimaging studies that help us differentiate drug-induced EPS from Parkinson’s disease?
• What can you do after you identify extrapyramidal symptoms? What should be your first step?
• Is it okay to use anticholinergic agents prophylactically?
• What is the prognosis for extrapyramidal symptoms?
• How long does it typically take for extrapyramidal symptoms to remit?

Faculty: Greg Pontone, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 1.25 CMEs: "Drug-Induced Movement Disorders: The Clinical Essentials"
• Clinical Pointers on Managing Extrapyramidal Symptoms

Today's episode is about treatment strategies for postpartum bipolar disorder and psychosis. Here are some questions we cover in this episode:

• What is the role for lithium in postpartum psychosis?
• What do we know about mood stabilizers and breastfeeding?
• Is it possible for women who are using lithium to breastfeed in a safe manner?
• If your patient is already on a mood stabilizer, should she switch medications specifically for breastfeeding?

Faculty: Marlene Freeman, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 1.25 CMEs - "The Clinician's Guide to Postpartum Mood Disorders"
• Postpartum Psychosis: Clinical Considerations

Here are some practical things you’ll learn if you listen to this entire episode:

• Specific tests that you need to order before prescribing lithium (baseline testing).
• How to start lithium.
• The best way to distribute dosing to prevent kidney damage.
• The most relevant drug interactions that may affect lithium levels.

Faculty: David Osser, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 1.5 CMEs - "Lithium: How to Manage Dosage and Side Effects and Persuade Patients to Take It"
• Baseline Testing and Dosing of Lithium

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain is a huge problem. Today's episode will remind you of some important concepts from the general medicine perspective.

This episode will help you be more systematic about the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in your clinical practice. It will also give you a framework for monitoring metabolic side effects when you prescribe second-generation antipsychotics.

Faculty: Sandra Jacobson, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 0.75 CMEs: Laboratory Testing in the Practice of Psychopharmacology
• Gary C.: Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain, Hyperlipidemia, and Metabolic Syndrome

In this episode, we discuss the diagnosis and management of akathisia. Here are some questions Dr. Pontone addresses:

• Why is akathisia important?
• For differential diagnosis, what are the most common conditions that can mimic akathisia?
• What is pseudoakathisia?
• What can you do to treat akathisia before adding any new medication?
• If you need to add a medication, which one should you choose?

Faculty: Greg Pontone, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 1.25 CMEs: "Drug-Induced Movement Disorders: The Clinical Essentials"
• Akathisia: How to Diagnose and Manage?

Today's episode is about the diagnosis of postpartum psychosis. Here are some important questions we cover in this episode:

• How common is postpartum psychosis?
• What underlying etiology should we always suspect?
• How do we differentiate postpartum psychosis from obsessive-compulsive disorder in the postpartum?
• Is postpartum psychosis an emergency, or can it be handled with outpatient treatment?

Faculty: Marlene Freeman, M.D.

• Learn more about our memberships here
• Earn 1.25 CMEs: The Clinician's Guide to Postpartum Mood Disorders
• Postpartum Psychosis: Clinical Considerations

This episode explores a clinical trial on the use of hypnotics in insomnia associated with suicidal depression.

• Download a PDF of this interview here
• Learn more about our memberships here

• Download a PDF of this interview here
• Learn more about our memberships here

We discuss a study on the use of the mu-opioid receptor antagonist, samidorphan for olanzapine-induced weight gain, compared to placebo and naltrexone.

• Earn 0.5 CME here
• Learn more about our memberships here