Monitoring of Patients with Bipolar I Disorder or Schizophrenia
On August 30, 2011, Dr. Covert and his staff and other members of the Houston psychiatric community were invited to attend a scientific presentation entitled "Current Issues in Neuropsychiatry." The topics included "Monitoring of Patients with Bipolar I disorder or Schizophrenia."
The two speakers were John Docherty, M.D., Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Cornell Medical College and Matthew Byerly, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, and Director of the Schizophrenic Research Program there.
The focus of the program was to review the use of atypical antipsychotic medications, with comparisons to the relatively newer and novel sublingual medication, Saphris (asenapine). The goal with this medication is to achieve remission in at least 50% of patients. It has an early onset of action. It may have efficacy in acute severe cases, similar to Zyprexa Zydis and shows promise in maintenance studies. It also has minimal drug-drug interactions (mainly with Luvox) and has a very manageable side effect profile. Somnolence is noted in 24% of patients with twice daily dosing, suggesting that a possible off-label single daily dose administration before bedtime may be helpful and may evolve in the future as the preferred approach.
Dr. Covert and his staff frequently participate in continuing psychiatric education events so that they are able to provide patients with the latest information and treatment strategies. Also, they really enjoyed meeting Dr. Docherty and Dr. Byerly.
Posted on 8-31-2011 | Permalink
Recent Continuing Psychiatric Education
On August 16, 2011, Dr. Covert and other members of the Houston psychiatric community were invited to an enjoyable scientific presentation by Dr. Larry Ereshefsky, Pharm D and Clinical Professor at the UTHSC San Antonio, TX , and now associated with UCLA Medical School In Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Larry discussed the sublingual neuroleptic medication, Saphris (aserapine), and it’s comparative properties, including:
- Optimal bioavailability
- Steady state concentration achieved in 3 days with twice daily administration
- Minimal drug-drug interactions
- FDA efficacy in significant mental disorders while minimizing sedation, lipid and weight gain problems and cognitive dulling as compared to other atypical neuroleptics like Seroquel and Zyprexa.
Posted on 8-17-2011 | Permalink
ADHD Treatment Overview
ADHD doctors prescribe stimulants for the treatment of child, adolescent or adult ADHD because it is a neurological disorder caused by the deficiency of the neurotransmitter, epinephrine, in some parts of the brain. After doing a comprehensive psychiatric examination which reveals symptoms of this disorder, standardized tests and questionnaires are administered to confirm and document statistically valid levels of inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity.
The two main classes of medications which "stimulate" production of epinephrine in the brain are methylphenidate and dextro-amphetamine, in use since the 1960’s.
Dr. Covert is an ADHD doctor. The primary Ritalin-based medication prescribed by Dr. Covert for ADHD is Concerta. The main amphetamine-based medication he prescribes is Vyvanse. The benefits of both these medications are that they are effective for 12 hours, they cannot be abused, they have no value on the street and they are the gold standard of psychiatric care for ADHD patients.
Posted on 8-3-2011 | Permalink
