Psychopharmacology for the Naturopath Flashcards
SSRI - Uses
FDA-approved
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety
- PMDD
- PTSD
Non-FDA-approved
- Sexual compulsions/aggression
SSRIs
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
SSRIs - MOA
- Increase 5HT by inhibiting the function of SERT
- Increased 5HT causes 5HT1a receptors to downregulate
- Serotonergic neurons become uninhibited
SSRIs - side effects
- Sexual dysfunction
- Akathisia
- CYP450 interactions
- Hyperhydrosis
- Insomnia or sedation
- B12 depletion
- Serotonin syndrome
- Platelet dysfunction (if also taking NSAIDs)
SSRIs - CYP450 interactions
Least to Most
- Escitalopram
- Citalopram
- Sertraline
- Fluoxetine
- Fluvoxamine
- Paroxetine
SSRIs - efficacy for MDD
Best to Worst
- Escitalopram
- Citalopram
- Sertraline/fluoxetine/paroxetine
SSRIs - withdrawal syndrome
Least to Most
- Fluoxetine
- Escitalopram
- Citalopram
- Sertraline
- Paroxetine
SSRIs - activation
Least to Most
- Sertraline
- Escitalopram
- Citalopram
- Paroxetine
- Fluoxetine
SSRIs - sedation
Least to Most
- Fluoxetine/sertraline/escitalopram
- Citalopram
- Paroxetine
Fluoxetine - trade name
- Prozac
Fluoxetine
- 1st introduced SSRI
- Longest half life
> Fewest discontinuation problems, but also slowest onset of action - Activating
- Can use it to taper other drugs down
- Takes about 21 days to feel a difference
- Only SSRI FDA-approved for kids/adolescents
Paroxetine - trade name
- Paxil
Paroxetine
- Significant teratogen (only SSRI that is)
- Significant CYP interactions
- Likely to cause activation or over-sedation
- Do not use! Suggest patients switch if they’re on it
- Main good use is to decrease sexual thoughts/aggressions
- Causes a lot of side effects
- Patients might feel so fatigued that they think there’s a medical problem as well
Sertraline - trade name
- Zoloft
Sertraline
- Largest dosing window (50mg - 200mg
> Best for anxiety (use larger doses of SSRIs when treating anxiety) - Commonly causes insomnia and stomach issues (usually resolve within two weeks)
- Go-to for anxiety!
- Less activating than others
- Might cause bruxism
- Go-to for PTSD with both anxiety and MDD
Citalopram - trade name
- Celexa
Citalopram
- Often causes drowsiness
- Significant QTc prolongation
> If taking >30 mg, do regular EKGs
> More significant with co-morbidities (Hep C, diabetes, etc.) - Causes fewer other side effects
- Less sexual dysfunction than other SSRIs
Escitalopram - trade name and notes
- Lexapro
- Cleaner isomer of citalopram
- Use 1/2 the dose of escitalopram (eg. 20mg of citalopram = 10mg of escitalopram)
- Fewer side effects
- Great efficacy
- May cause bruxism
- Go-to for depression!
Fluvoxamine - trade name
- Luvox
Fluvoxamine
- Rarely seen in US
> Prescribed commonly in Europe - Only FDA approval is for OCD
Poop out syndrome
- Patient has good response to SSRI for a while (can be years), but gradually it stops working
- Can switch to a different SSRI and it will likely work
- Can discontinue the original SSRI for 6 months and then it will work again after the break
> Each subsequent use of the original SSRI will last for a shorter time before it poops out again - Happens pretty commonly
> Especially when another life stressor occurs - Tachyphylaxis is technical name for when a drug causes a great response at first, but then stops working quickly
> Poop out syndrome is only kinda-sorta the same since it’s a longer process - When true tachyphylaxis occurs with an SSRI, it’s a red flag for bipolar disorder (because they likely just need a mood stabilizer)
PTSD
- Evidence for SSRIs in PTSD is pretty poor, though SSRIs can be helpful for PTSD patients
- Significant evidence shows that SSRIs increase hippocampal volume in patients with PTSD by increasing BDNF
- Rare to see a patient with PTSD without another mood disorder, especially depression
Contraindications to SSRIs
- Past sensitivity to drug class
- Concurrent significant NSAID use (platelet dysfunction)
- History of long QTc syndrome
- Concurrent use of other QTc prolonging diagnoses or agents
- Concurrent tramadol use (for seizures)
- Bipolar disorder
Contraindications for the ND
- Hypericum
- 5HTP
- Yohimbe
- L-tryptophan
- Melatonin (may neutralize the intended enzymatic activity of the SSRI)
Depletions for the ND
- Melatonin?
> Some suggest supplementing with 1-3mg before bed
> Luvox appears to actually increase melatonin
How to stop SSRIs
- Very, very slowly
- Can replace others with very low dose Prozac to help with titration (because of its long half life)
- Can use other serotonergic support (5HTP, etc.)
- Make sure to differentiate between relapse and withdrawal symptoms
> Look for dizziness, sensitivity, suicidality
Buproprion - trade name
- Wellbutrin
Buproprion - FDA approvals
- MDD
- ADHD
- Smoking cessation
- Commonly prescribed along with SSRIs
Buproprion - formulation types
- Regular (dose TID 5 hours apart)
- Sustained Release (SR) (dose BID 3-4 hours apart morning and noonish)
- Extended Release (XL) (dose QD)
- SR often for smoking cessation and ADHD
Buproprion - MOA
- Inhibition of NE and dopamine reuptake
Buproprion - side effects
- Anxiety
- Sleep disturbance
- Jaw tightening
- Hypertension
- Lowers the seizure threshold (esp Regular and SR - must take it as prescribed)
- Can be very stimulating in the first few days, but then evens out
> Decreased sleep and appetite
Buproprion - interactions
- MAOIs
- Tramadol
> Also lowers the seizure threshold
Buproprion - contraindications
- History of seizure disorder
- History of eating disorders
> Brings back ED behaviors, even if they’ve been gone for years
SNRIs
Selective Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
- Venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
SNRIs - FDA approved for
- MDD
- Chronic Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain**
- Fibromyalgia**
**Cymbalta only
SNRIs - MOA
- Serotonin and NE reuptake inhibition
SNRIs - side effects
Same as SSRIs
- Sexual dysfunction
- Akathisia
- CYP450 interactions (fewer than SSRIs)
- Hyperhydrosis
- Insomnia or sedation
- B12 depletion
- Serotonin syndrome
- Platelet dysfunction (if also taking NSAIDs)
- Hypertension
- Elevated hepatic enzymes
SNRIs - interactions
Same as SSRIs
- Hypericum
- 5HTP
- Yohimbe
- L-tryptophan
- Melatonin (may neutralize the intended enzymatic activity of the SSRI)
- Past sensitivity to drug class
- Concurrent significant NSAID use (platelet dysfunction)
- History of long QTc syndrome
- Concurrent use of other QTc prolonging diagnoses or agents
- Concurrent tramadol use (for seizures)
- Bipolar disorder
- Caution with L-tyrosine
SNRIs - contraindications
- Glaucoma
Venlafaxine - trade name
- Effexor
Duloxetine - trade name
- Cymbalta
Desvenlafaxine - trade name
- Pristiq
Venlafaxine
- Very bad withdrawal symptoms
> Use Prozac to taper off - Similar to Paxil in that it doesn’t get used as often anymore
Duloxetine
- Better for pain than for mood
Desvenlafaxine
- Nicer version of Effexor
- Useful for patients who haven’t had good responses to SSRIs, or patients who are drowsy/needing more energy
- Becoming cheaper and more commonly prescribed
- Commonly used for patients with a history of opiate addiction
Tricyclic antidepressants
- Amitriptyline (Elavil)
- Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
- Clomipramine (Anafranil)
- Imipramine (Tofranil)
- Doxepin (Sinequan)
TCAs - MOA
- Block serotonin transporter (SERT) and NE transporter (NET)
> Block reuptake for 5HT and NE - Increase concentrations in synaptic space
TCAs - side effects
- Prolonged QTc
- Antimuscarinic effects
> Dry mouth
> Urinary retention
> Dry eyes
> Constipation - Sexual dysfunction
- Akasthisia (rarely)
TCAs - interactions
Same as SSRIs
- Hypericum
- 5HTP
- Yohimbe
- L-tryptophan
- Melatonin (may neutralize the intended enzymatic activity of the SSRI)
- Past sensitivity to drug class
- Concurrent significant NSAID use (platelet dysfunction)
- History of long QTc syndrome
- Concurrent use of other QTc prolonging diagnoses or agents
- Concurrent tramadol use (for seizures)
- Bipolar disorder
- SAMe (accelerates the onset of action of TCAs)
- More CYP interactions than SSRIs
TCAs - contraindications
- Suicidality (TCAs are lethal at low doses)
Clomipramine
- Considered first line for OCD (then NAC, then Luvox)
> Doesn’t treat depression/anxiety as well as Luvox
> Has more side effects and CYP interactions than Luvox
Amitriptyline
- Readily used in primary care for sleep, headaches, and neuropathic pain
Nortriptyline
- Essentially the same as amitriptyline, but cleaner and more powerful
> 50mg of amitriptyline = 25mg of nortriptyline
> Fewer side effects than amitriptyline - Good for sleep
Doxepine
- Good for insomnia
Anxiolytics
- SSRIs
- Benzos
- Gabapentin
- Buspar
- Propranolol
- Clonidine
- Prazosin
SSRIs
- Start lower (1/2 usual dose)
- Go slower (wait at least 2 weeks between increasing dose)
- Go higher (will likely need the max dose to treat anxiety)
- Go-to is Zoloft
- “Max dose” is a recommendation, and some providers go higher (they just haven’t been studied at higher than “max dose”)
Benzodiazepines
- Alprazolam (Xanax)
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Diazepam (Valium)
- Temazepam (Restoril)
Benzodiazepines - FDA approved for
- Panic disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Insomnia
- Preoperative anxiety
- Seizures
- Muscle spasms (often used in sports medicine)
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Anything that needs the CNS suppressed…
Benzodiazepines - detox
- Prioritize detoxing patients
- Comfortable schedule for detox
> Significant patient education (decreases REM, increases anxiety, increases depression)
> Convert to Lorazepam, Valium, or Klonopin to taper (reference Ashton manual)
> Consider adding Gabapentin (300mg TID)
> 10-20% dose decrease every 2-4 weeks
> Support with GABAnergic supplements
^ Passiflora
^ Skullcap
^ GABA
^ Valerian
^ Kava
^ Phenibut
Benzodiazepines - differences
- Onset of action
- Half life
- Receptor sites
> All bind to GABA A receptors with differences within subtypes
Benzodiazepines - side effects
- Sedation
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Ataxia
- Forgetfulness, feeling “fuzzy”
- “Being snowed”
- Reduced REM sleep (sleep more, but not getting rest)
Benzodiazepines - depletions
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
Benzodizepines - contraindications
- DHEA (esp Klonopin)
- CNS suppressing herbs (like Kava)
- Hypericum (CYP interactions)