NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. 2nd April 2009 NICE has updated its clinical guideline on the management of schizophrenia. With regard to choice of antipsychotic, NICE does not recommend use of any particular drug […]
Category Archives: CNS and mental health
NPC Archive Item: Evidence to support sertraline as first-line drug treatment option for major depression
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. 25th February 2009 A meta-analysis which considered the comparative efficacy of 12 second-generation antidepressants, has concluded that sertraline may be the best choice when starting treatment for moderate to […]
NPC Archive Item: Atypical and typical antipsychotics may double the risk of sudden cardiac death
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. 5th February 2009 An observational study from Tennessee suggests that typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs approximately double the risk of sudden cardiac death. The absolute increase is approximately an […]
NPC Archive Item: EMEA recommendations for safer use of methylphenidate-containing medicines
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. 4th February 2009 The EMEA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has reviewed methylphenidate due to concerns over cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks. They also considered the risk […]
NPC Archive Item: New evidence to support individualised antipsychotic drug treatment in patients with schizophrenia
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. A recent meta-analysis concludes that all antipsychotic drugs differ in their efficacy and adverse effects and they are not a homogeneous group. This supports an individualised approach to treatment, […]
NPC Archive Item: Antipsychotics increase mortality in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. Extended follow-up of the DART-AD trial found patients with Alzheimer’s disease who continued antipsychotic medication for behavioural or psychiatric problems were twice as likely to die as those switched […]
NPC Archive Item: Tasimelteon for insomnia – early data in healthy people with an artificially disturbed sleep pattern.
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. In healthy people whose sleep pattern had been brought forward by five hours, a single dose of tasimelteon reduced the time to persistent sleep compared to placebo. It is […]
NPC Archive Item: Z-drugs increase the risk of road traffic accidents
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. A study in Norway has found that prescription of Z-drugs is associated with around a doubled increased relative risk of road traffic accidents compared to those who don’t take […]
NPC Archive Item: EMEA reinforces safety concerns over using antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. The EMEA has reported that, as with newer (atypical) antipsychotics, conventional (typical) antipsychotics are likely to be associated with increased mortality when used in elderly people with dementia. Action […]
NPC Archive Item: No difference in effectiveness of ‘second-generation’ antidepressants
NOTE – This is an archive post from the NPC and has not been updated since first publication. Therefore, some hyperlinks may no longer be working. A recent systematic review concludes that current evidence does not support the choice of one second-generation antidepressant (e.g. SSRIs, venlafaxine, duloxetine▼, mirtazapine) over another on the basis of efficacy […]