- Section 1 Patients and their treatment
- Section 2 Background to medicine
- Section 3 Cell biology
- Section 4 Immunological mechanisms
- Section 5 Principles of clinical oncology
- Section 6 Old age medicine
- Section 7 Pain and palliative care
- Section 8 Infectious diseases
- Section 9 Sexually transmitted diseases
- Section 10 Environmental medicine, occupational medicine, and poisoning
- Section 11 Nutrition
- Section 12 Metabolic disorders
- Section 13 Endocrine disorders
- Section 14 Medical disorders in pregnancy
- Section 15 Gastroenterological disorders
- Section 16 Cardiovascular disorders
- Section 17 Critical care medicine
- Section 18 Respiratory disorders
- Section 19 Rheumatological disorders
- Section 20 Disorders of the skeleton
- Section 21 Disorders of the kidney and urinary tract
- Section 22 Haematological disorders
- Section 23 Disorders of the skin
- Section 24 Neurological disorders
- Section 25 Disorders of the eye
- Section 26 Psychiatric and drug-related disorders
- 26.1 General introduction
- 26.2 The psychiatric assessment of the medical patient
- 26.3 Common psychiatric presentations in medical patients
- 26.4 Psychiatric treatments in the medically ill
- 26.4.1 Psychopharmacology in medical practice
- 26.4.2 Psychological treatments
- 26.5 Specific psychiatric disorders
- 26.6 Changing unhealthy behaviours
- 26.7 Psychiatry, liaison psychiatry, and psychological medicine
- Section 27 Forensic medicine
- Section 28 Sport and exercise medicine
- Section 29 Biochemistry in medicine
- Section 30 Acute medicine
Psychopharmacology in medical practice
- Chapter:
- Psychopharmacology in medical practice
- Author(s):
Philip J. Cowen
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780198746690.003.0625
Drugs intended to treat psychiatric disorders are referred to as psychotropic drugs. The main categories are antidepressants, mood stabilizing drugs, antipsychotic drugs, and antianxiety drugs. These drugs are widely used in medical practice and most clinicians are likely to have under their care several patients receiving treatment with them. Practitioners therefore need to have an understanding of both the uses and unwanted effects of psychotropic drugs, and particularly of (1) their interactions with drugs used to treat other medical conditions, (2) characteristic abstinence syndromes that can occur with sudden discontinuation of antidepressants (particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine) and anxiolytics.
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- Section 1 Patients and their treatment
- Section 2 Background to medicine
- Section 3 Cell biology
- Section 4 Immunological mechanisms
- Section 5 Principles of clinical oncology
- Section 6 Old age medicine
- Section 7 Pain and palliative care
- Section 8 Infectious diseases
- Section 9 Sexually transmitted diseases
- Section 10 Environmental medicine, occupational medicine, and poisoning
- Section 11 Nutrition
- Section 12 Metabolic disorders
- Section 13 Endocrine disorders
- Section 14 Medical disorders in pregnancy
- Section 15 Gastroenterological disorders
- Section 16 Cardiovascular disorders
- Section 17 Critical care medicine
- Section 18 Respiratory disorders
- Section 19 Rheumatological disorders
- Section 20 Disorders of the skeleton
- Section 21 Disorders of the kidney and urinary tract
- Section 22 Haematological disorders
- Section 23 Disorders of the skin
- Section 24 Neurological disorders
- Section 25 Disorders of the eye
- Section 26 Psychiatric and drug-related disorders
- 26.1 General introduction
- 26.2 The psychiatric assessment of the medical patient
- 26.3 Common psychiatric presentations in medical patients
- 26.4 Psychiatric treatments in the medically ill
- 26.4.1 Psychopharmacology in medical practice
- 26.4.2 Psychological treatments
- 26.5 Specific psychiatric disorders
- 26.6 Changing unhealthy behaviours
- 26.7 Psychiatry, liaison psychiatry, and psychological medicine
- Section 27 Forensic medicine
- Section 28 Sport and exercise medicine
- Section 29 Biochemistry in medicine
- Section 30 Acute medicine