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BACKGROUND: What’s in a name?? Up until 1987 this condition was called attention deficit disorder (ADD), but this is an outdated term. The term was once used to refer to someone who had trouble focusing but was not hyperactive. Since 1987 ADHD is the term used by the American...

Sleep aids not related to Benzodiazepines Melatonin receptor agonists: Melatonin is a hormone synthesized in the pineal gland, that is responsible to make us fall asleep. It is produced from tryptophan. No surprise that the pineal gland starts to function after 6 months, when babies start sleeping during the...

Mechanism: The GABA(A)-(gamma-aminobutyric acid type A) receptors are the major inhibitors of brain activity. When these receptors are activated, brain activity declines. Selected benzodiazepine hypnotics: Temazepam (Restoril®) capsules Most commonly used BZ hypnotic Half-life is 3.5-18 hours NOTE: one of the safer benzos for elderly, as it is less...

Most prescribers are not comfortable with long term benzodiazepine use today in family practice.  We live in a very “anxious” society and our patients are frequently looking for help reducing anxiety.  This column focuses on some of the more common alternatives for short term treatment of anxiety. Buspirone (Buspar®) ...

Anxiety is a part of normal live and today everyone seems stressed out.  When stress becomes unbearable many turn to their physician for help.  Physicians do prescribe drugs from the benzodiazepine class with a great deal of caution, given the significant adverse effects. Stress, fear and anxiety are interactive....

Now that we are comfortable with the second-generation antipsychotics regarding their efficacy, let’s look at what separates them.  Most feel it is the side effect profiles that separate these drugs.  We’ll discuss the major parameters that separate this class of drugs. Side effect management is extremely important especially in...