Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
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J Clin Psychopharmacol · Dec 2009
Comparative StudyHealth and economic burden of metabolic comorbidity among individuals with bipolar disorder.
To compare the prevalence and health care costs of metabolic conditions in patients with bipolar disorder to age- and sex-matched control patients using a large insurance claims database. ⋯ Patients with bipolar disorder have significantly more metabolic comorbidities and higher medical costs than age- and sex-matched controls. Studies that link claims data with medical records or primary data collection pertaining to metabolic conditions may overcome limitations in the diagnostic information and outcome predictors. To reduce the medical and economic burden of bipolar disorder, strategies should be identified to prevent the development of metabolic comorbidities and improve medication adherence.
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J Clin Psychopharmacol · Aug 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of a combination of flumazenil and gabapentin in the treatment of alcohol dependence: relationship to alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Improved treatment of alcohol dependence is a high priority, including defining subtypes that might respond differently. We evaluated a medication combination of intravenous flumazenil (FMZ) and oral gabapentin (GBP) in alcoholics who did and did not exhibit pretreatment alcohol withdrawal (AW) symptoms. Sixty alcohol-dependent individuals (44 with low AW and 16 with high AW) were randomized to receive FMZ (2 mg of incremental bolus for 20 minutes for 2 consecutive days) and GBP (up to 1200 mg nightly for 39 days) or their inactive placebos. ⋯ In addition, the pattern of response remained up to 8 weeks after treatment. In addition, in those with high AW, greater improvement in AW symptoms was observed in the active medication group compared with the placebo group. These results suggest a differential response to FMZ/GBP treatment, depending on pretreatment AW status that should be taken into account during future treatment trials.