title: Psychotropic drug versus psychotropic drug-update.
abstract: Psychotropic drugs are not necessarily the drugs of psychiatry. Seventy percent of antidepressants, and 90% of anxiolytics are prescribed by nonpsychiatric physicians. Since psychotropic medications are so frequently employed by nonpsychiatric physicians, e.g., neurologists, primary care physicians, internists, and because large numbers of their patients are concurrently on medical drugs for somatic reasons, the interactions of psychotropic versus medical drugs and psychotropic versus psychotropic drugs as listed below must be understood before primary care physicians or psychiatrists prescribe psychotropic medications, especially to the medically ill. Seventy commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs were examined for their interactions with other psychotropic medications using six reference tools: 1) MEDLINE (PubMed) employing the first generic psychotropic drug name, the second generic psychotropic drug name, and the term "interaction;" 2) Hanston's Drug Interaction Analysis and Management Text (quarterly updated version); 3) Drug Interactions Facts (Facts and Comparisons) (July 2001 quarterly updated version); 4) Micromedex Drug-dex; 5) American Hospital Formulary Service Drug Information; and 6) Food and Drug Administration (MedWatch) (Dear Doctor Letters and new labeling) ( for (1999, 2000, and 2001). The authors recognized that all of the above sources do not necessarily cover the entire information database regarding drug-drug interactions. (Citations regarding children, reports in foreign languages or concerning food, animals, in vitro experiments, analgesics, and naturalistic-herbal or natural products-treatment interactions were excluded).
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Medicine and Consultation Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center/Health System, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. Jim_Strain@hotmail.com
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Strain
authors.forename: Niem Mu
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Kaiser
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sultana
authors.forename: Anwarul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caliendo
authors.forename: Shawkat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: Jay J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Strain
mesh_terms: D004347:Drug Interactions; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005569:Formularies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs