Treatment Pitfalls

During my 2 years of practice in the Las Vegas area, I have been encountering concerning trends with regards to prescription medications. Some of the most notable offenses are commonly prescribing Wellbutrin to patients who are anxious which has a worsening effect on their condition. Also, Effexor has been given to patients that already have hypertension, which worsens their blood pressure.

Additionally, medication timings will be looked at as well as avoiding certain SSRI antidepressants in patients with sensitive stomachs or severe reflux. In this case, an atypical antidepressant would be much better. Additionally, we will be avoiding weight-gaining medications in at-risk patients as well as avoiding dopamine modifying medication (antipsychotics) in patients that do not truly need this medication class.

Medication levels can be checked along with concurrent labs for other organ damage, such as liver, kidney, thyroid & blood count. Finally medication interactions are always studied to ensure the highest degree of safety and preventing unwanted effects that inadvertently increase the levels of medication from other specialties. Or at other times render some of them ineffective as is the case for tamoxifen & Plavix.

At Las Vegas Psychiatry, prioritizing patient safety and satisfaction is our #1 goal.