TMS Predictors of Outcome

TMS Predictors of Outcome in Bipolar Depression and Unipolar Major Depression

Peter ForsterBipolar Treatment, Major Depression, Treatments of Depression Leave a Comment

What TMS predictors of outcome in bipolar depression and unipolar major depression can we use to identify those who are likely to respond to treatment? An article in 2017 in the journal Clinical Neurophysiology reports data from a very large series of patients with both types of depression who were treated with TMS. The study looked at records from 105 …

Pramipexole in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression

Peter ForsterBipolar Treatment, Treatments of Depression

For many years we’ve been impressed with the response in some patients with bipolar depression to relatively high doses of pramipexole. Pramipexole is an agent that enhances dopamine neurotransmission and has been approved for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. There are relatively few medications that significantly affect dopamine, one of the three monoamine neurotransmitters associated with depression and pramipexole is …

Lurasidone for Depression with Mixed Features

Peter ForsterBipolar Treatment, Diagnosis, Major Depression, Treatments of Depression

Lurasidone (Latuda) May Treat Depression with Mixed Features A recently published clinical trial suggests that lurasidone, which is an atypical antipsychotic with strong evidence for efficacy in treating bipolar depression, may be associated with response in patients who, according to DSM5, do not meet criteria for bipolar disorder, but do have evidence of mixed features. The study points to the importance …

TMS Updates May 2015

Peter ForsterTreatments of Depression

The editors of Bipolar News reported on some interesting presentations related to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the Biological Psychiatry meetings this past May. TMS for geriatric depression – “Researcher Daniel Blumberger reported that he has found repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to be effective for depression in late life. Blumberger noted thatit may be necessary to use higher intensity …

Bipolar Depression Treatment

Peter ForsterBipolar Treatment, GPS Update

Dr. Peter Forster and Dr. Kelsey Schraufnagel gave a very well attended presentation for an international audience of participants hosted by the International Bipolar Foundation on June 24th. Listeners from India, Taiwan, France, Ireland and all over the United States received an update on the state of the art in the treatment of bipolar depression. Doctor Forster updated the audience about medication …

ECT for Bipolar Depression

Peter ForsterBipolar Treatment, Treatments of Depression

ECT for bipolar depression may be much more effective than psychiatric medications. That is the conclusion of the recently published, well designed study of 73 in patients with bipolar depression who had failed adequate trials with mood stabilizers. In the initial 2 months after the patients were randomized to either ECT or algorithm based pharmacotherapy (psychiatric medications carefully managed and …