International Clinical Psychopharmacology
January 1, 1998
Gilberto Gerra, A. Zaimovic, Giuliano Giucastro et al.
145 citations
Chronic use of MDMA (Ecstasy) is associated with impaired serotonin system function and behavioral changes. Fifteen MDMA users without other drug dependencies showed significantly reduced prolactin and cortisol responses to a D-fenfluramine challenge compared to 15 control individuals, indicating serotonergic dysfunction. Clinically, users exhibited dysphoria, mood changes, tiredness, and sensation-seeking behavior. They scored higher on depression, hostility, and novelty-seeking measures. Prolactin responses negatively correlated with direct aggressiveness and novelty-seeking scores. The findings suggest a link between MDMA use and serotonin impairment, though a premorbid condition contributing to these differences cannot be ruled out.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
September 1, 2023
Mauro Scala, Giuseppe Fanelli, Diana De Ronchi et al.
40 citations
Mood disorders are long-lasting conditions with inconsistent remission rates. Standard antidepressants fail many patients, cause side effects like weight gain and sexual problems, and act slowly. Newer drugs aim to work faster, with fewer side effects, and target symptoms poorly addressed by older medications, such as anhedonia, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, cognitive deficits, and irritability. These agents act on glutamate, GABA, orexin, and other receptors, offering more pharmacodynamic variety to personalize treatment. This review covers the clinical profiles of nine novel compounds—including psilocybin, esmethadone, and zuranolone—to help clinicians weigh benefits and risks for patients with different mood disorder symptoms and comorbidities.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2000
A Lerner, Marc Gelkopf, Igor Oyffe et al.
39 citations
A small pilot open study tested whether clonidine, a drug that reduces sympathetic nervous activity, could help people with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) caused by LSD. Eight patients who had had HPPD for at least three months and had been drug-free for at least three months took a low dose of clonidine (0.025 mg three times daily) for two months. Two patients dropped out. Among the six who completed the study, scores on the Clinical Global Impression Scale dropped from an average of 5.25 (severe) to 2.5 (mild), and self-reported symptom severity fell from 4 to 2 on a 0-5 scale. The findings suggest that clonidine may alleviate LSD-related flashbacks linked to excessive sympathetic nervous activity in some patients.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
April 23, 2021
Kyle T. Greenway, N. Garel, N. Goyette et al.
12 citations
Intravenous ketamine effectively treats bipolar depression, but its side-effect of dissociation can be distressing and treatment-limiting. Two patients with bipolar 1 disorder and severe depression received their first ketamine infusion without music and chose music for subsequent infusions. They reported that music improved tolerance of dissociative symptoms, reducing distress and aiding further treatments. Both achieved remission from treatment-resistant depression after six infusions. This is the first report of music's benefits with ketamine for bipolar 1 depression, building on prior research with psychedelics. Principles of music selection from that paradigm may apply to unipolar and bipolar depression, warranting further research.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2025
Vincenzo Cardaci, Matteo Carminati, Mattia Tondello et al.
7 citations
Postpartum depression is increasingly recognized as distinct from major depressive disorder, with unique causal factors including hormone fluctuations (estrogen, progesterone, allopregnolone), pathway imbalances (oxytocin, kynurenine), chronobiological factors, and brain imaging alterations. Treatment approaches are expanding beyond traditional antidepressants like sertraline to include newly approved neurosteroids brexanolone and zuranolone, with others under development. Esketamine, psychedelics, brain stimulation, and light therapy also show benefit. Individualized pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are being introduced into routine clinical practice.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
September 1, 2023
Nicolas Garel, Michka Nazon, Kamran Naghi et al.
7 citations
A Canadian patient with severe, prolonged treatment-resistant depression who was actively requesting Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) experienced remission after a course of intravenous ketamine infusions. This is the first reported case of any intervention yielding remission in a patient who would otherwise likely have been eligible for MAiD for depression. The case raises questions about evaluating MAiD requests for psychiatric disorders, particularly regarding the definition of irremediability—whether a patient lacks any reasonable prospect for recovery. The authors suggest that a trial of ketamine warrants consideration in similar cases.
International Clinical Psychopharmacology
June 27, 2024
Alberto Sainz-Cort, Marta Martín-Islas, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido et al.
1 citation
Cannabis users show deficient emotional recognition and a dampened reaction to negative stimuli, according to a study validating the Spanish version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET). A group of 116 participants from a Cannabis Social Club completed the MET and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) while under the effects of cannabis and were compared to 86 university students as a control group. The MET cognitive empathy scale showed low internal consistency, while the emotional empathy scale showed high internal consistency. Overall emotional empathy scores were similar between groups, but the cannabis group scored lower with negative stimuli. These results confirm deficient emotional recognition in cannabis users and a dampened reaction to negative stimuli for the first time.