Psychopharmacology in the Medical Setting

Skilled and thoughtful psychopharmacology in the treatment of individuals with co-morbid medical conditions and complex drug regimens can drive positive general and mental health outcomes and quality of life while minimizing the risk of serious adverse events. This chapter highlights foundational psychopharmacological principles in the medical setting, including those relating to patient evaluation; medication selection, initiation, longitudinal monitoring, and discontinuation; approaches to treatment non-response; and effective communication and collaboration with patients and multidisciplinary teams. Furthermore, this chapter provides an introduction to pharmacokinetic processes, the knowledge of which is essential to expert psychopharmacological practice, and provides a guide to the important common as well as rare but serious drug-drug interactions relevant to each of the major classes of psychiatric medications, including mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, antidepressants, psychostimulants, and benzodiazepines. Finally this chapter reviews pharmacological management of common side-effects of psychiatric medications and examples of psychiatric uses of non-psychiatric medications.