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Top 10 Drug Combinations in Major Depressive Disorder: Interview with Dr. Michael Thase PART 2

Transcript Hi! You’re listening to the Psychopharmacology Institute podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Wegdan Rashad and this is the show that aims to help you, the mental health clinician stay sharp on psychopharm! Today we are continuing our discussion from the last episode on the top 10 drug combinations in the management of major depressiveRead More

  • Top 10 Drug Combinations in Major Depressive Disorder: Interview with Dr. Michael Thase PART 2

  • Top 10 Drug Combinations in Major Depressive Disorder: Interview with Dr. Michael Thase PART 1

  • Reducing Suicidal Ideation Through Insomnia Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial

  • The Clinician’s Algorithm To Managing COVID-19 Related Delirium

  • Does Samidorphan Reduce Olanzapine-Induced Weight Gain?

  • Managing Depression, Anxiety, and Psychosis in Parkinson’s Disease

  • Management of Psychiatric Disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease and Other Hypokinetic Movement Disorders

  • Case Discussion: Managing Agitation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Pharmacotherapy of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Randomized BAART Clinical Trial

  • Antidepressant Safety During Pregnancy: Autism, IQ and Teratogenicity

  • Does Prenatal Stress Predispose to Borderline Personality Disorder?

  • Clinical Pearls in Perinatal Psychiatry

  • What Do You Know About Cognitive Enhancers in Depression?

  • Can Lithium Prevent Dementia?

  • Psychopharm in 2019: Your Ultimate Guide

  • Clinical Storytime with Dr. Ken Gillman

  • Do Antidepressants Increase Risk of Dementia?

  • Behind the Scenes: Meet Our Team

  • “New” Antidepressants? A Quick Takes Episode

  • Why Don’t We Prescribe MAOIs?

  • Ketamine for Suicidal Ideation: A Quick Take Episode

  • The Basic Guide To Ketamine and Esketamine

  • Your Psych Guide to Pharmacogenetic Testing

  • Do You Order Pharmacogenetic Testing For Your Patients?

  • Transdermal Patches in Psychiatry: Interview with Dr. Leslie Citrome

  • MOC Self Assessment #9: Ketamine in Clinical Practice: State of The Art Update, Cardiac Side Effects of Psychotropic Drugs and Pharmacogenetic Testing in Psychiatry

  • Clinical Guide to Synthetic Opioids and Bath Salts

  • Designer Drugs: Can You Handle Spice?

  • What You Need To Know About Psychedelics

  • The Magic of the Serotonin Receptors

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What if You Can’t Use An SSRI?

  • Approaching A Case of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The Basics

  • How Helpful are Antipsychotic Plasma Levels?

  • How to Prescribe Natural Medications? Part 2

  • How to Prescribe Natural Medications? Part 1

  • How to Manage Adverse Effects of Clozapine – Part 2

  • How to Manage Adverse Effects of Clozapine – Part 1

  • Do SSRIs Increase Bleeding Risk?

  • Your Guide to Treating PTSD Comorbidities

  • How to Treat PTSD-Related Sleep Disturbances?

  • Prescribing Psychotropics in the Medically Ill

  • Psychotropics and Gastrointestinal Conditions: Prescribe with the Gut in Mind

  • Clinical Pearls in Geriatric Psychopharmacology

  • Treatment-Resistant Depression: Clinical Conundrum

  • How to Manage an Agitated Patient?

  • When to Discontinue Antipsychotics? Reviewing the Evidence

  • Are Drug Interaction Warnings Influenced by Drug Company Promotion? An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Mattes

  • Do Depression Efficacy Trials Apply to Your Clinical Practice? An Interview with Dr. Mark Zimmerman

  • Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Interview with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris

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Cardiac Side Effects of Psychiatric Medications

1.25 CMEs
A practical review of cardiac side effects across psychiatric medications: heart rate and blood pressure changes, QT prolongation with antipsychotics and antidepressants, IV haloperidol recommendations, clozapine myocarditis and cardiomyopathy monitoring, ADHD medication safety, and a risk-benefit framework for EKG monitoring beyond rigid QTc cutoffs.
Scott R. Beach, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
75.59 minutes in 11 sections

Thyroid in Psychiatry: TSH Testing, T3 Augmentation, and Lithium-Induced Hypothyroidism – Interview

0.50 CMEs
A discussion with Dr. Rustad on recognizing and managing thyroid dysfunction in psychiatric practice, covering a TSH-first testing protocol, interpretation of free T4 and anti-thyroid antibodies, euthyroid sick syndrome, when to treat subclinical hypothyroidism, T3 and T4 augmentation dosing in treatment-resistant depression, and monitoring for lithium-induced hypothyroidism.
James K. Rustad, M.D.
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
29.46 minutes of audio interview

2026 August Update: Centanafadine, Oveporexton, and New Guidance on OCD, Lithium, and Insomnia

0.75 CMEs
This guide covers the two first-in-class approvals of mid-2026, centanafadine for ADHD and oveporexton for narcolepsy type 1, alongside new guidance on OCD dosing thresholds, the serum lithium levels that drive renal risk, and the AASM’s ranking of CBT-I against combination treatment for chronic insomnia.
Sebastián Malleza, M.D.
Psychopharmacology Institute
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Quick Take Vol. 90

0.75 CMEs
Does prenatal antidepressant exposure cause autism or ADHD in offspring? How do you weigh cardiac risk when combining an antipsychotic and SSRI? When should you rechallenge a patient with clozapine after neutropenia? Should schizophrenia be renamed? Does adding ashwagandha to melatonin improve sleep more than either agent alone?
Faculty: Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P., Derick E. Vergne, M.D., Amanda Koire, M.D., Ph.D., Scott R. Beach, M.D.
47.15 minutes in 5 audio sections

Pharmacotherapy of Chronic Insomnia: A Practical Guide

1.0 CMEs
A practical guide to the pharmacological management of chronic insomnia. Dr. Kolla reviews dual orexin receptor antagonists, Z-drugs, benzodiazepines, melatonin and ramelteon, sedating antidepressants, and antipsychotics, with guidance for pregnancy, older adults, and long-term use.
Bhanu Prakash Kolla, M.D.
Mayo Clinic
55.07 minutes in 11 sections

Pharmacotherapy of Difficult-to-Treat Depression: Selection, Switching, Augmentation, and Escalation – Interview

0.50 CMEs
A discussion with Dr. Thase spanning the full treatment hierarchy for treatment-resistant and difficult-to-treat depression, from first-line antidepressant selection and switch versus augment decisions through second-generation antipsychotic augmentation, the impact of psychiatric comorbidities, and interventional options including TMS, ketamine, esketamine, and emerging psychedelic therapies.
Prof. Michael E. Thase, M.D.
Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania – Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center
36.52 minutes of audio interview

Antidepressant-Induced Hyponatremia: Mechanisms, Risk, Diagnosis and Management

0.50 CMEs
This guide gives prescribers an evidence-based approach to antidepressant-associated hyponatremia: how the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (SIAD) develops, which patients to monitor and when, how to recognize symptoms that may mimic depression, and how to manage and apply switching strategies afterward.
Sebastián Malleza, M.D.
Psychopharmacology Institute
View more info

Quick Take Vol. 89

0.50 CMEs
Can antipsychotics help prevent catatonia relapse? Which adjunctive antipsychotic performs best for treating major depression? What do updated antipsychotic efficacy rankings mean for practice in schizophrenia? Are GLP-1 receptor agonists safe for patients with comorbid anxiety? Does varenicline help patients quit vaping?
Faculty: Scott R. Beach, M.D., James Phelps, M.D., Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P., Derick E. Vergne, M.D., David A. Gorelick, M.D., Ph.D., D.L.F.A.P.A., F.A.S.A.M.
35.33 minutes in 5 audio sections

Nutraceuticals and Phytoceuticals for Anxiety Disorders: A Practical Guide

No Credits
A review of nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals for anxiety disorders. Covers dosing, safety, and drug interactions for lavender, kava, ashwagandha, chamomile, omega-3s, CBD, passion flower, saffron, NAC, L-theanine, and inositol, plus supplement quality verification and a clinical case applying these strategies in practice.
Noshene E. Ranjbar, M.D., D.F.A.A.C.A.P., D.F.A.P.A.
University of Arizona
71.1 minutes in 11 sections – Expired on July 8, 2026

Gepirone Guide: Pharmacology, Indications, Dosing Guidelines and Adverse Effects

0.50 CMEs
This guide examines gepirone, the first FDA-approved selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist for major depressive disorder; its favorable sexual side-effect profile and weight neutrality, dose-dependent QTc prolongation requiring ECG monitoring, mandatory food administration, and contraindication with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. It also traces gepirone’s unusually contested path to approval — four FDA rejections and a 2015 advisory-committee vote against its efficacy before the FDA approved it in 2023 on a modest evidence base.
Sebastián Malleza, M.D.
Psychopharmacology Institute
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Quick Take Vol. 88

0.75 CMEs
Must antipsychotics always be avoided in catatonia? Should you prescribe antidepressants in bipolar depression? Should clozapine start after just one failed antipsychotic trial? Is atypical depression a distinct subtype that resists standard antidepressants? Does soft drink intake worsen depression?
Faculty: Scott R. Beach, M.D., James Phelps, M.D., Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P., Derick E. Vergne, M.D., Paul Zarkowski, M.D.
38.52 minutes in 5 audio sections

Antipsychotic Blood Levels: Why and How – Interview

0.50 CMEs
A discussion with Dr. John Kane on therapeutic drug monitoring of antipsychotics, covering proper sampling timing, distinguishing pseudo-resistance from true treatment resistance, the clozapine TDM algorithm and smoking effects, drug-specific monitoring of risperidone, aripiprazole, and haloperidol, long-acting injectables, and use in pregnancy.
John M. Kane, M.D.
Zucker Hillside Hospital & Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
28.22 minutes of audio interview
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