Psychotropics and Gastrointestinal Conditions: Prescribe with the Gut in Mind

Highlights

• Always ask about over-the-counter drugs like antacids, antiemetics, and spasmolytics as they may interfere with drug absorption.
• In patients who have undergone gastric bypass, use immediate release formulations, or give liquid form of drugs. And keep in mind the dose and their weight loss.
• Consider alternative routes of administration if patients cannot take medications orally.
• There is evidence to suggest that irritable bowel syndrome responds well to antidepressants. IBS-constipation responds better to SSRIs and IBS-diarrhea, TCAs.
• The risk of GI bleeding with SSRIs is 1.5 to 2 times greater. Patients with a defect in platelet number or function and those with H.pylori infection are at greater risk.

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome to the Psychopharmacology Institute podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Wegdan Rashad. In this series we will