Book Review: Clinical handbook of psychotropic drugs, 19th revised edition
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Book: Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs, 19th revised edition
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Fully updated and expanded, in full color with intuitive icons throughout, packed with new and expanded comparison charts, and now with patient handouts as printable PDFs the classic reference to psychotropic medications is now more user-friendly than ever!
The Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs has become a standard reference and practical tool for psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, physicians, and all mental health professionals. The new and fully updated 19th edition retains all the practical features for which the Clinical Handbook is renowned:
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Independent, unbiased
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Packed with unique comparison charts (dosages, side effects, pharmacokinetics, interactions...) that allow you to see at a glance which medication is the most suitable for each patient
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Instantly recognizable icons and full color throughout, allowing you to find at a glance all the information you seek
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The latest information on newly released drugs, adverse effects, approved indications (see below for details)
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Succinct, bulleted information on all classes of medication: on- and off-label indications, side effects, interactions, pharmacodynamics, precautions in the young, the elderly, and pregnancy, nursing implications, and much more all you need to know for each class of drug
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Patient Handouts, Herbal and Natural Products, Unapproved Treatments, ECT, BLT, rTMS
New in this edition:
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Pharmacotherapy for nicotine/tobacco use
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Extensive revisions and additions to the antipsychotics, including dosing, adverse effects, interactions, precautions
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New dosage/pharmacokinetics comparison chart for extrapyramidal agents
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Extensive revisions to benzodiazepines and hypnotics/sedatives comparison chart
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Updates on unapproved treatments (e.g., pregabalin and vigabatrin for alcohol and cocaine dependence) and herbal and natural products (e.g., for treatment of depression) - Hundreds of new references
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Printable (PDF) patient handouts
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Drugs with recent/changed approval include: iloperidone (Fanapt), asenapine sublingual (Saphris), guanfacine (Tenex, Intuniv), degarelix (Firmagon), finasteride (Proscar)
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Preparations added include: Symbyax, Prozac Weekly, Luvox CR, Aplenzin, Oleptro, Silenor, Zonolon, Invega Sustenna, Zyprexa Relprevv, Mellaril, Compoz, Epitol, Teril, Compoz, Nytol, Simply Sleep, Sominex, Unisom, clonidine SR (Kapvay)
FROM THE CPNP MEMBER:
This is a fairly up-to-date handbook which is practical and easy to use in daily clinical practice. It is appropriate for use by the general practitioner as well as a mental health clinician. Although the authors are all from Canada, the book is written for an American audience. The book is divided up by medication classes (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics) and each section includes information on pharmacology, indications, available formulations, dosing, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, adverse effects, and safety warnings and use in special populations. The book goes beyond the “major” classes of psychotropic medications by including sections on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), bright light therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), drugs of abuse, treatments for substance use disorders and herbal or “natural” products. The book also provides a link and password for access to the downloadable patient information sheets which are to be used in the readers' efforts to educate patients and families.
The drug information contained in this handbook is accurate, unbiased and relevant to clinical practice. Overall, the use of this book is intuitive given a layout that is color coded for content; the information is clear, concise and comprehensive. This book could serve as an essential reference to the practicing clinician in a variety of settings.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The 18th edition of this excellent resource provides the same quick reference as its predecessors, updated with the newest information available. Because of the constantly growing literature, a new edition is warranted. Quick access to highly useful information is its strong point and I have found this handbook invaluable in my practice. As a busy clinician and researcher, I can find it difficult to keep everything straight without good resources. I can count on this handbook to be current, comprehensive, and interesting. From basic pharmacology to off-label uses, it always delivers. The well-written patient handouts come in quite handy. --Corey Goldstein, MD, Rush University Medical Center, in Doody's Book Review
Thank you for your excellent psychopharmacology book. As a clinician out in the community, without university affiliation, I count on your book to keep me up to date. They are organized in an eminently practical way and I use them every day. --L. Davenport, MD
This reference is a user-friendly, practical source that can be utilized in a wide variety of clinical practice settings. It is best used to extract brief, general information quickly, although it can also direct the reader to more detailed resources if needed. The cost for this handbook is reasonable for the amount of information that it contains and the format in which it is laid out. I would recommend this reference for any general primary care provider, regardless of discipline, who cares for a patient population that utilizes psychotropic medications. --Shaunta M Ray, PharmD, BCPS, and James C McMillen, PharmD, University of Tennessee in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2009, Vol. 43.