Tylenol (acetaminophen) has become a surprisingly controversial topic online, so I want to clarify a few key points grounded in toxicology and firsthand clinical experience. From 2020 to 2024, if you were a provider in West Virginia managing a patient with a suspected or confirmed acetaminophen overdose, there is a strong chance I advised on

Though I’ve spent years studying how medications affect the brain, and proudly consider myself a psychopharmacology nerd, no pill I prescribe can take the place of trust. The most powerful intervention I bring to the table isn’t a drug. It’s a relationship. Yes, I love medications. I find it fascinating how psychotropics interact with neurocircuitry

One of the main reasons I started this blog is because I bring a background to psychiatric practice that’s different from most. I spent two years working in a medical ICU, then four and a half years as a Certified Specialist in Poison Information at the West Virginia Poison Center, handling thousands of overdose and

Lexapro (escitalopram) is my favorite selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Alongside Zoloft (sertraline), Lexapro is one of the most prescribed antidepressants due to its efficacy, tolerability, and diversity. Read also: Looking at Zoloft as a First-Line Agent in Psychiatry Lexapro has few drug interactions and a simple dosing range, making it an easy addition to

In most cases, Zoloft (sertraline) is considered the go-to SSRI for adult patients. The medication is well tolerated, has a good safety profile, and robust efficacy data that supports its FDA approvals for major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),  panic disorder (PD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Prozac was the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) approved to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in 1987. This began the shift away from tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors as Prozac is just as effective with better tolerability with a more favorable side effect profile. Prozac, like all SSRIs, functions primarily by blocking SERT

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered the gold standard in treating depression and anxiety disorders. This class of medications includes well-known medications such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Lexapro (escitalopram).  As a PMHNP who works in outpatient psychiatry, it is rare for me to see a patient who has not trialed at least

It is 8:30 pm at the WV Poison Center and the evening rush is in full-force. I am preparing for a night full of overdoses and medication events to manage when the physician in the emergency department calls with a patient who, “just prior to arrival,” ingested an “unknown amount” of their own Wellbutrin XL

I often see patients who have trialed and failed multiple SSRIs and SNRIs, with the complaint these medications worked at first but lost efficacy over time. I will hear things such as they noticed significant improvement in their mood in the first few months, later resulting in increased anxiety and worsening depressive symptoms. Through careful

Lamotrigine, a drug originally developed to treat epilepsy, has gained significant attention in recent years for its role in managing mood disorders, particularly as a mood stabilizer and augmentation agent in major depressive disorder (MDD). While its primary mechanism of action was initially focused on controlling seizures, ongoing research has revealed that lamotrigine possesses unique