HIGHLIGHTS

37 posts

Can stimulants permanently stunt growth in children?

I have not seen previous reports of permanent growth suppression from long-term use of stimulants during childhood.  Expert consensus and my clinical experience is that height may be slightly delayed but is genetically determined (assuming adequate nutrition). The package insert for methylphenidate products (Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Daytrana, Metadate), cautions that […]

Best Medications Revisited

In December 2006 I participated in a survey of psychiatrists by a pharmaceutical company.  They asked me if I could have only five medications to prescribe which ones would I choose?  Since I have a cash only practice I have to go with the most effective medications long term. Most […]

I have had chronic sleeping problems for 10 years. I am a 58 yo woman going through menopause. My mother is 90 and still on sleeping pills. Could my condition be hereditary? Which pill will give me 7 hours of sleep leaving me refreshed the next day?

See the Do’s and Don’ts of sleeping habits on my site:     http://askdrjones.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/sleep_dos_and_donts1.pdf Make sure you are doing all the cognitive and behavioral things you can do to optimize sleep.  You are in a high risk group for insomnia.  Sleep problems are more common in women than men, increase with age, and […]

How can I prevent recurrence of depression and what do I do if the depression does come back?

Depression runs in my family and I’ve been on the same medicine for a while with no episodes of depression.  About two weeks ago I woke up feeling not myself and contributed it to getting my period on top of coming down with a respiratory infection.  Still not feeling well […]

Only 1/3 of ADHD Kids are Being Consistently Treated: Why are we not taking better care of our greatest resource?

A study of 3,000 randomly selected kids ages 8-15 was funded by the National Institute of Health (with no pharmaceutical company support).  The main author was Tanya Froehlich, a developmental behavior pediatrician.   The study was published in Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine Sept 07. Originally the objective was to […]

What Is ADHD and What Causes It?

ADHD is a personality type that is determined mainly by genetics.  Survival of the group is enhanced by variability of its members.  We wouldn’t want everyone to be the same.   Ancient tribes for example, needed a look-out person who could patiently maintain watch in case something happened.  That wouldn’t be an […]

What Is Psychopharmacology?

Psychopharmacology is the study of the use of medications in treating mental disorders. The complexity of this field requires continuous study in order to keep current with new advances. Psychopharmacologists need to understand all the clinically relevant principles of pharmacokinetics (what the body does to medication) and pharmacodynamics (what the […]