Pilot evaluation of venlafaxine hydrochloride for the therapy of hot flashes in cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Hot flashes can be a prominent clinical problem for breast cancer survivors and men who undergo androgen-deprivation therapy. Anecdotal information suggested a low dose of a relatively new antidepressant, venlafaxine, could abrogate this clinical problem. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 28 consecutive assessable patients entered onto a phase II clinical trial. Hot flash data were collected by daily diary questionnaires during a 1-week baseline period and then for 4 weeks, during which time patients received venlafaxine 12.5 mg orally twice daily. RESULTS: Fifty-eight percent of patients who completed the study had a greater than 50% reduction in hot flash scores (frequency times severity) during the fourth treatment week as compared with the baseline week. Median weekly hot flash scores were reduced by 55% from baseline during the fourth week of venlafaxine therapy. Therapy was generally well tolerated and appeared to alleviate fatigue, sweating, and trouble sleeping. CONCLUSION: Venlafoxine appears to represent an efficacious new method to alleviate hot flashes. Further evaluation of this compound for alleviating hot flashes is indicated.

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

In orthostatic intolerance, the patient develops symptoms while standing that are relieved when the patient assumes a supine position. Different degrees of orthostatic intolerance exist, but not a system of grading severity. We have developed a system that grades the severity of orthostatic intolerance by the three-pronged criteria of the rapidity of development and the severity of orthostatic symptoms, the ability of the subject to withstand orthostatic stresses, and the degree of interference with daily living. In this article, this system is presented, and one disorder, postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), is examined in some detail.

Electroconvulsive therapy for phantom limb pain.

Phantom limb pain is common in amputees. Although several treatments are available, a significant number of patients are refractory. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is usually given to patients with psychiatric disorders such as major depression, has shown efficacy in patients with a variety of pain syndromes occurring along with depression. Two patients are described herein with severe phantom limb pain refractory to multiple therapies, without concurrent psychiatric disorder, who received ECT. Both patients enjoyed substantial pain relief. In one case, phantom pain was still in remission 3.5 years after ECT. It is concluded that phantom limb patients who are refractory to multiple therapies may respond to ECT.

Nonopioid agents for treatment of acute and subacute pain.

OBJECTIVE: To review the available nonopioid options for alleviating pain. DESIGN: The various categories of adjuvant agents and their mechanisms of action in the treatment of pain are summarized. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adjuvant therapies that directly diminish acute and subacute pain, those that counteract the side effects of opioids, and those that help manage concurrent psychiatric symptoms are discussed, and their recommended doses and adverse effects are outlined. RESULTS: Adjuvant medications such as nonopioid analgesics (including acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and antispasmodics can directly decrease pain. The three most common problems associated with opioid therapy are nausea, constipation, and sedation. Adjuvant drugs such as antiemetics, laxatives, and psychostimulants may counteract these side effects of opioids and thereby enable patients to tolerate adequate doses of opioid agents to relieve pain. In addition, adjuvant medications such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics can be used to treat concomitant psychiatric symptoms that develop and aggravate existing pain. The choice of agents must be individualized to the patient's particular pain condition; once therapy has been initiated, the response must be continually monitored to optimize control of pain. CONCLUSION: Nonopioid adjuvant agents should be considered an integral part of the management of acute and subacute pain.

Assessment and management of behavioral disturbances in nursing home patients with dementia.

Behavioral disturbances among nursing home patients with dementia are common and substantially affect patients and caregivers. Assessing the environmental, medical, and psychiatric causes of problematic behaviors and implementing a plan of behavioral, medical, and psychiatric management can reduce difficult target behaviors. This article presents a multifaceted approach to assessing patients with dementia who have behavioral problems, reviews medical and pharmacological management of these problems, and presents a multidisciplinary approach to developing treatment plans aimed at reducing such behaviors among nursing home patients with dementia.

Maintaining quality of life at the end of life.

Despite the successful growth of the hospice movement during the past 30 years in the United States, almost 85% of Americans continue to die in hospitals or nursing homes. While the benefits of palliative care principles are well established, palliative care interventions remain underused in clinical practice in the settings in which most Americans die. Our premise is that physicians as a group perpetuate end-of-life suffering rather than ease the transition from life to death. We also believe that maintaining quality of life (QOL) at the end of life requires a multidimensional approach orchestrated by physicians drawing on the full range of available physical, psychological, social, and spiritual interventions. This article defines the meaning of QOL at the end of life and then examines the ramifications of failing to attend to QOL concerns in dying patients. It reviews strategies that physicians can use to advance palliative care approaches, thereby reducing terminally ill patients' suffering in the institutions in which most die.

Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: implications for clinical practice.

Surveys suggest that most patients have a spiritual life and regard their spiritual health and physical health as equally important. Furthermore, people may have greater spiritual needs during illness. We reviewed published studies, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and subject reviews that examined the association between religious involvement and spirituality and physical health, mental health, health-related quality of life, and other health outcomes. We also reviewed articles that provided suggestions on how clinicians might assess and support the spiritual needs of patients. Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide. Several studies have shown that addressing the spiritual needs of the patient may enhance recovery from illness. Discerning, acknowledging, and supporting the spiritual needs of patients can be done in a straightforward and noncontroversial manner. Furthermore, many sources of spiritual care (e.g., chaplains) are available to clinicians to address the spiritual needs of patients.

Psychiatric implications of surgical treatment of epilepsy.

Clinicians must consider the psychiatric issues relevant to patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures for epilepsy. Obtaining the patient's psychiatric history can facilitate stabilizing the patient's condition before operative intervention. Preoperatively, depressive and anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions diagnosed in candidates for surgical treatment of epilepsy. Although psychotic disorders occur infrequently, they demand attention because symptoms may interfere with patient compliance with follow-up care. Patients with chronic psychotic symptoms who have ongoing seizures postoperatively and bilateral seizure foci are at higher risk for a poor outcome and postoperative psychosis. When psychiatric disorders are present, surgical management is not contraindicated, but preoperative psychiatric intervention may be warranted. Most patients have a favorable outcome with the elimination of seizures, which simplifies the subsequent treatment of a psychiatric disorder.

Learning and memory impairment in older, detoxified, benzodiazepine-dependent patients.

The effects of benzodiazepine dependence on the ability to learn and remember new material (determined with the Auditory-Verbal Learning Test) were studied in 20 detoxified, benzodiazepine-dependent patients who were 55 years of age or older and in a drug-dependence rehabilitation program. The patients were matched approximately for age, sex, and IQ with 20 detoxified, alcohol-dependent patients in the same rehabilitation program and 22 control subjects from a community sample. Neuropsychologic testing was performed a mean of 6 to 10 days after the patients had been completely detoxified from the addicting substance. The benzodiazepine-dependent patients had more difficulty with tests of learning and short-term and delayed recall than did the alcohol-dependent or control group. The difference between the benzodiazepine-dependent patients and the control group was statistically significant. The results suggest that benzodiazepine dependence in older people can cause memory impairment that persists into the early drug-free period.

Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes associated with malignant catatonia.

We describe a case of malignant catatonia manifested by catatonic symptoms, fever, hemodynamic instability, and acute neurologic decline that was associated with electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities similar to those noted in patients with other central nervous system processes. The patient's electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities resolved after successful electroconvulsive therapy for the underlying neuropsychiatric disorder. The theoretic, physiologic, and clinical significances of this case are discussed.

Delirium in elderly patients: evaluation and management.

OBJECTIVE: To review the evaluation and management of delirium in elderly patients for primary-care providers. DESIGN: We summarize the clinical features, course, pathophysiologic aspects, predisposing factors, causes, and differential diagnosis of delirium and discuss approaches to affected patients and various management strategies. RESULTS: Delirium, an altered mental state, occurs more frequently in elderly than in younger patients. The pathophysiologic changes associated with aging and the higher occurrence of multiple medical problems and need for medications contribute to the higher frequency of delirium in elderly patients. Evaluation should begin with a consideration of the most common causes, such as a change in or addition to prescribed medications, a withdrawal from alcohol or other sedative-hypnotic drugs, an infection, or a sudden change in neurologic, cardiac, pulmonary, or metabolic state. Finally, management of delirium is threefold: (1) identifying and treating underlying causes, (2) nonpharmacologic interventions, and (3) pharmacologic therapies to manage symptoms of delirium. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients frequently experience delirium. Delirious symptoms can produce devastating consequences if they are not recognized and appropriately treated.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (NES) are commonly encountered in clinical practice, and they may pose difficult diagnostic problems. For appropriate evaluation and treatment of NES, a multidisciplinary team approach is needed; typically, a neurologist with expertise in epilepsy, a psychologist or psychiatrist, and a support staff should be involved. Psychogenic NES have no single initial clinical manifestation, and various etiologic factors may contribute to their development. Of importance, psychogenic NES are "real" seizures that may be as disabling as epileptic seizures. Most often, they occur on a subconscious level, and the patient may have no control over their occurrence. Precipitation or termination of a habitual seizure during video-electroencephalographic monitoring has often been used to distinguish NES from epileptic seizures, but the results can sometimes be misleading. Numerous additional diagnostic techniques can be used to assist in making the diagnosis. Treatment is based on the type of psychiatric disorder present. Favorable prognostic factors include being female and having an independent lifestyle, normal electroencephalographic findings, higher intelligence, and no prior psychotherapy.

Patient satisfaction with electroconvulsive therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients who have electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are satisfied with their treatment and demonstrate more favorable attitudes about ECT compared with controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We developed a 44-item survey measuring ECT treatment satisfaction and attitudes. The survey was administered to 24 psychiatric inpatients near the end of ECT treatment and 2 weeks later. A modified survey was administered to 24 outpatient controls who had never received ECT and who were recruited from a psychiatry clinic waiting room. RESULTS: Patients who received ECT had positive attitudes about it. For example, 21 (91%) of 24 patient respondents endorsed the statement, "I am glad that I received ECT." Attitude score was significantly higher for the ECT group compared with controls. A higher degree of satisfaction was associated with a higher level of education and younger age. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received ECT were satisfied with their treatment and had more favorable attitudes about it than patients who did not receive this treatment.

Probable alcohol abuse or dependence: a risk factor for intensive-care readmission in patients undergoing elective vascular and thoracic surgical procedures. Mayo Perioperative Outcomes Group.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether alcohol abuse or dependence is a risk factor for perioperative complications, increased duration of hospital stay, and increased utilization of nursing resources in patients undergoing thoracic and vascular surgical procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of all adult patients who underwent an elective vascular or thoracic surgical procedure and who received postoperative care in an intensive-care setting. Patients were screened for alcohol abuse or dependence, and actual versus expected durations of stay were evaluated. The patients' medical records were reviewed for preoperative comorbidities and perioperative complications. Fisher's exact test and the rank sum test were used in the analyses. RESULTS: Of 321 study subjects, 290 were classified as nonalcoholic and 31 as probable alcoholic patients. Patients in the probable alcohol abuse group had a significantly increased rate of alcohol withdrawal (12.9% versus 1.7%; P = 0.006) in comparison with patients in the nonalcoholic group. Patients in the probable alcohol abuse group were readmitted to an intensive-care unit more frequently (19.4% versus 7.9%; P = 0.047) and required sedation more often (32.3% versus 13.5%; P = 0.014) than those in the nonalcoholic group. No significant differences were found between the two study groups in intensive-care unit and hospital durations of stay or in utilization of nursing resources. A dismissal diagnosis of alcoholism was recorded for only one of four patients who had a documented withdrawal episode among those categorized in the probable alcoholic group and for three of five patients with alcohol withdrawal symptoms categorized in the nonalcoholic group. CONCLUSION: Except for the occurrence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, study patients classified in the probable alcohol abuse group did not have more medical or surgical perioperative complications than patients in the nonalcoholic group. They did have significantly more intensive-care setting readmissions. Patients with documented alcohol withdrawal episodes frequently were dismissed without a diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence.

Major depression in medically ill patients.

Major depression is one of the most common psychiatric problems complicating the treatment and prognosis of patients with active medical illness. Recognizing and treating major depressive conditions in this population can often be challenging, even for the most seasoned clinicians. This article reviews the medical and neurologic conditions that have been associated with the high prevalence rates of major depression. Highlights of the evaluation process that help confirm this suspected diagnosis are addressed, and management issues are discussed. Brief reviews of supportive psychotherapeutic tools that the clinician may find helpful are included, as well as current advances in pharmacologic interventions.

Electroconvulsive therapy and cardiovascular complications in patients taking trazodone for insomnia.

BACKGROUND: Trazodone has been used widely to treat insomnia in depressed patients. When used in combination with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), trazodone has been suspected to cause cardiovascular side effects. METHOD: A retrospective study was done of 100 patients who received ECT with concurrent trazodone. One patient was excluded because permission to review the patient's records had not been given. The remaining 99 patients were matched with control ECT patients. RESULTS: No statistically significant between-group differences were identified in cardiovascular side effects, although a trend toward more orthostatic hypotension was observed in patients taking trazodone. CONCLUSION: Administering low-dose trazodone for insomnia in conjunction with ECT does not appear to increase cardiovascular complications. The true incidence of adverse cardiac events was not higher than 3.66% at a 95% confidence level.

Development of depression during placebo-controlled trials of bupropion for smoking cessation: case reports.

BACKGROUND: Recent attention has focused on the relationship between depression and smoking cessation. This article describes 5 cases of severe depression that occurred during 2 multicenter trials using bupropion for smoking cessation. METHOD: Subjects were participants in 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies investigating the efficacy of bupropion for smoking cessation. Data from both trials were restricted to subjects at the Rochester, Minn., site in order to have access to the medical records for information on depression diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The first trial involved 205 smokers who received active bupropion or placebo for 7 weeks. In the second trial, 252 smokers received open-label bupropion therapy for 7 weeks. Those abstinent from smoking at the end of week 7 (N = 148) were randomly assigned to a 45-week, double-blind, relapse-prevention phase. RESULTS: In the first trial, 1 of the 205 participants (0.49%) experienced major depression during the 7-week treatment phase. In the second trial, none of the 252 subjects developed major depression during the 7-week, open-label phase. When results of both trials across the 7-week treatment phase (study 1, N = 205; study 2, N = 252) are combined, the rate of developing major depression was 0.22% (1 of 457). Of the 457 subjects, none of the 51 who received placebo and 1 (0.25%) of the 406 who received active bupropion developed major depression. In the second trial, 4 (2.7%) of the 148 subjects randomly assigned to the 45-week, relapse-prevention phase developed depression. Overall, 4 of the 5 cases from the 2 trials had a past history of major depression prior to study entry, but none had current major depression. CONCLUSION: Major depression may occur in some individuals during smoking cessation treatment with bupropion.

Post-irradiation somnolence syndrome in an adult patient following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Neurologic disturbances are common following the intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) conditioning regimens. The somnolence syndrome, which occurs in most children treated for leukemia with prophylactic cranial irradiation, has previously not been reported following BMT. This syndrome consists of transient lethargy, irritability, headaches, low grade fevers, gastrointestinal disturbances and depression. We report the case of a 38-year-old female with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia who developed symptoms typical of the somnolence syndrome 8 weeks following 1320 cGy total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide conditioning. Encephalographic findings were consistent with the syndrome, and no additional infectious or metabolic disorders could be identified. As predicted by the pediatric experience, the symptoms were transient, resolving following steroid and anti-depressant therapy. Among patients undergoing radiation based conditioning regimens, especially those not receiving concurrent steroid therapy, the appearance of post-transplantation somnolence may be an expression of this syndrome.

Population-based screening for postpartum depression.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the community prevalence in Olmsted County, Minnesota of elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a self-report screening tool for postpartum depression. METHODS: At the 6-week postpartum visit, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered to women who gave birth in Olmsted County between July 28, 1997 and March 28, 1998. Study sites included all ambulatory clinics that provide pregnancy care in the county, and women who missed postpartum visits were contacted by mail. A threshold of 12 or more points on the scale was selected for clinical use; data for scores of ten and above were also examined. RESULTS: Of the 909 Olmsted County women studied (response rate 83.2%), 11.4% (n = 104) had scores of 12 or greater, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 9.4%, 13.5%. The percentage of women with a positive screen increased to 19.8% (n = 180; 95% CI 17.2%, 22.4%) when scores of 10 or higher were included, as has been recommended for screening in primary care settings. Forty-eight or 5.3% of the subjects (95% CI 3.8%, 6.7%) indicated experiencing suicidal ideation during the previous week. CONCLUSION: More than 11% of women had elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, indicating a high likelihood of postpartum depression and the need for further assessment. The screening process required little extra time and was acceptable to the subjects and clinicians. Screening for postpartum depression is appropriate and feasible for clinical practice and increases the identification of women suffering from this serious, common, and highly treatable disorder.