Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-jswmv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T16:28:36.922Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Decision Points in Iterative Pharmacotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2024

Joseph F. Goldberg
Affiliation:
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California San Diego
Get access

Summary

More often than not, an initial intervention in psychiatry requires modification. Sometimes sooner than later, the clinician must judge whether a medication dose needs adjustment, an augmentation is warranted, or an outright change should occur when something has been tried and deemed to be unsuccessful. Perhaps a new additional diagnosis comes to light (such as alcohol or substance use disorder) requiring its own treatment. Or an insurmountable medication intolerance develops. Or the originally identified target symptoms worsen, metamorphose, or persist long enough after a previous medication change to warrant a further alteration. Other times, changes to a regimen happen not necessarily because sufficient time has elapsed to deem a change necessary, but because a patient’s (or significant other’s) capacity to tolerate negative affect or other elements of distress become saturated, prompting entreaties or outright demands to “do” something that seems more proactive. In all such instances, there is seldom if ever only one correct approach to iterative pharmacotherapy.

Information

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×