by Eric Christianson | Aug 23, 2026 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
ME is a 76-year-old patient with Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. His Parkinson’s disease has progressed over the past several years, and he is currently taking carbidopa/levodopa for management of his motor symptoms....
by Eric Christianson | Jun 24, 2026 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
In this case scenario, I demonstrate the venlafaxine prescribing cascade. Mrs. J is a 72-year-old female with depression, chronic pain, and hypertension controlled on lisinopril 20 mg daily. Due to persistent depression and pain symptoms, her venlafaxine XR dose is...
by Eric Christianson | Feb 15, 2026 | Medication Errors, Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
Medication errors can get ugly in a hurry. I was prompted to write this example as I came across a situation recently where an elderly patient received a schizophrenic patient’s high-dose antipsychotic. This high dose antipsychotic error resulted in an ICU stay...
by Eric Christianson | Jan 28, 2026 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
This was a case I came across recently where duloxetine was added to a patient’s regimen. The provider did not adequately assess the medication and recognize that the patient was already taking an SNRI in Effexor. This led to a case of duplicate SNRI therapy....
by Eric Christianson | Dec 10, 2025 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
I recently came across a case scenario of drug induced akathisia. It is important to remember that aripiprazole is one of the most common causes of this adverse effect. Here’s the case – LY is a 72-year-old man with a 10-year history of Parkinson’s disease...
by Eric Christianson | Nov 23, 2025 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
A 45-year-old woman with a history of bipolar I disorder was recently hospitalized for a manic episode. Following stabilization, her psychiatrist initiated lithium carbonate at 300 mg twice daily for mood stabilization. Her baseline thyroid function tests were within...