by Eric Christianson | May 10, 2026 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) presents a unique opportunity in psychiatric prescribing because, unlike many other mood disorders, the timing of symptoms is often predictable. Patients typically experience depressive symptoms during the fall and winter months, with...
by Eric Christianson | Apr 1, 2026 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls
SSRIs are the drug of choice for many conditions. That is true of both obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression (excellent board exam nugget to remember). As you are reviewing a patient’s medication list or potentially helping with that patient’s...
by Eric Christianson | Jun 25, 2025 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls
When comparing venlafaxine versus desvenlafaxine, we must first recognize that they are both part of the drug class called SNRIs. Both of these medications work by inhibiting the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. Venlafaxine comes in an extended-release...
by Eric Christianson | Sep 8, 2024 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medication and Disease State Clinical Pearls
In this blog post, I want to share some important SSRI clinical pearls that help clinicians decide which of these antidepressants to use. Note that these clinical practice pearls are good examples of some testable items that may show up on your board exam 🙂 Sertraline...
by Eric Christianson | Sep 4, 2024 | Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Case Studies
JS is a 58-year-old female who has taken tramadol (podcast) for years due to chronic back pain. She has been experiencing worsening symptoms of depression and has been tried on duloxetine and sertraline in the past. Both of these medications caused GI upset and she is...
