Publisher's Synopsis
This book is the essential guide for anyone responsible for prescribing, dispensing or
administering drugs for patients with mental health disorders. All the evidence has been
reviewed and summarised succinctly by an expert team of psychiatrists and pharmacists.
The evidence base for drug treatments in psychiatry ranges from meta–analyses and
randomised controlled clinical trials to single case reports, from NICE guidelines to
individual SPCs. Where to look for information when transferring a patient from one
drug to another or when dealing with a complex patient (for example, with co–morbid
epilepsy or liver disease or HIV infection)? The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines are
established as the leading clinical relevant reference for handling complex prescribing
problems and for formulating prescribing policy.
This new edition makes greater use of tables and boxes to facilitate quick reference and
includes new sections on cytochrome–mediated interactions, psychiatric side effects of
non–psychotropic drugs and on GBL and GHB dependence.
Chapters cover plasma monitoring, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and
anxiety, children and adolescents, substance misuse and special patient groups. Each
section has a full reference list. The book covers prescribing drugs outside their licensed
indications and their interaction with substances such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
Trainees will gain important information regarding the rational, safe and effective use
of medications for patients with mental illness. Experienced clinicians will find excellent
guidance regarding more complex issues that they may not encounter regularly.
Praise for previous editions:
I would regard this book as mandatory for any pharmacist directly involved in the
care of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis, be they primary or secondary care–based.
The Pharmaceutical Journal
An excellent book and a must for practising psychiatrists not only will the rational
prescribing of psychotropic drugs drastically improve but, more importantly, the
patient will certainly benefit.
Human Psychopharmacology
