Publications by authors named "U Havemann-Reinecke"
Article Synopsis
- Disulfiram, although no longer approved for use in Germany over a decade ago, is still prescribed by many practitioners within the "Network for Alcohol Aversive Pharmacotherapy" (NAP), highlighting its ongoing relevance in treating alcoholism.
- A survey conducted from 2019 to 2023 revealed that 1,579 treatment cases were reported, with 152 patients having drinking events, though most resulted in no serious complications.
- The study found disulfiram to be generally well-tolerated, with common side effects including body odor and fatigue; importantly, many patients also had comorbid psychiatric conditions, and treatment often included additional therapies.
Venlafaxine's therapeutic reference range in the treatment of depression revised: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
February 2024
Introduction: The selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine is among the most prescribed antidepressant drugs worldwide and, according to guidelines, its dose titration should be guided by drug-level monitoring of its active moiety (AM) which consists of venlafaxine (VEN) plus active metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV). This indication of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), however, assumes a clear concentration/effect relationship for a drug, which for VEN has not been systematically explored yet.
Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between blood levels, efficacy, and adverse reactions in order to suggest an optimal target concentration range for VEN oral formulations for the treatment of depression.
Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is recommended for opioid maintenance therapy with levomethadone. However, TDM has not yet been applied to monitor opioid withdrawal therapy clinically, although tools to improve it are required.
Methods: In this observational cohort study, repeated TDM with levomethadone was performed according to a prospective opioid withdrawal study protocol.
Aiming at revising the therapeutic reference range for olanzapine, the present study highlights the association between blood olanzapine levels, clinical effects, and dopamine D-receptor occupancy for oral and long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations. Databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and uncontrolled trials concerning blood olanzapine levels in relation to clinical outcomes or D-receptor occupancy using MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library (March 2021, updated in December 2021). We excluded articles not written in English or German and non-human data.
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- This study investigates the relationship between escitalopram dosage, blood concentration levels, and therapeutic effects, revealing inconsistencies with current recommended reference ranges.
- A systematic review of 1,032 articles found that only 30 studies met the criteria, showing limited evidence for a clear concentration/effect relationship with escitalopram.
- The authors propose a new target blood concentration range of 20-40 ng/ml for effective antidepressant treatment, suggesting the upper limit reflects a therapeutic maximum rather than a side effect threshold.