33.2 Lithium, Lithium, Lithium, + Lavender + Seroquel with Carlat's Chris Aiken, MD

Thanks for joining us for the first installment of my interview with Chris Aiken, MD, most notable for his position as editor-in-chief of the Carlat Psychiatry Podcast, an invaluable independent podcast providing the most up-to-date and unbiased information on which medications ACTUALLY work for which conditions. In Part 1, Dr. Aiken gives us a crash course in HOW to evaluate data and here in Part 2, he'll diver deeper into the DATA revealing why lithium is the ABSOLUTE GOLD STANDARD in bipolar treatment, and has great safety and efficacy data in MAJOR DEPRESSION, DEMENTIA (some would argue even at nutritional doses), is the ONLY Antidepressant with PROVEN ANTI-SUICIDE DATA, as well as being helpful with the characteristics of agitation, impulsivity, and rage.  We also discuss some of the newer data revealing benefits of quetiapine, or Seroquel (though it does have significant metabolic side effects), as well as the natural product, Silexin, or Lavender Extract, in anxiety and insomnia. Whether you are a trainee, young provider, or patient trying to understand the nuance and gray area of psychiatric drug effectiveness or safety, Dr. Aiken's general approach to appraising data is tremendously wise and helpful.  I hope you enjoy. If you're passionate about what we do here at Renegade Psych, we're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support our work, you can! Or not... I'll continue putting out content as long as my other jobs pay the bills.  Other things you can do: liking, commenting, and sharing our posts also go a long way! https://patreon.com/RenegadePsych. Thanks for listening to the audio podcast... You should check out our posted video podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ1bds1MGMM4tSbY7ISqug) as there are graphics overlaying the video to make it all more interactive and educational.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/  to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website. Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate.  This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment