PsychoPharmacology News
by Circle Of Insight Productions
Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the Brain & Behavior explores what medications actually do to the brain—and what the research really says about their benefits, risks, controversies, and unexpected effects. Hosted by psychologist Dr. Carlos Vazquez, each episode examines a medication, drug class, emerging treatment, or provocative new study through the science of pharmacology, neuroscience, and human behavior. From antidepressants, stimulants, antipsychotics, lithium, and anxiety medications to ketamine, psychedelics, addiction treatments, pharmacogenetics, and emerging drugs, the podcast goes beyond headlines to explain mechanisms of action and the evidence behind them. You’ll also hear occasional foundational episodes explaining receptors, neurotransmitters, drug classes, side effects, tolerance, withdrawal, and other concepts that make psychopharmacology easier to understand. Whether you’re a psychologist, therapist, student, healthcare professional, or simply fasc
Episodes
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The Pharmacology of Study Drugs: Amphetamines, Dopamine, and Cognitive Enhancement
Explore how amphetamine-based medications influence dopamine and norepinephrine signaling, why subjective concentration can differ from measurable cognitive improvement, and how dose and sleep deprivation influence outcomes.
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Withdrawal or Relapse? Why Antidepressant Discontinuation Can Be Misunderstood
Explore the psychological and clinical challenges of distinguishing antidepressant discontinuation symptoms from the return of depression or anxiety. Examine how symptom timing, physical sensations, and emotional changes influence clinical assessment, and why a careful medication history is...
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When Addiction Treatment Becomes Addiction Maintenance: The Pharmacology Behind Rehab Fraud
What happens when a facility entrusted with treating substance-use disorders allegedly helps perpetuate the very addiction it promises to address? This episode examines the neurobiology of opioid and stimulant dependence, withdrawal, craving, and the medications used in evidence-based addiction...
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SSRIs Compared: Best Diagnoses, Half-Lives, Side Effects, and Prescribing Exceptions
Not every SSRI is interchangeable — choosing the right one depends on far more than just the diagnosis in front of you. This episode compares seven SSRIs across their FDA-approved indications for depression, OCD, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, breaking down half-lives,...
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Dopamine Blockade: Why Antipsychotics Work and Why They Cause Side Effects
Antipsychotic medications frequently act on dopamine D2 receptors, but blocking these receptors produces different effects depending on where they are located in the brain. This episode examines how dopamine antagonism and partial agonism influence psychotic symptoms, movement disorders, and...
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Why Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro Affect Patients Differently
Explore pharmacokinetics, CYP450 metabolism, serotonin transporter inhibition, and receptor adaptations. Explain why medications within the same class can differ in tolerability and interaction potential.
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Why Antidepressants Take Weeks to Work
Explore serotonin transporters, receptor adaptations, and the differences between immediate medication effects and delayed clinical improvement. Explain why antidepressant response cannot be reduced to a simple chemical imbalance.
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Methamphetamine vs. Adderall: How Different Are They Really?
Methamphetamine and prescription amphetamines share important pharmacological properties, but differences in chemical structure, dosing, delivery, and medical supervision can profoundly affect their risks. This episode compares methamphetamine, Adderall, and Ritalin through the lens of...
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Why Antidepressants Take Weeks to Work
Explore serotonin transporters, receptor adaptations, and the differences between immediate medication effects and delayed clinical improvement. Explain why antidepressant response cannot be reduced to a simple chemical imbalance.
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Beyond Fentanyl: The Rise of Synthetic Opioids Ten Times More Potent
A new class of synthetic opioids known as orphine analogues has been detected in illicit drug supplies across 22 American states, raising concerns about the next evolution of the opioid crisis. Some of these compounds have demonstrated pharmacological potency substantially greater than fentanyl,...
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Why Antidepressants Sometimes Stop Working: The Science Behind the Loss of Response
Antidepressants influence neurotransmission relatively quickly, yet meaningful clinical improvement often takes longer. This episode explores receptor signaling, neural adaptation, stress circuitry, and neuroplasticity in depression treatment. Discover why changes in brain function are more...
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When Antipsychotics Aren’t the Answer: The Medical Illness That Can Look Like Psychosis
Hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, and bizarre behavior can reasonably lead clinicians toward antipsychotic treatment, but what happens when the underlying illness isn’t primarily psychiatric? Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis can initially resemble a severe psychiatric disorder before…
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Why Do SSRIs Take Weeks to Work If They Change Serotonin Within Hours?
SSRIs begin altering serotonin signaling within hours, yet people with depression or anxiety are often told that meaningful improvement may take weeks. Why does the brain respond so slowly if the medication begins working almost immediately? The answer reveals why the familiar idea of...
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Beyond the Daily Pill: The Injection Shaking Up Bipolar Treatment
A new study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry analyzed electronic health records from 2,086 individuals with bipolar disorder in Hong Kong treated between 2004 and 2023. While long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIAs) are already widely recognized for treating schizophrenia,...
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A Simpler Way to Ease OCD When Bipolar Is Also in the Picture
Many people live with both bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The usual medicines for OCD can make bipolar moods swing more wildly. A new study points to a different option that may help without that risk.
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The FDA Is Fast-Tracking Psychedelics. Noribogaine Is the Test Case That Is Not a Trip.
After an executive order pushing HHS to speed mental-health treatments, the FDA issued priority vouchers for psilocybin in depression and methylone in PTSD and cleared the first U.S. trial of an ibogaine-related drug. That compound is noribogaine, aimed at alcohol use disorder, and its developers...
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Know Your Brain: The Four Lobes and What They Actually Do
This episode breaks down the brain's four primary lobes — frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital — and explains, in plain terms, what each one actually does and what happens when it's damaged or atypical. Along the way, the conversation touches on how differences in these brain regions show…
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Psychopharmacology Masterclass: Drug Classes, Mechanisms of Action, and What Every Psychologist Needs to Know for Clinical Practice and the
Psychopharmacology is one of the most heavily tested and clinically consequential domains in professional psychology, covering everything from the neurochemical mechanisms behind antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and anxiolytics to the pharmacokinetic principles that determine…
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Retracted: The Hepatitis B Vaccine, Autism Claims, and the Challenges of Causation
In this episode, we examine the recent retraction of a 2010 study that suggested a link between neonatal hepatitis B vaccination and autism in boys. We break down the methodological flaws that led to its withdrawal, explore related research from the same authors and others, and dive into why...
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Escitalopram for Kids’ Anxiety: FDA Approval or Risky Gamble? Weighing the Evidence”
In 2023, the FDA approved escitalopram (Lexapro) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children aged 7 and older, based largely on one industry-sponsored trial showing a small statistical edge over placebo on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS). Critics argue the benefits fall below...
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Noribogaine (DMX-1001): A Neuroplastogen Breakthrough for Alcohol Use Disorder or Another Psychedelic Promise with Risks?
The FDA accepted DemeRx’s IND for oral noribogaine (DMX-1001) in April 2026, advancing a longer-acting metabolite of ibogaine as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) through neuroplasticity and polypharmacology. We explore the science, preclinical data, early Phase 1 results,...
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Rising Costs in Healthcare: The 2026 Pharmaceutical Price Increases and Their Implications
I n early 2026, pharmaceutical manufacturers announced list price increases on at least 350 brand-name medications, continuing a pattern that affects treatments for cancer, COVID-19, migraines, and other conditions despite policy efforts to enhance affordability. This episode examines the scope…
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The Accidental Mind: Serendipity and the Birth of Modern Psychopharmacology part 2
Part two In the mid-20th century, a handful of chance observations transformed psychiatry from an asylum-bound specialty into a medical field powered by effective drugs. This episode explores how chlorpromazine emerged from industrial dyes and surgical experiments, how imipramine and lithium were...
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The Accidental Mind: Serendipity and the Birth of Modern Psychopharmacology part 1
In the mid-20th century, a handful of chance observations transformed psychiatry from an asylum-bound specialty into a medical field powered by effective drugs. This episode explores how chlorpromazine emerged from industrial dyes and surgical experiments, how imipramine and lithium were stumbled...
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Curcumin: Turmeric’s Golden Promise for Blood Sugar and Mood – Evidence, Arguments For and Against
Explore the 2026 meta-analysis and supporting studies on curcumin for prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety, weighing compelling arguments in favor of its use against important limitations and counterpoints. We break down benefits like improved glycemic control and mood support...
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Dextromethorphan ( think cough syrup) for OCD: A Promising Glutamate-Targeted Augmentation Strategy?
A small 2026 randomized controlled trial found that adding low-dose dextromethorphan (DXM, 15 mg twice daily) to ongoing SSRI treatment significantly reduced Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores in adults with SSRI-resistant OCD, dropping from about 26.6 to 16.3 over 12 weeks...
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Antidepressants and Suicide Prevention: Lessons from Korea’s 2002 Prescription Restrictions
A recent study examines how South Korea’s 2002 limits on SSRI prescribing by primary care physicians coincided with a striking rise in national suicide rates. This episode reviews the Korean evidence alongside international research on antidepressant access and suicide trends, highlighting...
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Silent Slip: How Medications Are Fueling Falls in Our Elderly
This episode explores the alarming link between common medications and falls among older adults, revealing how psychotropics and polypharmacy contribute to up to three-quarters of incidents in nursing homes. Drawing on key studies, it details high-risk drug classes and their mechanisms while...
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The Dangerous Tetrad: Mastering the Fatal Signs of Rigidity and Fever -case study
In the ER, seconds matter when identifying the "Dangerous Tetrad": rigidity, fever, autonomic instability, and altered mentation. This episode breaks down the clinical markers and pathophysiology of these life-threatening syndromes to help clinicians differentiate between NMS and Serotonin...
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Antidepressant Withdrawal: 50% of Long-Term Users Suffer? Shocking JAMA Study vs Real-World Reality Exposed
Psychiatrists are clashing over antidepressant withdrawal: clinic data shows up to 50% of long-term SSRI/SRI users face severe symptoms, while a major 2025 JAMA Psychiatry meta-analysis claims they’re usually mild and brief. We break down both sides, expose the massive limitations in the studies,...
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Metabolic Brake or Muscle Catalyst? The Pharmacokinetics of GLP-1 Muscle Loss
While GLP-1 receptor agonists are not inherently "muscle-toxic," the rapid metabolic shift they induce can lead to a catabolic state that consumes lean tissue. In this episode, we dive into the pharmacology of semaglutide and tirzepatide, examining how slowed gastric emptying and blunted appetite...
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Ibogaine: Miracle Cure or Medical Gamble? The Truth Behind a Controversial Psychedelic
This episode explores ibogaine as a controversial psychedelic treatment for addiction, examining its reported effects on opioid withdrawal, cravings, and psychological insight alongside serious cardiac and neurological risks. It provides a balanced, evidence-based analysis of ibogaine research,...
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The Messy Truth About Antidepressants: Benefits, Risks, and the Limits of the Evidence
Antidepressants demonstrate modest but real benefits for moderate-to-severe depression, with large meta-analyses showing consistent advantages over placebo and meaningful improvements in function for many patients, yet these gains are often smaller than portrayed and heavily influenced by high...
Topics in this show
About this show
Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the Brain & Behavior explores what medications actually do to the brain—and what the research really says about their benefits, risks, controversies, and unexpected effects. Hosted by psychologist Dr. Carlos Vazquez, each episode examines a medication, drug class, emerging treatment, or provocative new study through the science of pharmacology, neuroscience, and human behavior.
From antidepressants, stimulants, antipsychotics, lithium, and anxiety medications to ketamine, psychedelics, addiction treatments, pharmacogenetics, and emerging drugs, the podcast goes beyond headlines to explain mechanisms of action and the evidence behind them. You’ll also hear occasional foundational episodes explaining receptors, neurotransmitters, drug classes, side effects, tolerance, withdrawal, and other concepts that make psychopharmacology easier to understand.
Whether you’re a psychologist, therapist, student, healthcare professional, or simply fasc
Hosted by
Circle Of Insight Productions