open access
Pharmacological means to improve patients’ mood. Are they effective and safe?
Affiliations- Palliative medicine specialist
open access
Abstract
Low mood and depression can be treated with many non-pharmacological means. However, in terminally ill these means are sometimes insufficient and the doctors need to prescribe drugs. In this article I shall discuss simple and proven drugs that improve patients mood and, some of them do have proven antidepressant activity. I shall discuss methylphenidate, ketamine, cannabinoids and buprenorphine in more detail. Cautious use of these drugs in different clinical situations may improve nearly instantly quality of life and quality of dying. However, unskilled use of some of them may result in earlier death, neurosis, epilepsy and even psychosis.
Abstract
Low mood and depression can be treated with many non-pharmacological means. However, in terminally ill these means are sometimes insufficient and the doctors need to prescribe drugs. In this article I shall discuss simple and proven drugs that improve patients mood and, some of them do have proven antidepressant activity. I shall discuss methylphenidate, ketamine, cannabinoids and buprenorphine in more detail. Cautious use of these drugs in different clinical situations may improve nearly instantly quality of life and quality of dying. However, unskilled use of some of them may result in earlier death, neurosis, epilepsy and even psychosis.
Keywords
mood enhancement, low mood, depression antidepressant activity, methylphenidate, ketamine, cannabinoids, buprenorphine
About this articleTitle
Pharmacological means to improve patients’ mood. Are they effective and safe?
Journal
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
155-159
Published online
2017-05-19
Page views
450
Article views/downloads
816
Bibliographic record
Medycyna Paliatywna w Praktyce 2016;10(4):155-159.
Keywords
mood enhancement
low mood
depression antidepressant activity
methylphenidate
ketamine
cannabinoids
buprenorphine
Authors
Zbigniew Ben Zylicz
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