Vol 10, No 4 (2016)
Review paper
Published online: 2017-05-19
Pharmacological means to improve patients’ mood. Are they effective and safe?
Medycyna Paliatywna w Praktyce 2016;10(4):155-159.
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 enhancementlow mooddepression antidepressant activitymethylphenidateketaminecannabinoidsbuprenorphine
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