For the kids who can’t manage to keep appointments — let alone blood tests — there are lots (and I mean lots) who qualify for the anti-psychotics that are also FDA approved as mood stabilizers.

Those who know me as The Renegade Doctor sometimes get the mistaken idea that I am against all prescription drugs and that pharmaceutical treatment should always be avoided.  That could not be further from the truth.  I believe in the proper treatment for the proper condition.  At times, I may disapprove of the methods and conduct of “Big Pharma,” but I will always use the best treatment for my patients – especially if it is FDA approved and a legitimate indication.

My favorite mainstream choice in the above example is usually arapiperazole (Abilify). The case study I’ll share with you is a patient who sometimes hears some voices and would like to get rid of them. So that is the medicine I offer this 22 year old hip hop composer with one of those cylindrical “spreaders” that resembles a manhole cover in his right ear lobe (I wouldn’t have picked it myself, but he told me his girlfriend thought it was real hot).  Now sometimes this drug is stimulating and people have trouble sleeping.  So my usual suggestion with this would be a touch of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) – an over-the-counter allergy pill – which causes drowsiness and could help him sleep.  It’s even available in those “99-cent” stores that dot the countryside. Read more on Promethazine On The Street…