best psych pharm book for residency?

[harmnot]

Any recommendation? Thx.

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[wmro1280]

Steve Stahl's books (Essential Psychopharmacology and Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber's Guide) are good, easy to understand, and represent the "standard" by which most practicing psychiatrists approach their patients and prescribe drugs. You'll inevitably hear/read/see his drug mechanisms as you proceed through your training. However, he was recently quoted as saying that the contents of his books "might be entirely wrong."

 

[nitemagi]

Steve Stahl's books (Essential Psychopharmacology and Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber's Guide) are good, easy to understand, and represent the "standard" by which most practicing psychiatrists approach their patients and prescribe drugs. You'll inevitably hear/read/see his drug mechanisms as you proceed through your training. However, he was recently quoted as saying that the contents of his books "might be entirely wrong."

Brilliant. Stahl's a fun speaker, and creates a great story as to why the medications may help or not help, based on a lot of basic science, which isn't always proven (or disproven) in clinical trials. His book is a fine step in understanding meds, though, akin to the physics analogy.

 

[zenman]

Steve Stahl's books (Essential Psychopharmacology and Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber's Guide) are good, easy to understand, and represent the "standard" by which most practicing psychiatrists approach their patients and prescribe drugs. You'll inevitably hear/read/see his drug mechanisms as you proceed through your training. However, he was recently quoted as saying that the contents of his books "might be entirely wrong."

Kinda expensive book to be entirely wrong!

 

[flash]

Saw him speak at a Latuda conference a month ago and he did say "my book is all theoretical" there. But the book is well organized, easy to read, step wise, and the best place to start conceptualizing psychopharm that I've found. I'm glad to have it by my side as a PGY1.

I also bought the Prescriber's Guide..have in the office. Refer to it for reinforcement of mechanisms, things like side effects, initial/usual dosage. For example, we started someone on Lamictal yesterday, I looked it up, got a snapshot, reviewed some things, read his take on 'the art of psychopharm'/clinical pearls related to this drug, learned some things and reinforced info having attached the info to a patient and clinical scenario in real time. It helps me remember things.

 

[Rhayven44]

It sounds a bit overwhelming, but I found the book "The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology" by Cooper fantastic. It covers each neurotransmitter by itself, with a brief mention of specific drugs. It increased my knowledge of psychopharm dramatically and made using resources like Stahl a lot easier to conceptualize.

 

[notdeadyet]

Brilliant. Stahl's a fun speaker, and creates a great story as to why the medications may help or not help, based on a lot of basic science, which isn't always proven (or disproven) in clinical trials. His book is a fine step in understanding meds, though, akin to the physics analogy.

I like the Prescriber's Guide, and will continue to use it, but I don't think I'll go to a lecture of his again. He was rude and insulting and downright dismissive to the demographics served by the public hospital that invited him to come speak. I have a lot of patience for idiosyncracy and larger-than-life characters, but after the third or fouth "you're a ***** if you don't ____" and "you're an idiot if you haven't read ____," he kind of lost his appeal. I actually find it hard to read his books now without hearing bitter snarkiness coming off the page, which is a little unpleasant. Good book though....

 

[psychphan]

What about the best pocket book for psychopharmacology? I have been using Stahl's Prsscribers Guide as a reference on rotations, but its a little too big to fit in my pocket and too heavy to carry around all day. Any suggestions?

 

[nitemagi]

What about the best pocket book for psychopharmacology? I have been using Stahl's Prsscribers Guide as a reference on rotations, but its a little too big to fit in my pocket and too heavy to carry around all day. Any suggestions?

Many people like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Psychiatric-Current-Clinical-Strategies/dp/1934323314/ref=pd_sim_b3

 

[harmnot]

Steve Stahl's books (Essential Psychopharmacology and Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber's Guide) are good, easy to understand, and represent the "standard" by which most practicing psychiatrists approach their patients and prescribe drugs. You'll inevitably hear/read/see his drug mechanisms as you proceed through your training. However, he was recently quoted as saying that the contents of his books "might be entirely wrong."

Thanks. Does anyone know if there is a huge difference between the third (2009)vs. fourth edition(2011)? Aside from price...which is an important factor in my case.

 

[zenman]

Thanks. Does anyone know if there is a huge difference between the third (2009)vs. fourth edition(2011)? Aside from price...which is an important factor in my case.

I just ordered the 4th edition today from amazon. I think it has 12 new drugs. I'll know for sure when it arrives.

 

[nitemagi]

I just ordered the 4th edition today from amazon. I think it has 12 new drugs. I'll know for sure when it arrives.

I'd imagine it covers Invega, iloperidone, Lurasidone, and asenapine. Not sure how much it has updated other drugs.