What’s New in Psychotropic (2025)
Some of the new information and major changes included in Therapeutic Guidelines.
The Psychotropic guidelines have been updated in response to the following drug approvals by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration. Here are the key changes:
- Cariprazine is approved for treatment of schizophrenia in adults. New advice covers its role in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, including first episode of psychosis, negative symptoms in psychotic disorders, manic and depressive episodes of bipolar disorder, and treatment-resistant major depression. Additional guidance to support clinicians in choosing and using cariprazine includes information on its adverse effects and its use when planning a pregnancy, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
- A 6-month formulation of paliperidone palmitate is approved for maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults who have been adequately treated with a 1-monthly or 3-monthly formulation. New guidance on its use for recovery and relapse prevention in psychoses is included.
- Intranasal esketamine is approved for treatment-resistant major depression (in conjunction with a newly initiated antidepressant), but its use and prescription should only be considered by specialists. Advice on its role in treatment-resistant major depression has been updated.
Other important updates include:
- revised advice on the specialist use of ketamine for treatment-resistant major depression
- new information on the specialist use of psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant major depression and MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder
- updated timeframes for dose titration of antipsychotics used for agitation, aggression or psychosis of dementia
- the addition of hyperbolic tapering as an option for stopping antidepressants in patients at high risk of discontinuation symptoms.
Published 18/02/2025