The NPR (2/6, Lambert) “Shots” blog reports certain “antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management,” research suggests.

Healio (2/6, Demko) reports, “Using a machine learning approach,” investigators “found that patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] who were prescribed prodrug opioids had more pain after leaving the hospital than those prescribed active form opioids.” The findings of the 4,306-patient study were published online Feb. 6 in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids, “Jonathan Lambert, NPR, February 6, 2019

The Wall Street Journal (2/6, Holland, Subscription Publication) reports that for older adults with mental illnesses, particularly seniors living in rural areas who cannot easily visit a psychiatrist or other mental healthcare clinician due to disability or cognitive issues, telepsychiatry may be beneficial, providing patients with needed therapy online.

Related Links:

— “Online Psychotherapy for the Elderly, “Emily Holland, The Wall Street Journal, February 06, 2019

MedPage Today (2/6, Hlavinka) reports, “Lower birth weight was associated with increased risk for several subsequent psychiatric disorders,” researchers concluded in a study of “over 500,000 sibling pairs.” The study revealed that people “with lower birth weights were significantly more likely to develop depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…and autism.” The findings were published online Feb. 6 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

MD Magazine (2/5, Kunzmann) reports, “A pair of prediction tool models assessing the psychiatric adverse effects of levetiracetam show that women and patients with comorbid depression or anxiety are significantly more likely to suffer an adverse effect when taking the” medication as a treatment for epilepsy, researchers found. The findings of the 1,173-patient study were published online Jan. 28 in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Females, Previous Psychiatric Patients at Greater Risk of Adverse Levetiracetam Effects, “Kevin Kunzmann, MD Magazine, February 5, 2019

Modern Healthcare (2/5, Meyer, Subscription Publication) reports the Congressional Budget Office determined that claims data show mental healthcare professionals in the networks of commercial and Medicare Advantage plans are paid lower rates than regular Medicare pays, “which likely reduces access for patients.” The CBO researchers analyzed the data from the Health Care Cost Institute and “found that average in-network rates for two categories of common mental health services in commercial and Medicare Advantage plans in 2014 were 13% to 14% less than fee-for-service rates in traditional Medicare.” State and federal law requires parity between physical and mental healthcare coverage, but lower rates of payment “could jeopardize those patient access gains, the authors said.”

Related Links:

— “Commercial plans’ lower rates for mental healthcare may reduce patient access, “Harris Meyer, Modern Healthcare, February 5, 2019