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Antidepressants in Seasonal Affective Disorder – Which One To Choose?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) presents a unique opportunity in psychiatric prescribing because, unlike many other mood disorders, the timing of symptoms is often predictable. Patients typically...
If I Had 60 Seconds to Review a Med List, Here’s What I Would Do…
If I had 60 seconds to review a med list, I wouldn’t try to analyze every detail. That’s the biggest mistake clinicians make when time is limited. Instead, I rely on pattern recognition—quickly...
Why “Stable” Leads to Polypharmacy – 3 Case Examples
I've been collecting examples of situations where a patient is "stable", and a provider doesn't want to change medications. Stable is good, right? It is, but it can also lead to providers not...
Clonidine Versus Guanfacine – Comparison in ADHD
Clonidine and guanfacine are both alpha-2 adrenergic agonists used in the treatment of ADHD, but they behave differently enough in clinical practice that they are not truly interchangeable. In this...
5 Reasons To Get Rid Of PRNs
As-needed medications (PRNs) are a common part of life for geriatric patients in long-term care and assisted living facilities. They can make things more complicated as well, and I would implore you...
Bowel Regimens – Curbing Polypharmacy
One of the most common (and easily fixable) medication mismatches I see in practice involves bowel regimens that outlive their original purpose. This is a great example of how deprescribing can...
Beta-Blockers In Asthma; The Best and Worst
Beta-blockers have long been approached with caution in patients with asthma due to their potential to provoke bronchospasm and blunt the effects of rescue inhalers. This risk is largely driven by...
Epoetin 3 Big Things – Practice Pearls and Test Prep
Epoetin alfa (Epogen/Procrit) is a medication pharmacists commonly encounter in long-term care, dialysis, and oncology settings. While its role in stimulating red blood cell production seems...
OCD Versus Depression – SSRI Dosing
SSRIs are the drug of choice for many conditions. That is true of both obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression (excellent board exam nugget to remember). As you are reviewing a patient's...
Tapering Seizure Medications – Practical Advice From the Front Lines
A recent case prompted me to create a blog post about tapering seizure medications. Tapering and discontinuing anti-seizure medications is a delicate process that requires close clinical monitoring...
Study Materials For Pharmacists
