Monthly Archives: October 2015
When using antidepressants, one of the major reasons why we select a medication is the side effects that medication has. In geriatrics where weight loss can be problematic, you may see Remeron (mirtazapine) used to help stimulate appetite and help a patient’s weight to increase. In this case, its important to recognize that using Remeron […]
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PPI’s for NSAID prophylaxis is a common practice I’ve seen by numerous clinicians. In the geriatric population especially, there is significant GI ulcer risk from NSAIDs. The problem of polypharmacy is a big one, make sure you are paying attention to the diagnosis the PPI is being used for! The case: A 82 year old […]
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A 78 year old patient with a past medical history of bipolar disorder, dementia with aggressive behaviors, hypertension, and neuropathy was being evaluated and was initiated on Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) to try to help with neuropathy. He had been tried on numerous different psychotropic medications as well as many different types of treatment for his neuropathy […]
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We always need diagnosis and more information, but I like to analyze a medication list as an educational tool. The med list review with some possible concerns to investigate: Cilostazol 100 mg twice daily Aspirin 81 mg daily Propranolol 80 mg twice daily Captopril 25 mg three times daily Pantoprazole 40 mg daily Ropinirole 0.5 […]
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Respecting patient’s autonomy is of utmost importance in every clinical setting, and here are two perfect examples that I encountered during my emergency medicine rotation. 45-year-old Amish male was involved in a farm accident where a tree branch had fallen on him, causing a massive trauma to his head. He had about a 10 cm laceration […]
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