So, what would you say if a patient asked you, “Should I take St. John’s Wort?” My gut screams no! St. John’s Wort is a substantial inducer of many CYP enzymes which can play havoc with many different drugs and their respective levels....
I came across this useful table of benzodiazepine equivalents and decided to share it with you. Converting one drug to another always comes with challenges and benzodiazepines are no different. It’s not always easy to know exactly what to do or how to convert...
There are many medications that cause insomnia. With any new symptoms, we must first rule out the possibility of medication adverse effects. Here’s 3 classic examples of the prescribing cascade due to drug induced insomnia. Corticosteroids. They are used for...
Drug interactions is one thing that pharmacists need to be experts at managing. Gemfibrozil and statins present an interesting drug interaction that needs to be addressed. How should we address the interaction? Do other alternatives exist? Other alternatives to the...
When giving a presentation the other day, I received a question about how to handle gabapentin abuse. It is a tough question, much like opioid, benzo, stimulant, or any other controlled substance. Recognizing the risk of abuse potential, in August 2016, Minnesota...
