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Diabetes Medications and Pancreatitis – Case Scenario
Diabetes is a disease that millions are affected by. It can be very challenging trying to figure out which medication or medication combination is best for a patient. While extremely rare, the...
CMS F-Tags, F-329 Unnecessary Medications; The Most Commonly Cited Meds
I’ve spent years of my life working in and around long term care (nursing homes). The CMS F-tag, F-329 Unnecessary Medications tag is by far (in combination with F-428) the most common survey...
Should I Take St. John’s Wort? Clinical Considerations
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...
Benzodiazepine Equivalents – Clinical Questions to Consider
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....
3 Classic Medications That Cause Insomnia
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...
Clinical Conundrum – Gemfibrozil and Statins, What to do?
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...
How to Handle Gabapentin Abuse
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....
What Does Requip Tell Us? Medication Review
Here's a medication list and a few thoughts to go with it. Amiodarone 200 mg daily Famotidine 20 mg daily Enalapril 10 mg daily Metoprolol 25 mg BID Pantoprazole 40 mg daily Acetaminophen 500 mg TID...
FDA Metformin Kidney Function Dosing Changes – What are you Going to do?
So the FDA changed the labeling on metformin a while back and made it a little easier to use the drug in more patients who have poor kidney function. Whenever changes like this happen, I like to...
Do I Increase the Dose or Augment the Antihypertensive Medication?
Hypertension management can get a little overwhelming sometimes since there are so many medications to choose from. We often use multiple medications with different mechanisms of action to treat...
Study Materials For Pharmacists
