Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are a well-known staple in the management of upper GI bleeds (UGIB). Recently, there was a question regarding the efficacy and appropriateness of PPI use in lower GI bleeds (LGIB). First, let’s evaluate some common characteristics used to...
Over-the-counter medications play a huge role in modern healthcare. In my practice, I’ve had caught many adverse effects simply by reviewing the entire medication list and asking about OTCs. Here are my top 5 OTCs that cause GI issues. NSAIDs NSAIDs are arguably...
Diarrhea is a nuisance that can lead to non-adherence to drug therapy. In some cases, diarrhea can be even more than a nuisance and may risk the lives of our patients. Below, I outline my top 5 drugs that cause diarrhea. Metformin When considering drugs that cause...
While pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is a less well-known vitamin compared to cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), there are some potential consequences from deficiency. I am going to layout pyridoxine clinical pearls including some common medications that may cause deficiency and...
Irritable bowel syndrome can be very difficult to manage in some patients and once controlled, you can imagine that the patient wants nothing more than to keep their symptoms at bay. I’ve seen medications that exacerbate IBS-diarrhea used in clinical practice and...
This might be one of my biggest pet peeves. Adding a medication when we are already doing the opposite with another medication. I had a patient a while back who was taking cholestyramine twice daily for constipation. The patient and caregivers were unclear why the...
