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Statins are one of the most commonly prescribed medications to help reduce cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. I’ve been asked the question a few different times about why we should choose a hydrophilic versus a lipophilic statin. In general, lipophilic drugs tend to penetrate into the body […]
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P-Glycoprotein inhibitors can and do affect the concentrations of other drugs. I will be honest in that when I think about drug interactions, it isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. This gut transporter can impact clinical care and influence drug decisions. What is P-Glycoprotein? P-Glycoprotein is an efflux transporter that is found in […]
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Pharmacokinetics is a scary word for many in the medical field. The best way that I remember being taught pharmacokinetics is to think about what the body does to the drug. If we understand pharmacokinetics, we can definitely optimize our patient’s medications and also help avoid unnecessary adverse effects and toxicity. Half-life is one of […]
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98 y/o female had a long history of seizures was treated with Dilantin (phenytoin) 100 mg twice daily. The Dilantin level was routinely drawn every 6 months and had been in the 6-10 range for quite sometime (normal total level is 10-20, but there are multiple variables that can make the value less than accurate). The […]
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Many patients and healthcare professionals may not realize that different formulations of a product can have very different pharmacokinetics. Why does pharmacokinetics matter? An 88 year old patient was receiving Namenda (memantine) 5 mg in the morning and 10 mg in the evening for dementia. The physician noted this and was going to transition them to […]
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