Articles related to DRUG SAFETY & INTERACTIONS

In this Q&A, Dr. Vincent Millischer describes the surprising association between lithium clearance and serum lithium as well as the role that genetics may play in helping to determine the proper lithium dosage for each patient.

Levothyroxine, which is the third most popular drug in the US and the main drug used to treat primary hypothyroidism, also possesses clinically significant interactions with food, beverages, and supplements that can change the safety and efficacy of thyroid-hormone replacement therapies. This review article from Pharmaceuticals reviews 925 hypothyroid patients that highlighted “disturbing” lifestyle and diet patterns.

As use of gabapentin in the United States has been steadily increasing in recent years, researchers from the CDC have found that, among the 62,652 overdose deaths that occurred between 2019 and 2020, 58,362 of these cases had documented toxicology results.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has issued guidance on managing drug interactions with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). Specifically, the IDSA recommends clinicians take six steps to minimize the risk of drug interactions for patients with COVID-19 who are eligible for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir.

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked at the association between cardiovascular outcomes and the coprescription of nitrates with PDE5 inhibitors in more than 42,000 men over a 10-year period. Two composite outcomes were measured: 1) cardiac arrest, shock, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or acute coronary arteriography; and 2) syncope, angina pectoris, or drug-related adverse event. The authors found no statistically significant increase in measured cardiovascular AEs.

Published in its entirety in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and available here from Guideline Central, the AGS Beers Criteria® also includes a host of resources— from mobile apps to a pocket reference card. The five lists included describe particular medications with evidence suggesting they should be avoided, used in caution, or dosed differently.