Articles related to DRUG SAFETY & INTERACTIONS

In 2019, the FDA warned that gabapentin might cause serious breathing difficulties when used with drugs that depress the central nervous system. The warning may have not been heeded, as overdose deaths in which gabapentin was detected doubled from 449 in the first quarter of 2019 to 959 in the second quarter of 2020.

In addition to other discoveries, the authors found that reported rates of myocarditis or pericarditis were higher after vaccination with mRNA-1273 (Moderna Spikevax) compared with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty).

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.