Articles related to DRUG SAFETY & INTERACTIONS

When atypical AMD is suspected, additional multimodal imaging and a more detailed medical history are required to establish the correct diagnosis. The medical history, clinical examination, and retinal imaging findings of a 69-year-old White man with a long-standing medical history of schizophrenia, bilateral visual decline, nyctalopia, and blurred vision were sufficient evidence for the doctors to establish a presumed diagnosis of thioridazine retinal toxicity. Although it is a rare diagnosis due to the introduction of newer medications, patients with an underlying psychiatric history and atypical retinal findings on examination may have been or are currently taking the culprit psychotropic medication.

Sibutramine, a serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine reuptake inhibitor, can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure that may place individuals with cardiovascular disease at risk.

The authors speculate that pharmacogenomic testing can identify patients at higher risk for adverse events related to drug-drug and drug-gene interactions based on the 29-year-old man’s prescription list and gene testing results. Potential drug-drug interactions should also be investigated, and patients should be appropriately monitored for adverse reactions. Before performing pharmacogenomic testing, consider the severity of potential reactions, cost, and the possibility of using an alternative regimen that avoids the interaction of concern entirely. As more is learned about pharmacogenomics and the potential personalization of therapeutic regimens, clinical considerations that warrant testing should be evaluated on a regular basis to facilitate both resource stewardship and optimal patient care.

Misuse of prescription stimulants was associated with prior year treatment for depression, ADHD, and substance use disorder. Identified risk factors for stimulant misuse include use of prescription drugs in the past month (5.5 times increased risk) and use of illegal drugs in the past month (8 times higher risk).

After completing this activity, participants will be better equipped to discuss the major difficulties in managing MDR HIV and to illustrate the promise of both existing and forthcoming MDR HIV medicines.

Mental health care professionals who prescribe or dispense to patients need to know the half-lives of the drugs that they prescribe, the half-lives of active metabolites — if any — how these half-lives may differ with individual patient characteristics, and how to use this knowledge to prescribe to best advantage.