Medication Safety Update: Preventing Errors and Adverse Drug Reactions
The “Oath of a Pharmacist” that is recited at pharmacy school graduations emphasizes the importance of medication safety in the profession. The passage says, “I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal...
Risk of Psychosis with Stimulant Use for ADHD
New research suggests that there may be a small risk of new onset psychosis among teens and young adults with ADHD who are treated with stimulant medications. Using data from 2 insurance claims databases, researchers reviewed patients who were 13-25 years old with an...
Should I get naloxone with my opioid prescription?
Yes, it is a good idea. Naloxone is a medication that quickly treats an opioid overdose. It can be given as a nasal spray or an injection. You can get naloxone from a pharmacy, and in some states you won’t need a prescription to get it. Make sure you and...
Sunscreen Absorption
When used as directed, are sunscreen ingredients absorbed? The FDA waives toxicity testing on sunscreens if the steady state concentration of active ingredients is less than 0.5 ng/mL. A small study in 24 healthy participants measured serum concentrations...
Heartburn – Appropriate Use of OTC Medications – APRN Issue
Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest that may radiate toward the neck, throat, and occasionally, the back. It most often results from the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Heartburn is among the most common gastrointestinal...
Revisiting CBD Drug Interactions
The May issue of The Rx Consultant focused on cannabidiol (CBD) and included a brief summary of drug interactions. We’d like to provide some additional information on potential interactions with CBD. CBD inhibits the drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP2C19, and...
What should I do in an overdose situation?
If you or someone you know suspects an opioid overdose, call 911 immediately. Try to keep the person awake and breathing, lay him or her on their side to prevent choking, and stay with him/her until emer- gency responders arrive. If the person is not...
Impact of BP and Cholesterol Medications on Cognition
The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation-3 (HOPE-3) study looked at the effect of reducing blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol on major cardiovascular (CV) events in patients at intermediate CV risk (but without CV disease at baseline). The results were...
Pharmacy Law – A Focus on Opioid Prescriptions
From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people died in the United States from a drug overdose. About 400,000 of these deaths involved both prescription and illicit opioids (eg, heroin); 218,000 deaths involved prescription opioids. In 2017 alone, there were...
Drug interactions with Medications and ED Prescriptions Common
Researchers performed chart review among 500 adult patients discharged from an emergency department (ED) with new prescriptions to investigate potential interactions with preexisting medications. Patient’s reported home medications and the newly prescribed...
About The Rx Consultant
The Rx Consultant is a subscription-based service that delivers practical updates, continuing education & reviews covering all the top-selling drugs and common health conditions. All our publications focus on the facts busy front-line pharmacists, nurse practitioners and pharmacy technicians need to stay current.
Each issue contains a drug therapy update with CE, patient Q&A, healthcare news, charts & tables and quick facts cards. The Continuing Education Network is an ACPE approved provider - credit for pharmacists is automatically reported to CPE Monitor. Our CE meets ANCC & AANP criteria, allowing nurse practitioners to fulfill their pharmacology CE needs.
The Rx Consultant has subscribers throughout the United States, Canada & The UK.