March 7 Drugs & Diseases Fentanyl Fentanyl-based OUD guidance needed in light of crisis PT March 2023 The latest CDC data find that deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl increased by a staggering 80% over the past 2 years. These drugs were involved in more than two-thirds of the overdose deaths in the year ending March 2022. Loren Bonner
March 7 Drugs & Diseases Gabapentin Overlapping gabapentin and opioid prescriptions have been on the rise PT March 2023 Ninety-five percent of gabapentin prescriptions are written for off-label pain management, despite studies questioning gabapentin’s effectiveness for managing pain, and reports of its misuse with simultaneous opioid therapy. Loren Bonner
March 7 Drugs & Diseases Antithrombotics Interruption or continuation of antithrombotic therapy in perioperative patients? PT March 2023 Too often, clinicians question whether they are making the right decision about a patient’s anticoagulation therapy with planned, nonemergent surgical procedures. Ariel L. Clark, PharmD
April 7 Drugs & Diseases On The Shelf Raspberry leaf for pregnancy PT April 2023 Herbs and herbal products have been used during pregnancy for centuries and have recently become popular through the widespread belief that it is “safer to go natural.” Mickie Cathers
April 7 Drugs & Diseases New Drugs Sunlenca PT April 2023 In December 2022, FDA approved Sunlenca (Gilead Sciences, Inc.), the first medication in a new class of drugs used to treat HIV type 1 (HIV-1) in patients who are unable to be successfully treated with other available medications. Lauren Howell, PharmD
April 7 Drugs & Diseases Supplements What are the top 10 supplements in the U.S.? PT April 2023 With 77% of Americans taking at least one supplement on a regular basis, it is more important than ever for pharmacists to know about these products. Lauren Howell, PharmD
April 7 Drugs & Diseases Diabetes What changed and what stayed the same for diabetes management in CKD? PT April 2023 With a large amount of new, high-quality data available, the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) workgroup issued a new comprehensive update on diabetes management in chronic kidney disease (CKD) only 2 short years after the last comprehensive update became available. Ariel L. Clark, PharmD
April 7 Drugs & Diseases Osteoporosis ACP updates osteoporosis and low bone mass guidelines PT April 2023 At the start of 2023, the American College of Physicians (ACP) released an update to their pharmacological guideline recommendations for the treatment of osteoporosis and low bone mass to prevent fractures in adults. Clarissa Chan, PharmD
April 7 Drugs & Diseases Depression Ketamine can serve as remedy for treatment-resistant depression PT April 2023 For individuals with suicidal thoughts or who don’t respond to any therapies for depression, ketamine offers a treatment choice, according to Megan Ehret, PharmD, BCPP, from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Loren Bonner