Category: Uncategorized
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How Medications are Like Families
Members of a medication class are similar to families. Think about your family. We have similar DNA. My kids share some traits of mine and my wife. Very similar to your families. You probably are laughing reading this as you know it is true! But while there are many similarities, there are significant differences. When…
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Empty Stomach Medications
Understanding the nuances of medication administration is pivotal for achieving optimal patient outcomes. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of taking specific medications without food, the rationale behind it, and provide examples of such medications commonly encountered in clinical practice. Why Take Medications on an Empty Stomach? Taking certain medications on an…
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Exploring the Role of Pharmacy Informatics in Modern Healthcare
As the world of healthcare continues to embrace digital transformation, one area that has gained significant prominence is pharmacy informatics. Pharmacy informatics is a specialized field that focuses on utilizing technology and information systems to enhance the efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of pharmacy practices. For medical professionals, understanding the role of pharmacy informatics closely ties…
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Methotrexate and Ibuprofen: Interacting Drugs Prescribed Together
In the management of chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, healthcare professionals often face the challenge of balancing the benefits of multiple medications with potential drug interactions. Methotrexate and ibuprofen are commonly prescribed drugs for these conditions, despite their known interaction. In this blog post, we will explore the implications of co-administering methotrexate with ibuprofen, shedding…
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Warfarin and Vitamin K in the Diet
As a healthcare professional involved in warfarin treatment, educating the patient on dietary restrictions is critical. In this blog post, we will delve into the mechanism of action behind the warfarin-vitamin K interaction and discuss the dietary considerations to optimize the efficacy of warfarin therapy. Understanding the interaction between warfarin and vitamin K is crucial.…
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Ending with Elimination/Excretion
We end our 4-part pharmacokinetics series discussing the all important final “E” of ADME: Elimination or Excretion. Thus far we have traversed absorption, distribution, and metabolism. But how does the drug exit the body? It can be eliminated unchanged or undergo transformation often via the liver to then be excreted. Excretion occurs via two primary…
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Meditating on Metabolism
In our 3rd installment on pharmacokinetics, we will briefly discuss the “M” which is metabolism. This is not meant to be all inclusive but will hit some major points which are clinically relevant. Metabolism occurs across many body systems and even within the bloodstream by various enzymes. The primary goal of metabolism is to make…
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Drug Distribution: Key to Understanding Effectiveness and Toxicities
In this second blog dedicated to pharmacokinetics, we will discuss drug distribution. Drug distribution is where the drug travels as it moves through the bloodstream into various tissues, organs, etc. Drugs vary widely in their degree or volume of distribution (Vd). Medications with a low volume of distribution tend to stay primarily in body water…
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Where do drugs go when administered? How does this matter clinically?
Drugs can be administered a number of different ways: Intravenous, oral, subcutaneous, transdermal, and many more. It is important to understand what happens to these medications once administered to gain insight into not only their therapeutic effect, but also potential adverse effects. The fancy word for this is called pharmacokinetics, or what the “body does…
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Antibiotic Selection and The Triangle
Choosing the right antimicrobial is a most difficult task. There are many factors to consider. Most antibiotic prescribing (~75%) is “empiric” before you know the organism that is causing the infection. Therefore getting the choice right on the front end is critical to ensure appropriate treatment while limiting toxicity. For years I have taught my…