Pharmacotherapy Newsletter Archives
Released Issues
2012; Volume 4
Issue 2: Question: How does ezetimibe (Zetia) actually inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine and thereby reduce LDL cholesterol?
Issue 1: Question: Why can diabetics taking beta blockers still sweat during an hypoglycemic episode?
2011; Volume 3
Issue 45: Question: What are common medications that should be avoided in patients with known G6PD deficiency?
Issue 43: Question: Oncology Drug Reference Tool: Updated FABio - The Monoclonal Antibody Guy.
Issue 42: Question: Oncology Drug Reference Tool: Updated TYROne KINASE: Inhibitors of Tyrosine Kinase Signaling.
Issue 41: Question: Oncology Drug Reference Tool: Updated anti-NEO PLASTIC man: Common Toxicities with Traditional Chemotherapeutic Medications?
Issue 37: Question: Should patients who develop hyperuricemia while receiving hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) be started on allopurinol?
Issue 33: Question: How does digoxin (Lanoxin) increase inotropy or the force of contraction of the heart?
Issue 29: Question: What are the trough:peak ratios for the antihypertensive medications directly affecting the rennin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS): ACE inhibitors, ARBs, Renin Inhibitors, and Aldosterone Antagonists?
Issue 25: Question: What is a trough:peak ratio and how does it relate to the treatment of hypertension?
Issue 21: Question: What are common medications that should be used with caution or avoided while breastfeeding?
Issue 17: Question: What are common medications associated with QT-prolongation and/or torsades de pointes?
Issue 13: Question: What are common medications that should be avoided during pregnancy due to risk of teratogenicity and/or adverse effects?
Issue 9: Question: What are common medications associated with causing neuropathic or nociceptive pain?
Issue 5: Question: What are the most common antidotes within toxicology used to treat common poisonings and/or overdoses?
Issue 1: Question: Why might risperidone (Risperdal) potential cause or fail to improve polydipsia induced hyponatremia whereas clozapine (Clozaril; FazaClo) has been known to improve it?
2010; Volume 2
Issue 45: Question: How could the atypical antipsychotic risperidone (Risperdal) cause hyponatremia in some patients being treated for schizophrenia?
Issue 41: Question: Does Pharmacology Weekly have a drug reference table for antiarrhythmic medications?
Issue 37: Question: Are breastfed patients with an active viral infection at an increased risk for developing Reye's syndrome if the child's mother is taking aspirin or salicylates?
Issue 33: Question: What is the recommended approach to treatment for a patient who has developed aspirin or salicylate associated Reye's syndrome?
Issue 29: Question: What over-the-counter and prescription medications should be avoided in patients with a viral illness for the purposes of decreasing the risk of Reye's syndrome?
Issue 25: Question: How does the use of aspirin or salicylates increase the risk of Reye's syndrome in children with viral infections?
Issue 21: Question: If patients with Parkinson's disease are deficient in dopamine, why then is peripheral dopamine administration not effective at treating the bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor?
Issue 17: Question: How does the diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), increase uric acid levels thereby increasing the risk for hyperuricemia or acute gout exacerbation in some patients?
Issue 13: Question: How does the aldosterone antagonist, eplerenone (Inspra) cause less gynecomastia than spironolactone (Aldactone)?
Issue 9: Question: Why is there no lipid lowering advantage in dosing the cholesterol absorption inhibitor, ezetimibe (Zetia), twice a day versus its recommended dosing of once daily?
Issue 5: Question: Does the dose of estrogen found in oral contraceptives (birth control pills) influence the risk for developing a clot or venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism)?
Issue 1: Question: Why is fondaparinux (Arixtra) an alternative anticoagulant that can be used in patients with heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) but not low-molecular weight heparins (LMWH)?
2009; Volume 1
Issue 48: Question: What is the average time frame for the increases in neutrophils to manifest on the white blood cell count (WBC) after starting glucocorticoid (steroid) treatment?
Issue 47: Question: What is the incidence of statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) associated myopathy (myalgia or muscle pain), myositis (muscle breakdown) and rhabdomyolysis?
Issue 46: Question: How do you identify and classify statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) associated muscle aches and pains?
Issue 45: Question: How does the capsaicin 8% patch (Qutenza) work differently from traditional topical capsaicin cream/ointment used in the treatment of chronic pain?
Issue 44: Question: Does Pharmacology Weekly have any reference tools to help clinicians recognize common side effects or toxicities associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in the treatment of cancer?
Issue 43: Question: Does Pharmacology Weekly have any reference tools to help clinicians recognize common side effects or toxicities associated with monoclonal antibodies used in the treatment of cancer?
Issue 42: Question: Does Pharmacology Weekly have any reference tools to help clinicians recognize common side effects or toxicities associated with traditional chemotherapeutic medications?
Issue 41: Question: What is the exact mechanism of action by which ezetimibe (Zetia®) actually inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, thereby resulting in a reduction in LDL-cholesterol concentrations?
Issue 40: Question: How does amiodarone (Cordarone®), a class III antiarrhythmic, cause hyperthyroidism and what are the clinical implications?
Issue 39: Question: Why does the carbapenem antibiotic, imipenem, require the coadministration of cilastatin in the prevention of its renal inactivation and risk for nephrotoxicity but doripenem, ertapenem and meropenem do not?
Issue 38: Question: Which one of the antiretrovirals used for the treatment of HIV infection is known to cause a false positive for marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) on drug screen and why?
Issue 37: Question: Does the type of oral contraceptive (birth control pill) used alter the implied risk for developing venous thromboembolism (DVT and pulmonary embolism)?
Issue 36: Question: What is the mechanism by which metformin (Glucophage®) can improve the lipid profile beyond its glucose lowering properties in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)?
Issue 35: Question: What are the average increases in white blood cell (WBC) counts sometimes seen when starting glucocorticoids (e.g., dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, and prednisone)?
Issue 34: Question: What are the differences in the mechanisms of action between allopurinol (Zyloprim®, Aloprim®) and febuxostat (Uloric®) as it relates to the treatment of hyperuricemia or gout?
Issue 33: Question: What is the mechanism by which the fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin) can increase a patient's risk for developing a seizure or worsen epilepsy?
Issue 32: Question: Why do children less than 2 years of age need 4 doses of conjugated pneumococcal vaccine whereas adults only need 1 dose in many cases?
Issue 31: Question: Why do pediatric patients need their pneumococcal vaccination to be conjugated (Prevnar®) whereas adults can receive non-conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax®)?
Issue 30: Question: What is the mechanism by which the antipsychotic haloperidol (Haldol®) can cause tardive dyskinesia?
Issue 29: Question: What are the two main factors or concepts that all clinicians should factor into medication adherence?
Issue 28: Question: What is pharmacoecology and how does it relate to clinical pharmacology?
Issue 27: Question: What risk factors have been associated with causing or putting patients at increased risk for developing heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)?
Issue 26: Question: What is the mechanism by which the low-molecular weight heparins (LMWH; dalteparin, enoxaparin, tinzaparin) cause less heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) than traditional unfractionated heparin?
Issue 25: Question: What is the difference between heparin associated thrombocytopenia (HAT) and heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)?
Issue 24: Question: What is the mechanism by which heparin and low-molecular weight heparins (LMWH; dalteparin, enoxaparin, tinzaparin) cause heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or a significant decrease in platelets?
Issue 23: Question: Is oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) effective if administered greater than 48 hours after the onset of flu-like symptoms caused by swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) viral infection?
Issue 22: Question: Which of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics are not indicated for the treatment of urinary tract infections and why?
Issue 21: Question: What is the mechanism by which glucocorticoids (e.g., dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, prednisone) cause demargination of white blood cells (WBC) from the endothelium of blood vessels?
Issue 20: Question: What is the mechanism by which glucocorticoids (e.g., dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, prednisone) increase the white blood cell (WBC) count?
Issue 19: Question: Why is carbidopa added to levodopa (i.e., L-Dopa; Sinemet®; Sinemet CR®) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, if when used alone has no therapeutic benefit?
Issue 18: Question: What is the mechanism by which opioid agonists (e.g., hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone) reduce pain transmission in the central nervous system?
Issue 17: Question: Why is the low molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox®) dosed in mg while the other LMWH's (dalteparin (Fragmin®) and tinzaparin (Innohep®)) are dosed in IU/kg and is this difference clinically relevant?
Issue 16: Question: How can the antiviral, oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) work to prevent or treat swine-origin influenza A strain (H1N1) viral infection?
Issue 15: Question: How does the antihistamine, diphenhydramine (Allerdryl®; Benadryl®; Tylenol PM®; Unisom®) actually cause xerostomia (dry mouth)?
Issue 14: Question: What data support the use of statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD)?
Issue 13: Question: What data supports the use of statins (HMG-CoA Reductase inhibitors) for the primary prevention of cardiovascular (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD)?
Issue 12: Question: How do oral contraceptives (birth control pill) increase clotting factors and subsequently increase the risk for developing venous thromboembolism (DVT and/or pulmonary embolism (PE))?
Issue 11: Question: Part 3: Can tetracycline or minocycline (Minocin®, Dynacin®, Solodyn™) induced teeth stains or discolorations be prevented or treated?
Issue 10: Question: Part 2: How does the antibiotic minocycline (Minocin®, Dynacin®, Solodyn™) cause staining or discoloration of the teeth, how is it different from tetracycline and who is at risk?
Issue 9: Question: Part 1: How does the antibiotic tetracycline cause permanent staining of the teeth and who is at risk?
Issue 8: Question: Why do clinicians prefer to use propranolol in patients who are experiencing thyrotoxicosis, or thyroid storm, versus other beta-blockers?
Issue 7: Question: How does the antibiotic linezolid (Zyvox®) cause thrombocytopenia and is it clinically relevant?
Issue 6: Question: How does the opioid medication, meperidine (Demerol®), cause seizures and who is at risk?
Issue 5: Question: How do ACE inhibitors (e.g., fosinopril, lisinopril, ramipril) cause hyperkalemia and who is really at risk?
Issue 4: Question: Why can diabetic patients taking beta blockers use diaphoresis (sweating) as a sign of a hypoglycemic episode but possibly not tachycardia or tremors like other diabetic patients who are not receiving beta blockers?
Issue 3: Question: How does metformin (Glucophage®) lower fasting glucose levels different from other glucose lowering medications without causing hypoglycemia?
Issue 2: Question: How can amiodarone (Cordarone®) cause hypothyroidism and is it relevant?
Issue 1: Question: What is pharmacotherapy and why should all healthcare providers understand it?
Upcoming Issues
2012; Volume 4
Issue 3: Question: How do genetic polymorphisms result in significant neutropenia with irinotecan?
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