Author | Timothy H. Self, PharmD

March 13, 2009

Levothyroxine is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for the treatment of persons with hypothyroidism and the suppression of thyroid neoplasms.1 Most persons with hypothyroidism require lifelong therapy with levothyroxine.

June 01, 2008

Metronidazole, the prototype nitroimidazole, was originally released in 1959 for the treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis infections. It has since been used to treat a variety of infections caused by anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria and protozoa. Here we discuss the need for dosing adjustments in patients with hepatic disease.

January 01, 2008

Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness) affects nearly 6 million adults in the United States.1 This psychiatric disorder was first described at the time of Hippocrates and is currently one of the most prevalent and severe mental illnesses in our society.

December 01, 2006

Amiodarone, a class III antiarrhythmic, has become the drug of choice for the management of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias.1,2 Although not an FDA- approved indication, the use of amiodarone to treat atrial fibrillation is supported by practice guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology.

May 01, 2006

A focus on the known clinically significant drug-drug interactions of phenytoin.

March 01, 2006

Recent headlines in the nation’s newspapers haveriveted public attention on medication errors-aproblem that has long plagued the medical community.1 Prescribing mistakes are common, andthey exact a costly toll: the US Institute of Medicineestimates that 98,000 Americans die each year becauseof a failure in the drug treatment process.2 Estimatessuggest up to 5% of all inpatients will experiencesome type of medication error.3,4

March 01, 2006

Phenytoin is one of the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic drugs in both acute and chronic settings; its use has been extensively described. Nevertheless, interactions between phenytoin and numerous other drugs continue to complicate seizure therapy; these have been documented in case reports, studies, textbooks, and epilepsy reviews.

November 01, 2005

Dry powder inhalers are used by millions of patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although these devices are easier to use than metered-dose inhalers, errors still occur and drug efficacy may be reduced or lost.

November 01, 2005

Millions of people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use dry powder inhalers (DPIs). These devices are generally easier to use than metered-dose inhalers; however, errors still occur that may reduce the effectiveness of the drug.

September 15, 2005

Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are the most effective drugs in the management of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Recent large clinical trials continue to demonstrate the remarkable efficacy of these agents, including improved outcomes.