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Apixaban for prevention of VTE – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Apixaban functions as an oral anticoagulant by inhibiting the clotting factor Xa, resulting in decreased levels of thrombin. Apixaban is one of three orally active anticoagulants now available...
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Withdrawal of dextropropoxyphene preparations in Australia – RGH Pharmacy...
Tweet Since this bulletin came out in June the withdrawal was challenged by one of the manufacturers. Dextropropoxyphene is an opioid analgesic used to treat moderate to severe pain. In addition to...
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Safety alert – check route of administration carefully. RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet A recent incident at one of the campuses of the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network has once again drawn attention to the potential for significant adverse consequences if a medication is...
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Systemic effects of topical ophthalmic preparations – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Ophthalmic medications are used for a number of conditions such as glaucoma, infection, allergy and inflammation, often on a chronic basis. Generally the drugs used in this manner have good...
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Antibiotic resistance – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet The term antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of bacteria and other micro-organisms to withstand the effects of an antibiotic to which it was previously sensitive. Consequently, these...
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Medications in the lactose intolerant adult – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Lactose is the carbohydrate naturally found in all kinds of milk, including human milk. It can also be used as an ingredient in some foods and is commonly used as a filler or excipient in...
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Riluzole and motor neurone disorder – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Riluzole is a neuroprotective agent used in the treatment of motor neurone disease. The precise mechanism of action of riluzole is unclear, however evidence supports a reduction in...
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COPD action plans – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are periods of worsening COPD symptoms, during which patients experience increased dyspnoea, cough and /or sputum production....
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Calciphylaxis – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Calciphylaxis or calcific uremic arteriolopathy is a complex syndrome which causes vascular calcification and skin necrosis. It is characterised by the presence of calcification of the arteries...
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Vemurafenib for metastatic melanoma – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Melanoma is the fourth most common cancer affecting Australians, accounting for 9.5% of all cancers in this country, with more than 10,300 new cases diagnosed annually. While melanoma is the...
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Antibiotics in renal impairment – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Confusion surrounds the prescribing of antimicrobials in renal impairment; whether to reduce the dose or extend the dosing interval. Suggested dose adjustments in renal impairment for many...
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Dosing of antibiotics and therapeutic drug monitoring – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Aminoglycosides Aminoglycosides exert a post-antibiotic effect: high peak levels are required to penetrate the bacterial cell wall, where the drug continues to have a bactericidal effect after...
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Use of LMWH in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are commonly used in the prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolic (VTE) diseases. However, there is limited evidence to guide the use of LMWH in...
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Crushing solid oral medicines – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet There is a 40-50% prevalence of dysphagia among elderly people in residential aged care facilities. Age related, or drug-induced xerostomia may be a cause of difficulty swallowing along with...
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Huntington’s disease – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system, caused by an expansion in the trinucleotide CAG in the huntingtin gene. Clinical features...
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Duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting – RGH Pharmacy...
Tweet Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) encompasses the spectrum of unstable angina and myocardial infarction, with or without ST elevation. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) including coronary...
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Rasagiline – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet The treatment of Parkinson’s disease often requires the use of multiple agents to achieve optimal symptom control with minimal side effects. The mainstay of treatment is levodopa, however the...
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Factors influencing clozapine plasma concentrations – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet The use of therapeutic drug monitoring for clozapine is indicated in various situations, including poor compliance, inadequate response to treatment, presence of significant adverse effects, the...
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Farnesyltransferase inhibitors in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria – RGH Pharmacy...
Tweet Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) are a new class of biologically active agents originally developed as potential anticancer drugs, and are currently unavailable in Australia. FTIs inhibit...
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Medicines and heatwaves – RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin
Tweet Global climate change continues to be the subject of international debate, which has included concern about the health impacts of climate change. Attention has also focused on the impact of ‘heat...
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