Practical Prescribing

Practical Prescribing

A practical guide to prescribing hypnotic benzodiazepines.

A practical approach to prescribing antidepressants.

Although antidepressant drugs do not differ much in their efficacy rates, the particular characteristics of one drug may make it a better choice in a given patient. This article provides insight into the art of prescribing antidepressants in primary care, with recommendations for prescribing for patients with chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sev...

Practical Considerations for Prescribing Benzodiazepines and Opioids.

INTRODUCTION The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for evaluating and approving the medications we prescribe. The FDA reviews post-market experience and monitors adverse drug reactions or unexpected effects. One of the strictest warnings the FDA can apply to a medication is a Boxed warning or Black Box warning. “Drugs that have special problems, particularly ones that may lead to deat...

A practical guide to thiopurine prescribing and monitoring in IBD.

Thiopurines are often the mainstay of treatment for many patients with inflammatory bowel disease. As such, a general understanding of the evidence behind their use and of their metabolism is extremely useful in clinical practice. This review gives a practical overview of thiopurine metabolism, the importance of thiopurine S-methyltransferase testing prior to the start of therapy and the monito...