Using the Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria was associated with identification of adverse drug events in older patients, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal’s Less Is More series.
Overdose of the common household drug acetaminophen leads to more than 78,000 emergency department (ED) visits a year, and the majority of the overdoses are intentional, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a big problem and the study found three main causes among ED patients. The […]
While well known for relieving everyday aches and pains, few realize that when misused, acetaminophen can lead to acute liver failure and even death, often due to accidental overdose by an uninformed consumer. A new small study looked at what’s missing in consumer education about acetaminophen and how to overcome those gaps.
Unintentional overdose deaths in teens and adults have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. In some 20 states in 2007 the number of unintentional drug poisoning deaths exceeded either motor vehicle crashes or suicides – two of the leading causes of injury death. Prescription opioid pain medications are driving this overdose epidemic. Opioid pain medications […]
In an analysis of opioid prescription patterns and deaths, receiving higher prescribed doses is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose death, but receiving both as-needed and regularly scheduled doses is not associated with overdose risk, according to a study in the April 6 issue of JAMA.
Two reports by addiction researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse show a drastic shift in prescribing patterns impacting the magnitude of opioid substance abuse in America. The reports, published in JAMA, recommend a comprehensive effort to reduce public health risks while improving patient care, including better […]
Medical patients may be taking dangerous amounts of acetaminophen, according to new research from UC Davis. Published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, the study showed that the analgesic, generally considered safe at four grams a day or less, is prescribed to some patients in quantities far exceeding that guideline.
Medical experts have warned parents that using domestic spoons to dispense children’s medicine could lead to overdoses after discovering that some hold two to three times as much as others. The study in the August issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, looked at 71 teaspoons and 49 tablespoons collected from 25 households […]
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