Current Drug Safety - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017

Background: It is known that calcium channel blockers are associated with a risk of gingival hyperplasia. These drugs are widely used in the management of gestational hypertensive disorders. Case: A 27-year-old G1 woman presented with gingival hyperplasia at 27 weeks gestation during a hospitalisation for preeclampsia. She had been on nifedipine for hypertension for the last 9 weeks. Nifedipine was discontinued Read More

Herein, we report a 70-year-old male patient, with recurrent multiple hepatic abscesses, that was admitted to the internal medicine department for treatment of Carbapenem Resistant Escherichia Coli (CRE) bacteremia. The patient was treated with Tigecycline; few days later, he developed "Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)" like coagulation study abnormality that seemed to be related to Tigecycline treatment. U Read More

The fixed dose combination of sitagliptin 50 mg and metformin 850 mg (Janumet ®), is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in addition to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients treated with metformin alone. Methods: We report a 69-year-old man with type 2 diabetes that developed sudden loss of eyebrows and eyelashes about 4 months after the beginning of Janumet®. Clinical and laborat Read More

Background: Rasburicase is commonly used in patients with hematologic malignancies for tumor lysis syndrome prophylaxis and management. Methemoglobinemia is a serious rare adverse effect of rasburicase, more common in patients with G6PD deficiency. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate management of this condition can make the difference between successful recovery and significant morbidity. Here we disc Read More

Background: Hyperprolactinemia can be caused by medications, primarily antipsychotics, or by anterior pituitary tumors. The consequences of hyperprolactinemia including gynecomastia, galactorrhea, and sexual dysfunction are very disturbing for males and females. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate the etiology of hyperprolactinemia from a clinical perspective. Objective: Identification of the etiology of hyperpr Read More

Introduction: Prescription opioid abuse may have adverse dental effects that are irreversible, leaving younger populations with substantially decayed dentitions. This article explores the damaging effects of three years of prescription opioid abuse to a twenty-six-year-old’s dentition and oral health. Case Presentation: A twenty-six-year-old Caucasian male presented to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medic Read More

Background: Technoshere insulin (TI), Afrezza, is a form of short-acting human insulin taken by oral inhalation with meals. Methods: literature search (English, French, Spanish) of all human studies and pertinent animal and in-vitro studies related to technosphere insulin until September 2016 with special emphasis on its safety. Results: Compared to subcutaneous insulin aspart, TI is slightly less effective, the difference in Read More

Objective: To determine the extent of QTc prolongation following administration of an atypical antipsychotic in critically ill patients diagnosed with delirium and to conduct an assessment of risk factors to identify the presence of specific risk factors associated with QTc prolongation in this patient population. Methods: Patients were included if they were at least 18 years of age, admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Read More

Background: Fatal intoxications are a topic of great relevance in today’s society. They typically occur by accidental or voluntary ingestion, but its characterization by a forensic perspective was not fully explored. Objective: This study retrospectively reviews fatal intoxication cases autopsied at the northern forensic medicine services of Portugal, between 2001 and 2013. Method: For this purpose, we analyzed postmortem forens Read More

Objectives: Find possible causative agents causing cutaneous adverse reactions; clinical patterns, causality and severity of Drug induced cutaneous adverse reactions (CADR) and treatment outcome. Methods: Retrospective study was undertaken including cases of CADR. Causality, preventability and severity of Drug Induced cutaneous reactions were judged with the use of Naranjo's algorithm, WHO causality scale, modified Schu Read More

Abstract: Background: The Pharmacovigilance Program of India recently initiated a process for direct patient reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) with a designated form. Patients and Methods: A survey of 200 patients reporting ADRs filling the form. Forms were analysed for patient data, the suspected medication(s), ADRs and possible causality. Results: 54.3% of respondents provided their contact information; the im Read More

Background: Dispensing patterns reflect drug usage trends. Benzodiazepines are known as drugs with potential for misuse, and frequent dispensing may be a surrogate marker of misuse. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to obtain a comparative snapshot of anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic dispensing in a developing country and a developed country, to determine whether further research about benzodiazepines is Read More

Background: Observational studies have suggested an increased risk of nephrotoxicity when piperacillin-tazobactam is added to vancomycin, although the data are confliciting. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of identified studies to assess if adding piperacillin-tazobactam to vancomycin increases the incidence of nephrotoxicity. Method: A systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and Google Read More

Background: Ketorolac use has significantly expanded for postoperative pain management since it first became available in the United States, primarily due to well established effects on patient pain scores and its ability to reduce perioperative opioid requirements. As an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, ketorolac use has raised clinical concern including particular controversy regarding its potential effects on bone healing Read More