Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer, according to findings published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. As such, medical errors should be a top priority for research and resources, say authors Martin Makary, MD, MPH, [...]

Fluoroquinolones like Cipro, Avelox, and Levaquin are commonly used by clinicians to treat a host of bacterial infections including, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, sinusitis, bronchitis and others.  Because of common musculoskeletal complications the FDA recently made rulings. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that unless they [...]

Antihistamines are amongst the most widely prescribed drugs.  Although easily tolerated by most, there are clearly adverse reactions in some patients, especially children.  Here is a summary of a new study that documents these problems. Antihistamines are associated with a variety of adverse reactions in children, including headaches, sleepiness, rashes, [...]

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer, according to findings in the British Medical Journal, 253:i2139, 2016. As such, medical errors should be a top priority for research and resources, say authors Martin Makary, MD, MPH, professor of surgery, [...]

A novel psychoactive substance, or "legal high," that has hallucinogenic effects and potentially severe adverse effects is being sold to partygoers as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Although the use of 25I-NBOMe, also known as "legal LSD," is currently relatively rare, it is sold under various names and in a range [...]

Single-Payer System: Why It Would Ruin US Healthcare Single-Payer Would Be Bad for Doctors A single-payer system—government-run healthcare for all—sounds like a noble ideal, but things quickly fall apart in the execution, according to its critics. Michel Accad, MD, a cardiologist in San Francisco, says that because a single-payer system [...]

FDA Unveils Sweeping Changes to Opioid Policies In response to the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic, top officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced plans to reassess the agency's approach to opioid medications. "We are determined to help defeat this epidemic through a science-based and continuously evolving [...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning regarding increases in fentany drug confiscations and a potential increased risk for fentanyl-related overdose fatalities. According to the CDC, reports from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, a program of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) Office of Diversion [...]

Dangerous prescribing errors afflicts all areas of medicine, and is more common that most appreciate.  There are several types of prescribing errors.  The following report appeared recently in Medscape and I attached it here verbatim.. Poor penmanship was once the bane of prescribing, and the cause of many prescribing errors. [...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning regarding increases in fentanyl drug confiscations and a potential increased risk for fentanyl-related overdose fatalities. According to the CDC, reports from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, a program of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) Office of Diversion [...]

An intranasal form of naloxone hydrochloride (Narcan, Adapt Pharma, Inc), a drug that stops or reverses opioid overdose, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a fast-track approval process. Naloxone hydrochloride has long been given by intramuscular injection to stop or reverse the effects of [...]

Marijuana is a commonly used drug.  In some states it is legal.  The following article appeared in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, and it describes the correct approach and standard of practice in the treatment of marijuana overdose resulting in psychosis in the emergency department.  The citation is noted [...]

A recent article by Dr. Segal in Medscape discusses two defensible cases that resulted in surprising horrific outcomes for the two doctors who were sued.  There is a take home message and lesson to be learned embedded in these two cases.   How Would You Have Handled Patients Like These? [...]

Powdered alcohol is now here.  This marks the beginning of an entirely new problem for toxicologists. The key question is:  Powdered Alcohol--Is is harmful?  Several experts have weighed in on this and have offered up their opinions.  Below is a sampling of these opinions. Substance abuse experts are concerned about [...]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to prevent two sunscreen ingredients from entering the US market unless the manufacturers can provide new data proving safety and effectiveness. The agency published its proposal on February 25 in the Federal Register . The two ingredients — ecamsule and enzacamene — were among eight [...]

A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has just a few days ago recommended suspending the sale of roughly four dozen generic drugs that are used for conditions including diabetes, depression, and hypertension because they noted that their approvals were based on flawed clinical studies conducted only in India. [...]

by: Brian S. Kern, JD Some Steps Toward Tort Reform As healthcare delivery evolves, the medical professional liability tort system largely remains static. Judges and trial attorneys are forced to navigate endlessly complex rules and legal theories to achieve a simple end: compensating injured patients. Assuming that the United States is [...]

A novel class of synthetic hallucinogens that is being sold as a cheaper, more readily available LSD substitute, or even as LSD itself, is emerging as a particularly deadly drug, especially for young males, new research shows.  A recent paper was published discussing the advent of this new class of [...]

A popular pain medication called Tramadol (Ultram) has been found to cause serious hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  This adverse reaction is potentially fatal.  Tramadol is not a narcotic.  It is used in lieu of narcotics.  The study can be found in JAMA. JAMA Intern Med. Published online December 8, 2014. [...]

Statins are one of the most popular drugs.  They reduce serum lipids implicated in producing cardiac and vascular disease.  Statins have side effects and are well-known, such as liver disease and muscle pain.  Now a new side effect has been discovered. Statin therapy significantly elevates the risk of developing cataracts [...]

As Emergency Departments swell while suffering the repercussions of the Affordable Healthcare Act, our nation's youth increase their use of mind-altering drugs, in particular, Ecstasy (Mollys). The number of emergency department (ED) visits related to the use of Ecstasy (MDMA) (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has increased by a staggering 128% in just 6 [...]

Prescription narcotic abuse is a major public health problem.  Physicians prescribe too much oral narcotic medication.  The most popular short-acting narcotics are indicated for the relief of acute pain, but are not a good option for long-term chronic pain management.  The long-term use of these medications result in opioid tolerance, [...]

In your local health food store or chain market you might come across "raw milk" products.  Recent research has demonstrated that these products might be hazardous to human health.  The following article is a synopsis of a study published in December 2013 issue of Emerging Infectious Disease Journal. The incidence [...]

Hepatitis C is a chronic, ultimately terminal liver condition.  Liver transplants are often necessary to prolong life.  The medical treatment for this condition is anti-viral drugs.  Recently, the FDA approved an entire new class of drugs to treat Hepatitis C, and it stands to dramatically improve patient outcome.  The following [...]

Synthetic cannabis, often called spice, has become increasingly popular in high schools and on college campuses.  New research has demonstrated that the drug is capable of triggering schizophrenia/psychosis in a certain percentage of people using the drug, at virtually any dose. These episodes of schizophrenia pass when the effects of [...]