Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Aug 2019
Reports of gabapentin and pregabalin abuse, misuse, dependence, or overdose: An analysis of the Food And Drug Administration Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS).
Reports of gabapentinoid (gabapentin and pregabalin) misuse have increased in recent years. Pharmacovigilance data from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) provides a useful examination of adverse drug event (ADE) reporting for safety signal detection. ⋯ Though not traditionally thought of as drugs of abuse, over 600 cases of gabapentinoid abuse were reported in the time frame analyzed, prompting the need for further study and regulatory investigation.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Aug 2019
ReviewHarms associated with extramedical use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia: A scoping review.
Evidence is accumulating globally on harms from extramedical prescription opioid analgesic (POA) use. ⋯ Extramedical use of POAs is associated with a range of harms, including fatal and non-fatal overdose. Polysubstance use with other centrally-acting substances was often implicated. No published studies used linked data sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the extent of POA use or harm in Australia. Future research should focus on undertaking longitudinal cohort studies with linked data sources.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Aug 2019
Challenges faced with opioid prescriptions in the community setting - Australian pharmacists' perspectives.
Prescription opioids (POs) are well recognised for their role in pain management. However over recent years, use of POs has become an increasingly complex public health issue, with the emergence of increasing quantities of POs being misused and abused. Pharmacists represent the 'gatekeepers' of medicines, which can be a challenging role, relating in particular to POs. ⋯ Education is required to emphasise the importance of inter-professional collaboration between pharmacists and prescribers, as is empathy in the pharmacist-patient relationship. Prescription drug monitoring programs and prescribers sending electronic prescriptions directly to the pharmacist were perceived as helpful initiatives to undertake.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Aug 2019
Physician-pharmacist collaboration on chronic non-cancer pain management during the opioid crisis: A qualitative interview study.
Management of chronic non-cancer pain is complex, requiring clinicians to balance pain management with the risk of opioid abuse. The role of ambulatory care pharmacists in chronic pain management is well-established, but little research has explored the feasibility of building collaboration on chronic pain and opioid management between physicians and community pharmacists. ⋯ Within the study sample, strong interest exists for collaboration between physicians and community pharmacists. This highlights a potential opportunity to expand care for patients with chronic non-cancer pain.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Aug 2019
Moving opioid misuse prevention upstream: A pilot study of community pharmacists screening for opioid misuse risk.
Prescription opioids are known to be highly addictive, contributing to the opioid epidemic which continues to besiege victims in the United States. Pharmacists are gatekeepers straddling the prescribers of opioids and their patients; therefore they are in the ideal position to screen for opioid misuse among patients receiving opioid prescriptions and counsel them on safe use. ⋯ This case report demonstrated the utility and the feasibility of screening for opioid misuse risk at the community pharmacy level.