CHS Pharmacy News
June 2020
Business Hours
Normal business hours are:
9 AM – 5:30 PM M-F
9 AM – 3 PM Saturday
Closed on Sunday
*Emergency services available 24/7/365
Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month*
“June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month — an opportunity to hold a conversation about the brain and share the fact that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are a major public health issue. Everyone is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s, the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.”
Risk of breathing difficulties in certain patients treated with gabapentin and pregabalin**
“Gabapentin and pregabalin are widely used in the treatment of neuropathic pain, but common side effects include drowsiness and dizziness, which can be particularly problematic in the geriatric population. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned of the risk of serious breathing difficulties with gabapentin and pregabalin in older patients, those with lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and those taking opioid pain medications or other drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS; i.e, antianxiety medications, antidepressants, antihistamines). Caution should be exercised when prescribing gabapentin and pregabalin in such patients.”
Updated guidelines for the management of hand, hip, and knee osteoarthritis***
“The American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation has published updated guidelines for the management of hand, hip, and knee osteoarthritis (OA). Based on a comprehensive review of randomized trial data, the guideline includes strong recommendations for exercise, selfmanagement programs, and oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for all three anatomic sites; weight loss, tai chi, and cane use for knee and hip OA; bracing and topical NSAIDs for knee OA; and hand orthoses for first carpometacarpal OA. The guideline continues to recommend against medications such as bisphosphonates and hydroxychloroquine as well as interventions such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Our approach to the management of OA is generally consistent with these guidelines.”
CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19)
With full awareness and concerns for our senior population, please take a moment to review current and updated recommendations from the CDC and WHO.
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications/older-adults.html
WHO: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Reminder, the simplest prevention options available are to wash hands regularly with soap and water, avoid touching the face, maintaining 6-feet distance between individuals, disinfect regularly, and decrease social contact.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
*June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month. (2016, January 1). Retrieved May 10, 2020, from alz.org
**FDA warns about serious breathing problems with seizure and nerve pain medicines gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) and pregabalin (Lyrica, Lyrica CR) when used with CNS depressants or in patients with lung problems. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), December 19, 2019. Available at: fda.gov (Accessed on January 18, 2020)
***Overview of the management of osteoarthritis. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2020, from uptodate.com