Pharma Tips-298

1506. Common Vitamins and the Condition That Results From Their Deficiency:

• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) scurvy – bleeding gums, poor wound healing, bruising.
• Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) Pernicious anaemia – megaloblastic anaemia, neuropathy.
• Folic acid (Vitamin B9) Megaloblastic anaemia, especially in pregnancy, and neural tube defects in the fetus.
• Niacin (Vitamin B3, Nicotinic acid) Pellagra – dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia.
• Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Beriberi (wet = cardiac, dry = neurologic), Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
• Vitamin D (Calciferol) Rickets (children – bone deformities), Osteomalacia (adults – bone pain, fractures).

1507. Nosocomial infections are treated with 3rd- or 4th-generation cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, Carbapenems, Vancomycin or linezolid – if MRSA is suspected. or Piperacillin–tazobactam.

1508. Vancomycin is used for treating pseudomembranous colitis associated with antibiotic use.

1509. Colitis can be caused by broad-spectrum penicillins, cephalosporins, and clindamycin.

1510. Primaquine + chloroquine are used to treat plasmodium vivax.

Pharma Tips-297

1501. Bacterial pneumonia may be treated with amoxicillin (outpatient), macrolides or fluoroquinolones, sometimes in combination and for severe cases, aminoglycosides could be used.

1502. Otitis externa may be treated with gentamicin, often combined with corticosteroids.

1503. Raloxifene causes leg cramps and hot flush.

1504. Bacterial meningitis could be treated with penicillins, cephalosporins, and vancomycin.

1505. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) or Varicella zoster virus (VZV) meningitis could be treated with acyclovir IV.

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1496. H. pylori treatment is clarithromycin + amoxicillin + omeprazole +/- metronidazole.

1497. Transdermal Systems Should Be Changed Accordingly:

• Clonidine patch every 7 days. Change on the same day each week.
• Estradiol patch once or twice weekly, depending on the specific brand. Follow your prescription label carefully.
• Fentanyl patch every 3 days (72 hours). Strict adherence to this schedule is critical for safety.
• Lidocaine patch: Once daily (for 12 hours). Apply for 12 hours, then remove for 12 hours.
• Nicotine patch: Every 24 hours, Applied daily, often as part of a tapering schedule.
• Nitroglycerin patch is administered every 24 hours. It usually requires a patch-free period each day to prevent tolerance.
• Oxybutynin patch twice weekly (every 3-4 days). Common schedules are Sundays and Wednesdays, or Mondays and Thursdays.
• Scopolamine patch every 3 days (72 hours). Often used for motion sickness for the duration of a trip. 

1498. Osteoarthritis could be caused by estrogen deficiency, diabetes, and gout.

1499. Amoxicillin is the most widely prescribed antibiotic in chewable form.

1500. Uncomplicated gonorrhea is best treated with ceftriaxone 500mg IM, which may be combined with a single dose of azithromycin 1 g orally; cefixime 800mg can be used if ceftriaxone can not be used.