Pain Management

Opioid stewardship pharmacist Maureen Saphire, PharmD, BCGP, focuses on advocating for appropriate opioid access for patients with cancer and sickle cell disease, promoting safe opioid use, and supporting leadership and strategic planning as keys to successful opioid stewardship.

Brian Anderson, PharmD, RPh provides important considerations for pharmacists regarding patient use of benzodiazepines.

Jeff Boyer, PharmD, BCPS, discusses his role in opioid stewardship at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System, highlighting his work in pain management coordination, interdisciplinary collaboration, patient and provider education, and data-driven strategies to support safe opioid use and address the opioid crisis.

Opioid stewardship coordinator Stephanie Abel, PharmD, BCPS, discusses initiatives such as increasing naloxone access, refining pain management protocols, and addressing stigma around opioid use disorder, highlighting the importance of clear goals and emotional intelligence for effective stewardship programs.

The approval marks the first and only abuse-deterrent immediate release oxycodone formulation.

Pharmacists are encouraged to leverage prescription drug monitoring programs connect patients to community-based resources to address the opioid crisis and pharmacy deserts.

Had the pharmacy established safe opioid prescribing policies?

Pharmacists are positioned to combat the opioid crisis through educating the public and advocating for policy changes to enable harm reduction strategies.

Pharmacogenomic testing can help identify patients' genetic profiles, revealing why certain drugs may be less effective or cause adverse effects.

The updated recommendations include CGRP inhibitors as a first-line treatment option for chronic and episodic migraine prevention.

In previous studies, semaglutide was found to modulate dopamine reward signaling and decreased drug rewards (specifically heroin) in rodents.

Pharmacists have developed an expanded role in the team-based approach through medication therapy management.

The weight loss drug continues to show promise in treating a variety of other conditions.

The guidelines mark a shift in practice by recommending a multimodal approach to opioid prescribing practices.

The authors urge that screening, prevention, and treatment of anxiety and depression should be important health care priorities for youth who have chronic pain.

The money could be used for prevention and treatment services, health care practitioner training, or other ways to stem the epidemic.

Pharmacists should educate patients about proper medication storage and offer naloxone to optimize safety.

AI and other technologies, in conjunction with ASHP’s guidelines, can improve drug diversion monitoring and outcomes.

Setting realistic goals can improve patients’ medication adherence and self-efficacy.

The injection adds an additional option to address emergency known or suspected opioid overdoses.

If approved, the drug would be the first in a new class of medications to treat acute pain in over 20 years.

The authors note they will continue to investigate treatments for patients with lupus as well as safe and effective methods of delivering these molecules to patients.

Pharmacists can prevent medication errors through knowledge, communication, and education

Allison Burns discusses how pharmacists should prepare and educate themselves regarding OTC naloxone, and the steps that can be taken in stores and pharmacies to ensure OTC naloxone is visible and available.

Allison Burns, president and CEO of EMO Health, discusses the price point and stigma surrounding OTC naloxone in an interview with Pharmacy Times.