Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious complication with a prothrombotic basis. Antibodies to platelet factor 4 and heparin facilitate a profound and rapid decrease the platelet count and a risk of serious thrombosis. Accurate diagnosis is essential in...

Antidepressants – more is not necessarily better

Optimisation of antidepressant use has remained elusive despite an increased range of pharmacotherapy options. A recent systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of double-blind, randomised controlled trials involving fixed doses of five selective serotonin...

Serious GI effects with sodium polystyrene sulfonate

For many years sodium polystyrene sulfonate, a cation exchange resin marketed in Australia as Resonium A, has been the mainstay technique for the reduction of the serum potassium concentration for people with significant hyperkalaemia. In a recent Canadian study,...

Gabapentinoids and suicide, and other more subtle issues

There continues to be grave safety concerns involving adverse effects of gabapentinoid medications (especially gabapentin and pregabalin), and in this context Swedish researchers have conducted a major pharmacoepidemiological study of 191 973 people from the Swedish...