Home detox – supporting patients to overcome alcohol addiction
Helping a patient through home alcohol detoxification has high satisfaction rates—and the majority of dependent drinkers can detox safely and successfully at home without requiring hospital admission. Sydney GP Dr Chris Davis describes some of the considerations for home detox including the importance of daily review by a GP or nurse for the first four days, prescribing considerations, and the need for ongoing psychosocial support.
Perimenopausal depression – an under-recognised entity
Melbourne psychiatrist Professor Jayashri Kulkarni discusses the high rate of suicide in women aged 45-54 years, and suggests this may be related to the biological changes associated with menopause. Management of depression during this time can include psychotherapy and other non-drug interventions. Sometimes medicines are used including hormone replacement therapy and antidepressants.
This edition of Australian Prescriber publishes the top 10 drugs prescribed in Australia in 2017-18 under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS).
Statins are once again the top drugs in terms of how many doses are taken and the total number of prescriptions, taking first and second position on both lists.
None of the most frequently prescribed drugs in Australia appears in the list of top 10 drugs by cost. That list is dominated by sofosbuvir and its combinations for the treatment of hepatitis C.
Other articles in the December issue of Australian Prescriber include:
- Unpronounceable drug names
- Insulin pumps in general practice
- Altering dosage forms for older adults
- Medicines Australia Code of Conduct: breaches 2017-18
- New drugs: Asfotase alfa for hypophosphatasia, bezlotoxumab for Clostridium difficile, efmoroctocog alfa for haemophilia A, erenumab for migraine, nabiximols for multiple sclerosis
