Category: Medications

Are generic drug price hikes media hype?

In recent years, it feels like we’ve been inundated by stories of greedy pharmaceutical companies jacking up the price of important generic medications. In 2015, “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, recognized that no other generic companies were manufacturing…

MKSAP: 52-year-old woman with shortness of breath

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 52-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit. She was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks ago following a small non–ST-elevatio…

CBD: What is it? A former DEA agent explains.

What is CBD? Cannabidiol or CBD for short is made from either the marijuana plant that contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or hemp which contains little to any THC. “Hemp-derived” means that the CBD generally contains less than 0.3% THC while “marijuan…

Many questions remain about medical marijuana

On a daily basis, patients of mine come in for office visits complaining of wear and tear injuries, as well as aches and pains, and their methods of dealing with chronic pain. As we all know, aging is a part of the normal life process. For instance, as…

A patient’s opposition to the anti-opioid movement

I recently read an article — “California Doctors Alarmed As State Links Their Opioid Prescriptions to Deaths” — that infuriates and frightens me I’m furious that doctors are being persecuted for opioid prescriptions writte…

We need RVUs for obtaining a prior authorization

I haven’t counted how many times this happens every month, but I find it annoying. I send a prescription for a drug (sometimes not even expensive) to the pharmacy and soon after, I get a fax asking me (or my medical assistant) to go online and print a …

America has seen medical marijuana before: This is what we learned (and forgot)

Very few things in the universe are 100 percent good or 100 percent bad. Cannabis is perfectly ordinary in having a mixture of good qualities (medical benefits) and bad qualities (medical risks). The people who want to make money – lots of money, by th…

The consequences of celebrity endorsements in health care

“Try this,” whispers Kate Winslet as I wander past the Lancôme counter. “Your glowing skin will thank you.” The consequences of a celebrity endorsement are seemingly harmless when it comes to revamping a makeup routine, but what happens when this type …

Motrin vs. Tylenol for children: A pediatrician explains

As a pediatrician, I am asked by worried parents about what they should give their child with a fever, Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen) to bring down the temperature daily. This question always requires more than a one-word response to the…

Physicians need to be better judges of science

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The aim of medical education is not only to transfer scientific knowledge, but also impart the wisdom accumulated over the long history of medicine that equips us to apply …