Posts in Practice
Understanding Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: The Pharmacist's Guide to PTH

It’s not too often that calcium gets to be the star electrolyte of the show, but in the case of secondary hyperparathyroidism, it is all about that bass…ermmm…calcium. If you’re wondering what the amount of sunshine in your life has to do with having enough calcium in your blood, then it’s time to brush up on parathyroid hormone. Come with tl;dr as we refresh your memory on an important homeostatic mechanism!

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A Pharmacist-Friendly Introduction to Toxicology

Is it a duck or a rabbit? Is it a benefit-generating medication or a life-threatening drug? Porque no los dos! After reading oodles of journal articles about benefits of medications, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that just about every drug in those studies has another side…a dark side. Dose matters, which is why it’s important for pharmacists to be at the table. And when things go wrong, it’s up to us to know how to support patients through toxic situations.

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The Pharmacist's Quick(ish) Primer on Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus!!! No, it’s not a spell from Harry Potter (although it would’ve made a darn good one). It’s actually a neurological emergency that requires some hefty pharmacotherapy for management. Which is where YOU come in. Let tl;dr give you the nuts and bolts of how to manage this condition and preserve functionality for our patients.

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An Introduction to Basic Financial Metrics in Pharmacy and Drug Pricing

If you wanna come and take a ride with me, learn why meds are so pricey, Oh! Hey! Must be the money! (Come on, you know you sang it in your head, don’t lie. Work with me here.) At a time when it seems like the prices of medications are skyrocketing and every other news story is about how Congress is going to reform the system, we pharmacists need to have at least a basic understanding of the financial metrics that make up the issue. Enter tl;dr to provide this info for you!

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What Every Pharmacist Needs to Know about Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Today, we’re putting that oh-so-often forgotten organ under a magnifying glass. That’s right, the liver is finally getting some love again here on tl;dr! We’re combining one of our favorite topics - diabetes - with one that we really NEED to make a favorite - fatty liver disease. If you’re wondering why it’s so imperative that we love a topic that most of us don’t really know that much about, then this post is definitely for you.

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Acute Stabilization of Severe Bleeds Part 3: Gastrointestinal Bleeds

Where’s the poop, Robin?!?!? Well, for all our fellow HIMYM fans, this week it’s all about the GI tract. Except we’re not actually talking about poop…we’re talking about blood. Coming from places it shouldn’t, in quantities that can be deadly. Let tl;dr give you the need to know info on how to manage this (unfortunately) relatively common occurrence!

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What Every Pharmacist Needs to Know about RSV Prevention

Fever, runny nose, cough, congestion… If you sing it to yourself, it sounds a bit like that old Pepto-Bismol commercial (“Nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrheaaa!”). Or maybe that’s just us being pharmacy nerds. Regardless, these are surely not a fun constellation of symptoms, especially when they worsen and lead to hospitalization of our youngest and oldest patients. Come take a deep dive into newly approved measures to shield patients from one of their most common causes: RSV.

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Acute Stabilization of Severe Bleeds Part 2: Initial Management of Traumatic Brain Injuries & Intracranial Hemorrhages

Pressure, pushing down on me, pressing down on you… Maybe Freddie and David were actually singing about what happens when that pressure pushes on the brain due to a bleed. Maybe. Ok, probably not, but it’s a ridiculously important question! In order to learn how to manage this critical situation, you need to come get some need-to-know info. Let tl;dr guide you through both the non-pharm and pharm management of brain bleeds.

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The Art of ADHD

You open the C-II cabinet at work, and your eyes cross. There are FIVE MILLION medication options stocked for ADHD. How on earth are you supposed to keep them all straight? Why are there so many?? WHO LET IT GET THIS OUT OF CONTROL??? Don’t worry, tl;dr is here to give you the rundown on the world of ADHD pharmacotherapy so you can wade through the mire of meds.

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NICU Series Part 5: Vaccination Considerations in the NICU

If you have children, you probably remember the feeling of seeing your poor little new bundle look like a pin cushion for their 2 month vaccines. (Hard but worth it in the long run…!) But have you ever wondered how prematurity affects vaccine administration? Are the vaccines still given per usual or should the schedule be adjusted, and is it a blanket recommendation for all vaccines? Let tl;dr give you crucial information on infection prevention for our littlest of littles!

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A Pharmacist's Primer on Orphan Drugs

We spend a lot of time talking about the major pharmacotherapeutic targets: hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. But what about those disease states that aren’t quite so common? How are therapies for those conditions developed, and what kind of regulatory support exists for manufacturers? Let tl;dr shed some light on rare diseases and their orphan drug treatments!

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Continuous Glucose Monitors and Insulin Pumps: A Guide for Pharmacists

Maybe it’s for your diabetic patient. Or maybe it’s just your otherwise healthy patient trying to get a better read on their metabolic health. Either way, you’ll likely come across CGMs or Insulin Pumps sooner or later. This patient-friendly article will help get you up to speed.

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