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I do get quite a few questions from time to time and try to answer as many emails as I can. Here were a few really good questions that I thought I would share with all of you. Can we use ciprofloxacin for pneumonia? Why isn’t ciprofloxacin a treatment in community-acquired pneumonia? Also,

The administration procedure for inhalation therapy with nebulizers can be very lengthy and time-consuming. Because of this, many providers, pharmacists, nurses, and respiratory therapists could benefit from knowing which aerosolized medications may be combined to shorten this process. Patients also often ask, “Can I Mix Nebulized Medications”? There tends to be limited data and resources that are readily accessible to determine which medications should or should not be mixed together.

Avanafil, sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are PDE-5 inhibitors available in the USA and indicated for erectile dysfunction.  PDE-5 inhibitors prevent the breakdown of cGMP and it is also one of the drug classes that interacts with nitrates. Nitrates are one of the important medications to manage angina and other cardiovascular diseases.  Nitrates increase cGMP which will contribute to vasodilation.

Many patients are labeled as having a “sulfa allergy”. This is typically going to be from a reaction to sulfa antibiotics (i.e. sulfamethoxazole). Sulfonylureas are one of the drug classes that have sulfonamides as part of their chemical structure so therefore a theoretical cross-reactivity is possible. An estimated 3 – 6% of the population are allergic to sulfonamide antibiotics.

Omeprazole is one of the most commonly used medications for heartburn and other GI conditions.

Sean Navin is a clinical pharmacist who graduated in 2015 from my alma mater (University of Minnesota…

Need a little clarity on COVID-19? I’ve been listening, watching, and paying attention daily. Assessing COVID-19…

Loop diuretics are the mainstay in removing fluid off the body in patients with heart failure. They are very common…