Prescriptions written ‘under pressure’

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent hearing in which a Fitness to Practise Panel in the UK considered the case of a doctor who used a hospital prescription pad to prescribe for two people who were not his patients and whom he did not examine.

Prescriptions written ‘under pressure’

The Use of Prescription Drugs in Children

“In June 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, following the lead of its British counterpart, issued warnings specifically about Paxil, saying no one under age 18 should be prescribed the drug for major depression because it might increase a child's risk of suicide. […] Mary Anne Rhyne, a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman, told The Star-Ledger that the sales force was told not to discuss the safety concerns because Paxil was approved only for use in adults. ‘Our sales reps are prohibited from discussing, sharing or leaving behind off-label information with health-care providers,’ Rhyne told the newspaper. Deviations from officially approved uses are called off-label use. But like many drugs officially approved only for use in a particular group of patients or for a specific disease, doctors sometimes prescribed Paxil for people under age 18. An official with the FDA's Office of Drug Safety told an advisory panel meeting two weeks ago that 8 percent of all antidepressant prescriptions in the first half of this year were for people under 18.” (Paxil warning Suppressed, The Associated Press, September 2004, http://newsobserver.com/business/story/1686138p-7930169c.html)

The Use of Prescription Drugs in Children

Psychologists seek prescribing rights in 6 states

Proponents say psychologists would better meet patient needs, but opponents say a lack of training would threaten patient safety.

Psychologists seek prescribing rights in 6 states

Almost Half of All Americans Are on Drugs

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data on prescription-drug use through 2008. According to the data, almost half of Americans -- 48.3% -- took at least one prescription drug per month in 2008, up from 43.5% a decade ago.

Almost Half of All Americans Are on Drugs

Physician Prescription Patterns for Psychiatric Drugs

Physician Prescription Patterns for Psychiatric Drugs

A new study reviews the behavior of physicians when making the decision to prescribe psychiatric drugs.

How a psychiatrist can write 100,000 prescriptions a year, and what that means for primary care

The Miami Herald is reporting an investigation of a psychiatrist who wrote almost 100,000 prescriptions a year. Sen. Grassley and the feds have halted payment to this Miami psychiatrist who stated that “he prescribes only what is medically necessary” and “works long hours, seeing patients for 10 minutes at a time and many of his patients need four or five medications.”

More >> How a psychiatrist can write 100,000 prescriptions a year, and what that means for primary care