Substituting Generic Lamivudine for Emtricitabine in Virologically Suppressed HIV-Infected Patients.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of formulary substitution from products or regimens containing name brand emtricitabine to alternative regimens containing generic lamivudine among virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients in a correctional managed health care system. Results of this retrospective cohort study showed that 94.9% of patients switched from emtricitabine to lamivudine ( n = 447) and 93.

Psychoactive Medication Misadventuring in Correctional Health Care.

Due to multiple factors, unprecedented numbers of individuals with mental health disorders and many with comorbid substance use disorders are now incarcerated in jails and prisons. This article details a variety of medication use and potential abuse/misuse/misadventuring topics that are unique to the correctional health care setting, with emphasis on how the large number of persons with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders affects these issues and methods that correctional systems commonly use to manage these inmate-patients. Also discussed are the potential for inmate feigning or malingering as a goal-directed behavior, potential for misadventuring/abuse of commonly used medications, urine drug screening/surveillance, and the effect of psychoactive medications on heat tolerance and environmental issues.

Bupropion diversion and misuse in the correctional facility.

The antidepressant bupropion plays an important role in the treatment of mental health disorders. It is well known that incarcerated individuals are at increased risk of experimenting with psychiatric medications and it is imperative for prescribers and clinicians to understand the misuse potential of these medications, including bupropion. The mechanism of reinforcement of misuse of bupropion is related to the effect on dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitter systems.

Impact of the CATIE trial on antipsychotic prescribing patterns at a state psychiatric facility.

Introduction: Results from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) indicate that, with the exception of olanzapine, no substantial overall differences were identified between second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and the first generation antipsychotic (FGA) perphenazine.

Methods: This study evaluated the effect of CATIE on antipsychotic prescribing. A retrospective review of 1807 adults with schizophrenia was conducted and relative quarterly percentages of FGA versus SGA prescriptions were calculated.