Thomas Viola

Faced with a marketplace awash in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and an explosion of new drug entities over the last several years, many healthcare professionals may find it challenging to stay up to date with the latest prescribing trends in disease state management. This presentation will provide an overview of those frequently prescribed brand name medications whose actions, side effects, contraindications and potential drug interactions may have the greatest impact on well-being and overall health.

It's a fast-paced world and, unfortunately, many of our patients seek the assistance of illicit substances and licit substances (used illicitly) just to cope and get through their busy, trying days. This program will provide an overview of the most common substances of abuse and their physical and mental manifestations, as well as techniques that may assist in identifying and managing a substance-abusing patient. The potential for contraindications to therapy along with possible resulting medical emergencies and the necessity for dosage modifications of commonly used medications in such patients will be discussed.

Armed with limited information and faced with rising prescription drug costs, our patients continue to self-medicate with a variety of prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, herbal remedies and dietary supplements, often without mention during a review of their medical history. Many patients add or substitute prescription and non-prescription drug products in their medication regimen, unaware of unaware of potentially serious drug interactions, contraindications, and adverse effects. This program will provide an overview of the most popular prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, herbal products and nutritional supplements patients use to self-medicate, including a discussion of the effects of the illicit use of these products. Special emphasis will be given to techniques useful in obtaining a complete and accurate patient medication history.