Cannabis Dopaminergic Effects Induce Hallucinations in a Patient with Parkinson's Disease.

Cannabis products that contain the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoid are emerging as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of medical conditions such as chronic pain. THC elicits psychoactive effects through modulation of dopaminergic neurons, thereby altering levels of dopamine in the brain. This case report highlights the complexity associated with medicinal cannabis and the health risks associated with its use. A 57-year-old male with Parkinson's disease was experiencing worsening tremors and vivid hallucinations despite therapy optimization attempts. It was discovered that the patient took cannabis for chronic back pain, and a pharmacogenomics (PGx) test indicated the presence of variants for the COMT and HTR2A genes. These variants could increase dopamine levels and predispose patients to visual hallucinations. Once the cannabis was discontinued, the patient's hallucinations began to slowly dissipate. Cannabis use continues to expand as it gains more acceptance legally and medicinally, but cannabis can affect the response to drugs. This patient case suggests that cannabis use in combination with dopamine-promoting drugs, especially in a patient with genetic variants, can increase the risk for vivid hallucinations. These conditions support the importance of considering herb-drug interactions and PGx data when performing a medication safety review.

Utilizing Pharmacogenomics Results to Improve Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms.

The objective of this aims to demonstrate the advantage of a pharmacogenomics (PGx)-informed medication review in mitigating adverse drug events (ADEs) and optimizing therapeutic outcomes. PGx testing and PGx-informed medication reviews assist in mitigating ADEs. PGx testing was performed on a 68-year-old male presenting with uncontrolled chronic pain. The PGx results highlighted a drug-gene interaction, aiding in identification of the increased risk of statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) attributing to uncontrolled chronic pain. This patient case report illustrates how incorporating PGx results can help improve chronic pain and mitigate ADEs, such as SAMS.

Pharmacogenomics and Drug-Induced Phenoconversion Informed Medication Safety Review in the Management of Pain Control and Quality of Life: A Case Report.

Utilizing pharmacogenomics (PGx) and integrating drug-induced phenoconversion to guide opioid therapies could improve the treatment response and decrease the occurrence of adverse drug events. Genetics contribute to the interindividual differences in opioid response. The purpose of this case report highlights the impact of a PGx-informed medication safety review, assisted by a clinical decision support system, in mitigating the drug-gene and drug-drug-gene interactions (DGI and DDGI, respectively) that increase the risk of an inadequate drug response and adverse drug events (ADEs). This case describes a 69-year-old female who was referred for PGx testing for uncontrolled chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis and neuropathy. The clinical pharmacist reviewed the PGx test results and medication regimen and identified several (DGIs and DDGIs, respectively) at Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 and CYP2D6. The recommendations were to: (1) switch tramadol to buprenorphine transdermal patch, an opioid with lower potential for ADEs, to mitigate a CYP2D6 DDGI; (2) gradually discontinue amitriptyline to alleviate the risk of anticholinergic side effects, ADEs, and multiple DDGIs; and (3) optimize the pregabalin. The provider and the patient agreed to implement these recommendations. Upon follow-up one month later, the patient reported an improved quality of life and pain control. Following the amitriptyline taper, the patient experienced tremors in the upper and lower extremities. When the perpetrator drug, omeprazole, was stopped, the metabolic capacity was no longer impeded; the patient experienced possible amitriptyline withdrawal symptoms due to the rapid withdrawal of amitriptyline, which was reinitiated and tapered off more slowly. This case report demonstrates a successful PGx-informed medication safety review that considered drug-induced phenoconversion and mitigated the risks of pharmacotherapy failure, ADEs, and opioid misuse.

Utilizing Pharmacogenomics Results to Determine Opioid Appropriateness and Improve Pain Management in a Patient with Osteoarthritis.

The opioid epidemic in the United States has exposed the need for providers to limit opioid dispensing and identify at-risk patients prior to prescribing opioids. With pharmacogenomic testing, clinicians can analyze hundreds of medications-including commonly prescribed opioids-against genetic results to understand and predict risk and response. Moreover, knowledge of genotypic variants and altered function can help decrease trial and error prescribing, identify patients at-risk for adverse drug events, and improve pain control. This patient case demonstrates how pharmacogenomic test results identified drug-gene interactions and provided insight about a patient's inadequate opioid therapy response. With pharmacogenomic information, the patient's healthcare team discontinued opioid therapy and selected a more appropriate regimen for osteoarthritis (ie, celecoxib), resulting in improved pain control and quality of life.

Medication-related problems identified by pharmacists in an enhanced medication therapy management model.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the types of clinically actionable medication-related problems (MRPs) identified and the types of resolving recommendations issued by pharmacists using an advanced clinical decision support system (CDSS) for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: We examined frequencies of MRPs and recommendations for beneficiaries who received a first-ever medication safety review (MSR) during plan years 2018-2019. MRPs were considered clinically actionable if implementation of a recommendation would alter the medication regimen. RESULTS: Pharmacists identified ≥ 1 clinically actionable MRP for 82.4% (18,703/22,696) beneficiaries receiving an MSR. Among these beneficiaries, 36,455 MRPs were identified (mean [SD] number of MRPs: 1.9 [1.0]). "Adverse drug reaction" (n = 14,788; 40.6%), "drug interaction" (n = 9716; 26.7%), and "medication use without indication" (n = 6496; 17.8%) represented 85.0% of all MRPs. "Start alternative therapy" was most frequently recommended to resolve "adverse drug reactions" (6724/14,788; 45.5%), followed by "change time of administration" to resolve "drug interactions" (5189/9716; 53.4%) and "discontinue medication" to resolve "drug use without indication" (5718/6496; 88.0%). Overall, "start alternative therapy" (n = 12,219) and "discontinue medication" (n = 12,059) made up 66.6% of all recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: In Medicare Part D beneficiaries, pharmacists using an advanced CDSS identified a substantial number of MRPs pertaining to medication safety and issued recommendations to decrease the risk of adverse drug events.