Topical steroid containing combinations: Burden of adverse effects and why the recent regulatory action may not be enough.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: In September 2018, the government of India banned 328 fixed dose combinations (FDCs), 24 of which are combinations containing topical steroids. To assess what impact can be expected from this regulatory action, we analyzed reports of adverse drug events due to topical corticosteroids at a hospital-based pharmacovigilance center between January 2017 and August 2018. RESULTS: Among 34 different steroid-containing FDCs responsible for 485 reports of ADEs with topical steroids, only three preparations, accounting for 50.10% of ADEs, come under the umbrella of the recent ban. Clobetasone propionate (68.87%) and betamethasone (28.45%) were the corticosteroids most frequently associated with adverse events. Most of the steroid preparations (87.84%) had been bought without a prescription for the treatment of dermatophytoses (76.70%). Males (77.73%) were predominantly affected, and nearly half (47.43%) of the patients were between 21 and 30 years of age. Skin atrophy (50.10%), striae (25.54%), and hypopigmentation (19.79%) were the major ADEs. CONCLUSION: Nearly half of the cutaneous adverse effects were due to topical steroid combinations which are still widely available over the counter.

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement in pediatrics.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the pervasiveness of psychotropic medication in the youth population and an increasingly competitive culture regarding educational performance, children, teenagers, and/or their parents may increasingly seek psychotropic substances in an effort to enhance a student's cognitive abilities and/or academic performance. Physicians must become aware of this very important and clinically relevant issue and work to ensure that medications remain in the hands of patients seeking wellness and not enhancement. RECENT FINDINGS: The current article highlights findings on the pervasiveness of stimulant misuse and diversion in youth, the motivations and effects of stimulant use, health and legal consequences associated with use, and physician perceptions and preventive practices. Ethical concerns regarding pharmacological cognitive enhancement in pediatrics are also outlined - including coercion for nonusers, inequities in access, and threats to an individual's sense of self with regard to authenticity and autonomy. SUMMARY: Pharmacological cognitive enhancement in pediatrics will become a larger, clinically relevant issue in the coming years. Physicians who care for children and adolescents must become more aware of this issue. Given the myriad health, legal, and ethical concerns, clinicians should discourage use of pharmaceuticals for enhancement purposes in the pediatric population.

Incapacity of the Mind Secondary to Medication Misuse as a Not Criminally Responsible Defense.

The manifestations of disorders of the mind may play a role in the occurrence of criminal behavior. In the majority of the cases, the presence of a psychiatric disorder is cited as the reason that an individual was not fully aware of his behavior. However, other conditions, such as seizure disorders or hypoglycemia, have also been linked to an inability to understand the nature and consequences of one's actions. On occasion, these situations can be explained by a state of automatism that may be described as insane or noninsane. In this article, we describe the case of a 77-year-old man, suffering from Parkinson's disease, where the issue of criminal responsibility associated with incapacity of the mind secondary to medication misuse was raised. We elaborate on the thinking behind this opinion and the implications according to Canadian law. Although the legal outcome of this case is specific to our jurisdiction, the clinical implication may be common to any patient suffering from a similar condition and may inform physicians, families, and lawyers.

[Legal, illegal and legitimate in the use and misuse of substances]. / Lo legal, lo ilegal y lo legítimo en el uso y disconsumo de sustancias.

his article attempts to establish a dialogue between existing laws, their effectiveness and the controversy within the context of the popularization of substance use in the country. To this end, the origin of the criminalization of substance use and the contradictory positions that have been adopted in laws and court rulings are tracked. All this is confronted with the growing habit of psychoactive substance use among general population, which no laws and rulings have yet managed to in?uence.