This March episode might be a day late, but it's definitely not short on content.

In addition to last month's heartburn and gastric reflux discussion, Chris's provider friend/friend of the show wanted to hear an episode devoted to anticonvulsants. Anticonvulsants sit at the intersection of several challenging issues in the corrections environment, including medical necessity, mental health, and diversion risk. And though Chris was a bit wary of this topic, he stepped up and delivered a sprawling but practical discussion that any correctional provider could benefit from.

Chris breaks down the essentials of antiepileptic drugs: how they work, when to use them, and the critical safety risks that can’t be overlooked. He also looks at lab monitoring, drug interactions, cost considerations, and their use as mood stabilizers.

Chris also spends some time on gabapentin misuse in correctional settings and a common clinical pitfall: why anticonvulsants don’t work for functional (non-epileptic) seizures—and what actually does.

To follow up on this heavy meal of anticonvulsant information, we finish with a light, airy dessert of fun anticonvulsant trivia.

As usual, we get started with indispensable medication news with the Into the Clinic segment, including:

-New drug approvals for schizophrenia and atopic dermatitis

-New AHA/ACC guideline for acute pulmonary embolism severity

-Follow-up info on SMART efficacy

-Updated labeling for menopausal hormone therapy products

Full show notes with references here.

Sponsor Links:

www.opticsclinical.com

www.sapphire-health.com

Music in this Episode:

The Retro Synth by Art Haiz

Vitals & Headlines (Suno AI)

Breezy Thoughts (Suno AI)

Trivia Time Ticker (Suno AI)