Statins More Often Picked Up at Pharmacy With Automated Reminders

With nearly a third of patients nationwide never picking up prescriptions prescribed by their health care providers, Kaiser Permanente researchers set out to remedy the problem. They found automated phone and email reminders to be highly effective for getting patients to the pharmacy for new statin prescriptions. To find out how well the reminders work, read on.  

More Drugs Than Ever Can Dangerously Interact
With Grapefruit

Florida grapefruit season is in full swing, making it an opportune time to warn customers about the dangers of mixing the citrus fruit with some prescription medications. A new study points out that the number of prescription medications that can interact with grapefruit is increasing, and that patients—and some health professionals—continue to suffer from misconceptions about when it is safe to ingest grapefruit.  

Digoxin Increases Death Rate in Atrial
Fibrillation Patients

A new study is calling into question the widespread use of digoxin in patients with atrial fibrillation. Researchers found a surprising increase in deaths from any cause when AF patients took the long-used drug. Here are the details.

Hip Fractures Significantly Increase After Antihypertensive Therapy Initiation

Pharmacists need to warn elderly patients about their increased risks of falling when beginning therapy to combat hypertension. That’s according to a new study that found a much higher rate of hip fractures in the first 45 days after high blood pressure medications were initiated.