New Guidelines: Testosterone Therapy Shouldn’t Be Used in Healthy Women 

Prescribing testosterone therapy to women is ill-advised in most situations, according to an updated guideline from the Endocrine Society. Authors of the guideline suggest that the benefit of possibly improved sexual function doesn’t outweigh the many unknowns about side effects. Find out the uncommon circumstances in which the society approves of trying a short-term trial of testosterone therapy in women. 

Second-Generation Antipsychotics: Too Little
Metabolic Screening 

Chances are that when pharmacists fill a first prescription for second-generation antipsychotics for young patients, recommended metabolic screening has not been performed. Despite guidelines issued 10 years ago stating that children and adolescents should be screened for metabolic issues before receiving those drugs, very few have had their baseline glucose assessed. Who was most and least likely to be screened?

How Valuable Is Current Biomarker Information in
Drug Labels?

In the brave new world of personalized pharmacotherapy, drug labels are increasingly likely to include information about genetic biomarkers. Researchers recently set out to answer the question of whether that information was useful or confusing. Why did an invited commentary call their results “sobering?”

Alcohol Plus Opioids or Benzodiazepines: Potentially Deadly Combination 

A brief caution from a pharmacist dispensing opioid pain relievers or benzodiazepines could help save lives and reduce visits to emergency departments, according to public health officials. Specifically, a new report suggests, pharmacists and other healthcare providers should warn patients about the serious risk of central nervous system depression when combined with alcohol or other depressants. Here are the details.