The Critical Role of Licensed Pharmacies in Opioid Safety The licensed pharmacy — whether a community retail pharmacy, a hospital pharmacy, or a certified online dispensing platform — is the final and essential link in the chain connecting a physician’s clinical decision to prescribe hydrocodone with a patient’s safe access . . . Read more
The Chronic Pain Epidemic and Opioid Therapy’s Role Chronic pain — pain persisting beyond the expected healing period, typically defined as lasting three months or longer — affects an estimated 50 million American adults, making it the most prevalent chronic condition in the US and the leading cause of disability . . . Read more
Introduction: Hydrocodone in Pain Medicine Hydrocodone combination products are among the most prescribed opioid analgesics in the United States, serving a critical role in the management of moderate-to-severe pain that does not respond adequately to non-opioid analgesics. As a Schedule II controlled substance, hydrocodone is dispensed exclusively through licensed pharmacies . . . Read more
The Economic Dimension of Obesity Treatment Obesity imposes an enormous economic burden — both on individual patients through elevated healthcare costs, and on the broader healthcare system through the enormous disease burden of obesity-related comorbidities. US adults with obesity spend an average of $1,861 more in annual medical costs than . . . Read more
Obesity as a Chronic Disease: The Medical Framework for Phentermine Therapy The evolution in medical understanding of obesity — from a lifestyle problem requiring personal willpower to a chronic, relapsing neurobiological disease requiring sustained medical treatment — is the essential conceptual foundation for understanding why phentermine therapy, when properly indicated . . . Read more
Introduction: Phentermine and Its Role in Obesity Medicine Phentermine is the most widely prescribed weight-loss medication in the United States and one of the most studied anti-obesity pharmacological agents in clinical history. Since its FDA approval in 1959, phentermine has helped millions of patients with obesity achieve clinically meaningful weight . . . Read more
The Cost of Acute Musculoskeletal Pain Management Acute musculoskeletal conditions — low back pain, muscle strain, cervical spasm — impose direct costs through medical visits, imaging, medications, and physical therapy, and indirect costs through lost work productivity and reduced functional capacity. For patients experiencing these conditions, medication cost is a . . . Read more
Understanding Carisoprodol’s Safety Profile Carisoprodol is a Schedule IV controlled substance whose therapeutic muscle-relaxant benefits come with a safety profile that demands patient education and clinical oversight. Its metabolism to meprobamate — a pharmacologically active sedative with its own abuse and dependence potential — creates a more complex risk landscape . . . Read more
Acute Low Back Pain: Scope of the Problem Acute low back pain is one of the most prevalent and economically consequential medical conditions in the developed world. Approximately 80% of US adults experience at least one significant episode of low back pain during their lifetime, and low back pain is . . . Read more
Introduction: Carisoprodol and Its Role in Musculoskeletal Pain Management Carisoprodol — marketed under the brand name Soma and widely available in generic form — is one of the most commonly prescribed centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants in the United States. Since its introduction into clinical practice, carisoprodol has been a . . . Read more