#pharmphriday — Public Fediverse posts

Happy #PharmPhriday 💊

MPTP is used to model Parkinson’s disease. It turns into MPP+ and leads to the death of dopaminergic neurons. How was this figured out?

MPPP was an opioid synthesized in 1947. Due to difficulty acquiring heroin at the time, Barry Kidston read the MPPP paper in 1976 and tried to synthesize it, but it had MPTP impurity 😱

He presented with Parkinsonian symptoms, was treated, but died of an overdose. Autopsy revealed loss of SN DA neurons. NIMH found MPTP in his lab.

Big news 🗞️

The #FDA just approved the first oral treatment for postpartum depression! Learn more about Zurzuvae (zuranolone) here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-oral-treatment-postpartum-depression

#ObGynodon #MedMastodon #PublicHealth #Postpartum #PharmPhriday

#PharmPhriday The #FDA just put out a draft guidance on ‘Psychedelic Drugs: Considerations for Clinical Investigations’. Draft guidances are available for review and public comment, so if this is something you’re interested in or passionate about, check it out https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/psychedelic-drugs-considerations-clinical-investigations

Happy #PharmPhriday!

The #FDA just approved Veozah (fezolinetant) for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes caused by #menopause.

The drug is a neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist, the first to be approved by the FDA for hot flashes. The NK3 receptor plays a role in regulating body temperature.

Happy #PharmPhriday! In today’s drug news, the #FDA is reviewing an application for the first over-the-counter birth control pill (Opill, norgestrel by Perrigo) https://apnews.com/article/birth-control-pills-without-prescription-3228f5d93f5b6583cdc1be9ce4557373

Here is the information for next week’s advisory committee meetings: https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/may-9-10-2023-joint-meeting-nonprescription-drugs-advisory-committee-and-obstetrics-reproductive-and

#OTC #BirthControl #Contraception

Happy #PharmPhriday

ACE-inhibitors are a type of drug used to treat #hypertension. They prevent angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) from turning angiotensin I to II, BUT they can trigger the cough reflex!

If you’re having chronic cough issues with an ACE-inhibitor (drug name usually ending in -il), talk to your doctor about other options 🫀

Good morning, and happy #PharmPhriday!

I regularly revisit this piece on #tetanus in an unvaccinated child. It is short, fascinating, heartbreaking, and incredibly frustrating story: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6809a3.htm

Please read and share.

#VaccinesSaveLives

Happy #PharmPhriday! In 1241, King Frederick II declared the Edict of Salerno which 1️⃣ officially separated the professions of physicians and pharmacists and 2️⃣ fixed drug/remedy prices to prevent overcharging.

Happy #PharmPhriday! A question I get a lot is “what’s a #biosimilar?” Well, it’s like a #generic but for #biologics

Because a biologic is made from something living, you can’t exactly copy the drug recipe like you can with generics. There are also some differences in testing.

A biosimilar has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-approved biologic.

A generic drug demonstrates bioequivalence to an existing FDA-approved drug.

Infographic from https://www.fda.gov/media/166334/download

Happy #PharmPhriday!

#Hormones can be confusing, so let’s break down some of their functions, starting with progesterone. One important role is maintaining a pregnancy (hence why #mifepristone, a progesterone blocker, is an #abortion drug).

#Progesterone can be administered intramuscularly (in oil, PIO) or vaginally; oral has been shown to be less effective.

If you don’t want a daily 💉🍑 through 1st trimester, talk to your doc about vaginal progesterone! #OBGynodon #Fertility #Infertility #IVF

Happy #PharmPhriday! Friedreich’s ataxia is an inherited, degenerative, #RareDisease. The first treatment, omaveloxolone (Skyclarys) was just approved by the #FDA: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-first-treatment-friedreichs-ataxia

Happy #PharmPhriday! With the 🥶 season still hitting, you might be prescribed benzonatate (Tessalon) pearls. This drug works on vagal afferent fibers and stretch receptors to reduce the cough reflex.

Accidental ingestion by children under 10, even 1-2 capsules, can lead to overdose and death. Overdose symptoms can have a rapid onset, within 15-20min of ingestion.

I keep track of how many I’ve taken by using a tally on the bottle to know if any are missing.

#FDA Warning https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-drug-safety-communication-death-resulting-overdose-after-accidental-ingestion-tessalon

Taking a bit of time off #MedicineMonday and #PharmPhriday to take care of my baby. Hopefully he’s all better after getting ear tube surgery 🤞🏽

It’s #PharmPhriday! We have personally been affected by the injectable #lidocaine #shortage, so today will be about lidocaine! Some cells signal via action potential. When there’s sufficient stimulus, sodium enters the cell, potassium (also positively charged) exits, then the cell membrane returns to baseline “resting potential”.

Sodium enters through a sodium channel, and what does lidocaine do? Block sodium channels! No sodium entry, no action potential, no pain signal.

Happy #PharmPhriday! We joke about the “Dr” in “Dr Pepper”, but did you know it was created by #pharmacist Charles Alderton in the 1880s? Dr. Pepper (period dropped in the 1950s) advertised as being able to aid digestion and restore vim, vigor, and vitality ✨

While searching #vintage ads, I saw a few saying to drink it at 10, 2, and 4, and even old bottles with the numbers on the logo. This is from an old slogan contest, after showing those times of day are associated with dips in energy.

It’s #PharmPhriday! Due to the #Speaker fiasco in the #House, I’ll share some #etymology.

Did you know both candidiasis (yeast infection) and candidate stem from the Latin candidus meaning ‘shining white’?

In ancient #Rome, political candidates would wear super white togas while campaigning and were known as candidati or ‘whitened men’, presumably to signify their pure intentions.

🧠 #Benzodiazepines are positive allosteric modulators and require a γ subunit and the presence of GABA to work! Their effects are mediated by the α subunit.

● Anxiolytics - α2, α3
● Sedatives - α1, α5
● Anticonvulsants - α1, α2, α3, α5
● Anterograde amnesia - α1

α4 and α6 do not bind benzodiazepines
● Possess arginine where other α subunits have histidine

2/2 #PharmPhriday #GABA thread

It’s #PharmPhriday time! With the #holidays being a tough time for many who struggle with #MentalHealth, I thought I’d share a bit of GABAA receptor #pharmacology.

🧠 Pentameric receptor for inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA
🧠 2 α, 2 β, 1 other subunit
🧠 Activation hyperpolarizes cell
due to chloride entry
🧠 Subunits determine
pharmacological sensitivity and physiological properties

1/2 🧵

Happy #PharmPhriday! Mad #honey is so called due to its hallucinogenic effects. It’s made by bees consuming the nectar/carrying pollen from rhododendron plants, which contain grayanotoxins.

King Mithradates used it on Pompey’s army, leaving out pots of honey for the soldiers for consume 🍯

Learn more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404272/ #ToxToot #TooteRx

Unfortunately, there was not much that could be done about it, and the company got away with some fines for minor things like calling the drug an “elixir” but not containing alcohol.

This tragedy resulted in the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requiring safety and quality standards for food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics.

But notice I did not say safety *and* efficacy…stay tuned for next week’s #PharmPhriday!

Learn more about the story here: https://www.fda.gov/files/about%20fda/published/The-Sulfanilamide-Disaster.pdf

2/2 🧵

Happy #PharmPhriday! Do you ever think about how regulations come about? Unfortunately, many are in response to dangerous and tragic events.

For example, in 1937, over 100 people died after taking Elixir Sulfanilamide, a common medication for streptococcal infections. The lab dissolved sulfanilamide in diethylene glycol (antifreeze) and did not test the new formulation for toxicity.

1/2 🧵

Happy #PharmPhriday! 😆#MedicineMonday was about coca wine, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite vintage ads. Cocaine, like lidocaine and related drugs, is a local anesthetic. It works by blocking sodium channels, preventing action potential propagation.

What causes some of the “feel good” effects? Cocaine blocks the reuptake of monoamines like dopamine after release, meaning more stays in the synaptic cleft and can exert its effects longer.

Happy #PharmPhriday! Earlier for #MedicineMonday, I said I’d share more about #warfarin, one of the earliest #anticoagulant drugs.

In the 1920s, there was an outbreak of cattle dying of hemorrhaging after routine procedures. Veterinarians Frank Schofield and Lee Roderick identified moldy silage from sweet clover as the cause. Chemists led by Karl Link identifed the anticoagulating agent, dicoumarol, and further developed it for use as rat poison (1948) then clinically for humans (1954).

Happy #PharmPhriday! Earlier for #MedicineMonday, I said I’d share more about #warfarin, one of the earliest #anticoagulant drugs.

In the 1920s, there was an outbreak of cattle dying of hemorrhaging after routine procedures. Veterinarians Frank Schofield and Lee Roderick identified moldy silage from sweet clover as the cause. Chemists led by Karl Link identifed the anticoagulating agent, dicoumarol, and further developed it for use as rat poison (1948) then clinically for humans (1954).

Happy #PharmPhriday! Earlier for #MedicineMonday, I said I’d share more about #warfarin, one of the earliest #anticoagulant drugs.

In the 1920s, there was an outbreak of cattle dying of hemorrhaging after routine procedures. Veterinarians Frank Schofield and Lee Roderick identified moldy silage from sweet clover as the cause. Chemists led by Karl Link identifed the anticoagulating agent, dicoumarol, and further developed it for use as rat poison (1948) then clinically for humans (1954).

Happy #PharmPhriday! Earlier for #MedicineMonday, I said I’d share more about #warfarin, one of the earliest #anticoagulant drugs.

In the 1920s, there was an outbreak of cattle dying of hemorrhaging after routine procedures. Veterinarians Frank Schofield and Lee Roderick identified moldy silage from sweet clover as the cause. Chemists led by Karl Link identifed the anticoagulating agent, dicoumarol, and further developed it for use as rat poison (1948) then clinically for humans (1954).

Hope everyone is having a nice start to their week and a smooth transition back for those returning from holiday.

Today’s #MedicineMonday is about #drug names.

🐴 Premarin - pregnant mare urine
6️⃣ Vicodin - 6 (VI) times stronger than codeine
⏱️ Lasix - lasts 6 hours
🐮 Warfarin - WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation), arin from coumarin
🩸 Xarelto - Inhibits factor Xa
😴 Ambien - AM, bien (Spanish for “good”)

Any you’d like to add?

More about #warfarin later this week for #PharmPhriday!

#MedicineMonday time 💊

Levodopa is the most common treatment for Parkinson’s disease, to supplement dopamine as dopaminergic neurons are lost.

Due to nausea and peripheral metabolism, it is co-administered with a drug called carbidopa, allowing a much lower dose of levodopa to be given.

A brand name for the combo is “Sinemet”, for “without emesis”.

For more on the history of levodopa, stay tuned for #PharmPhriday!

Hello! I’m Monica, a neuropharmacologist turned “whole body” pharmacologist.

I also teach science communication, ethics, and drug development from bench to bedside.

I love medical history and will resume posting #PharmPhriday with a fun fact related to science/medicine 🤗