Cool it on the cooldowns

One in three parents give their kids fever-reducing meds even for low-grade fevers (below 100.4°) even though that isn’t recommended by pediatricians, according to a new national poll out of the University of Michigan. And half would give it for fevers up to 101.9°.

“Some parents may immediately rush to give their kids medicine but it’s often better to let the fever runs its course. Lowering a child’s temperature doesn’t typically help cure their illness any faster. In fact, a low-grade fever helps fight off the infection. There’s also the risk of giving too much medication when it’s not needed, which can have side effects.”

Curious about those pediatrician recommendations? The UMich folks have you covered.

Two and a half years later…

Congrats to the 79 members of PCOM Georgia’s Pharmacy Class of 2024! They just held “the most unique white coat ceremony in the history of PCOM.” You might realize why when you think about it: This is the class of ’24, whose ceremony should have been two and a half years ago — but that was 2020, when gatherings like that weren’t a very good idea. Here’s to a happy and productive future!

Doctors can be ‘influenced’ too

Sure, marketers love social media for reaching the easily swayed. But they also say that social media plays a “vital role” in influencing doctors’ decisions. And those prescribers are proving them right.

“[M]ore than half (57%) of doctors said they frequently or occasionally change their initial perception of a medication due to social media.”

But there’s cause for hope. Prescribers aren’t getting their info from Twitter or TikTok. They’re mostly talking about Doximity and Sermo — platforms aimed at physicians, as opposed to the general kind where the riff-raff like you and me hang out.

In fact, 41% of doctors reported changing their views on a medication based on content on Sermo and 33% based on content on Doximity.

The Long(ish) read: The Crabs We Need edition

Horseshoe crabs have been around for more than 250 million years, and they serve an important purpose (besides creeping out people when they’re upside down): An extract of their blue blood is used to test injectable medicines and implants for endotoxins.

Problem: They’re being hunted to extinction, and there’s no official standard for a replacement.

Fun fact, per Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge): “Despite their name, they are not true crabs or crustaceans: they are chelicerates, most closely related to arachnids such as spiders, ticks, and scorpions.”

Meth deaths have skyrocketed

In 1999, the CDC reported 608 deaths attributed to methamphetamine use.

In 2021, that number was more than 52,000.

You don’t need a University of Illinois health researcher to tell you that’s a ‘staggering increase,’ but she does anyway.

What’s the deal? The deal is opioids: That U of I team “found that 61.2% of the methamphetamine overdose deaths in 2021 co-involved heroin or fentanyl.” Sometimes it’s unintentional, but sometimes it’s deliberate, as there’s a myth that opioids can blunt the bad effects of stimulants like meth. Unfortunately, a lot of opioids are being laced with fentanyl, which is often deadly.

Short Takes

Don’t cyber-be a cyber-victim

Were you thinking of letting a cyberattack destroy your pharmacy? If so, don’t — even though it’s getting easier and easier to let the bad guys mess with your data systems.

Downsides to OTC Narcan

With the potential for Narcan to be available over the counter, it could be more easily accessible … but it could also become out of reach for the people who need it most.

Purple is the new orange

What color are your veggies? Think purple. Fruits and veg that are blue or reddish contain anthocyanins that “can reduce the risk of diabetes by affecting energy metabolism, gut microbiota, and inflammation.”