More interventions

Here is my usual slot on some of the recent interventions we have made:

• Two asthmatic patients issued with acute scripts for erythromycin who were also taking theophylline. On contacting the relevant GPs, one was happy to halve the theophylline dose whilst the patient was taking the erythromycin, and the other GP wanted no action taken since the patient had recently had her theophylline checked and was at the lower end of the therapeutic range.

• One patient who was newly prescribed acamprosate at a dose of ‘2 QDS’. Following our conversation with the GP practice this was reduced to the usual dosage of ‘2 TDS’.

• A patient who had recently had an attack of gout and was not aware of leaving a gap before starting allopurinol and that the allopurinol was likely to precipitate a further episode of gout.