Category: Prescribing

Prescribing guidelines and updates for GP locums, including information on GP locums and unique GP locum prescriber numbers.

Repurposing: the risks and rewards of thinking again

Primary care could exploit repurposing strategies: Medical prescribing is appropriate for medical problems, but many GPs are frustrated that they can’t adequately address the social problems which afflict so many people.

Daridorexant for treating insomnia (Nice, October 2023)

Dr Louise Hudman summarises a new guideline for sleep, published in October 2023.

Tirzepatide subcutaneous injection for type 2 diabetes

Learn how this once-weekly subcutaneous injection is prescribed.

GP locums sought for 2024 prescribing survey

Professor Tony Avery is looking for GP locums to participate in a national survey aimed to improve GP prescribing.

Prescribing

Progesterone-only pills (POPs) advice (FRSH, 2022)

This is an updated guideline from FSRH on POPs published in Aug 2022.

New locum prescribing study needs context, GPs advise

Dr Fieldhouse said: 'This paper raises many questions, and insightful feedback from our members shows that more research needs to be done.'

Inclisiran for lipid modification in GP (Nice, 2021)

There haven’t been any direct comparisons between inclisiran and ezetimibe, alirocumab or evolocumab yet.

C.diff and antimicrobials in GP (2021 update)

NICE's July guideline updates GPs' prescribing guidance.

Contraceptive prescribing for people with eating disorders

A new statement from FSRH outlines some of the issues surrounding contraceptive choice for people with eating disorders.

Antimicrobial prescribing for human and animal bites

A new guideline from NICE covers the prescribing of antibiotics for human and animal bites.

Prescribing

Fremanezumab for preventing migraine

Although fremanezumab seems to be effective in episodic migraine, it hasn't been approved as it isn't felt to be cost-effective

e-learning | Sotagliflozin with insulin for type 1 diabetes

A new guideline from NICE from February 2020 advises that sotagliflozin can be used alongside insulin for type 1 diabetes

Additional supply of BNFs in England for locum GPs, while stocks last

We have today been notified that there is an additional supply of BNFs (BNF 78, no cBNFs) that can be made available to NASGP members every month.

e-Learning | COPD – antibiotic prescribing in an acute exacerbation

The most interesting bit for me about this new guideline was that only 50% of COPD exacerbations are thought to be caused by bacterial infections. The rest are caused mainly by viral infections or smoking.

e-Learning | Coughs (of the acute kind) and antimicrobial prescribing

This is a new guideline from NICE on when to prescribe antibiotics for coughs. It only covers those with acute coughs and doesn't include COPD patients (they are covered in a separate guideline).

Levosert – a levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUS)

This is a new product review from the FSRH. Levosert is an LNG-IUS, which is the same as Mirena.

Podcast | A viper’s nest: when venom is a man’s best friend

Did you know that captopril was derived from the venom of the deadly Brazilian pit viper? Since it went on the market in 1981 captopril and its successor ACE inhibitors have probably saved many more lives than have been lost to pit vipers.