"Rx" medications (drug names that include the letters R and X)
This oral anticoagulant works as a reversible inhibitor of Factor Xa in the coagulation cascade and is taken once daily. Higher doses require food for best absorption.
What is Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)?
(Rivaroxaban contains "Xa" as a Factor Xa inhibitor)
This antiarrhythmic can cause discolouration of skin to a blue-grey colour with long-term use.
What is amiodarone?
This medication is used for hormone replacement therapy and is named after its source, Pregnant Mare Urine.
What is Premarin?
This antidote is most commonly used for acetaminophen overdose.
What is N-acetylcysteine?
These TWO antibiotic classes interact with polyvalent cations (e.g. calcium, magnesium) by chelation which decreases antibiotic absorption.
What are fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines?
Often used for anxiety or urticaria, this 1st-generation antihistamine is the precursor to Cetirizine.
What is Hydroxyzine?
Using high doses of this chemotherapy agent can lead to hemorrhagic cystitis, which can be minimized by strategies like IV hydration or the combined use of mesna.
What is cyclophosphamide?
This medication is commonly used as a parenteral anticogulant and is derived from pig intestinal mucosa.
What is heparin?
Protamine sulfate reverses toxicity from this medication.
What is heparin?
Combining linezolid with this drug class (or these drug classes) can increase the risk of serotonin syndrome.
What are SSRIs/SNRIs/TCAs?
What is Paroxetine?
Due to a higher risk of peri-operative euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), this class of medications is typically recommended to hold before surgery.
What are SGLT2-inhibitors?
This medication is used to dissolve gallstones and was first prepared from the bile of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in 1927.
What is ursodiol (urso-deoxycholic acid)? (Ursus = bear in Latin)
This antidote is a manufactured vitamin used to treat cyanide poisoning, which can occur in smoke inhalation or rarely with short-term high-dose nitroprusside.
What is hydroxocobalamin (vitamin B12) or Cyanokit?
What is CYP3A4?
This oral antibiotic is often paired with lactulose to treat hepatic encephalopathy, a complication in liver failure caused by high ammonia levels.
What is Rifaximin?
Patients on this mood stabilizer with a narrow therapeutic index should be monitored for polyuria, tremors, hypothyroidism, and weight gain.
What is lithium?
Commonly used for total parenteral nutrition (TPN), this lipid contains fish oil so should be avoided in those with fish allergies.
What is SMOF Lipid? OR What is Omegaven?
(Note: SMOF = Soybean oil, Medium chain triglycerides, Olive oil, Fish oil. Intralipid - from soybean oil only. Omegaven - fish oil triglycerides).
To "rescue" healthy cells when high doses of methotrexate are used, this active form of folic acid is administered to bypass the inhibited dihydrofolate reductase enzyme.
What is Leucovorin (folinic acid)?
What are ACE-inhibitors (or ARBs), diuretics, and NSAIDs?
Targeted at CD20 on B cells, this monoclonal antibody is typically used to treat Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
What is Rituximab?
To prevent a life-threatening risk of angioedema, a patient must wait for this period of time before switching from an ACE inhibitor to Sacubitril/Valsartan (Entresto).
What is 36 hours? (washout period)
These TWO medications are used for anemia associated with CKD and are produced in modified Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells using recombinant DNA technology.
What are darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) and epoetin alfa (Eprex)?
Marketed by Health Canada in 2016 and 2024, these TWO antidotes are used to reverse anticoagulation from direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC); match the antidotes with the DOACs.
What is Idarucizumab (Praxbind), for dabigatran reversal?
What is Andexanet alfa (Ondexxya), for rivaroxaban or apixaban reversal?
When admitted to a smoke-free facility, abrupt smoking cessation may require lowering the dosage of this atypical antipsychotic.
What is clozapine?
(Smoking induces CYP1A2 which lowers levels of clozapine.)