Skip to main content

Get it Right

The media has picked up a story of a tragic alcohol-related death of a 16 year old male. His autopsy reportedly revealed a relatively low blood alcohol level but high levels of papaverine, a drug sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction in men. What do the headlines read?

Erectile drug mystery in teen's death at party

Traces of erectile drug found in dead teen

The problem here is that papaverine needs to be INJECTED into the penis to work for erectile dysfunction. Oral forms of papavarine are not routinely used and will do nothing for erectile issues. The headlines can cause people to panic because the complete medical information is not presented in the articles. This boy suffocated on his own vomit when he was unconscious due to a combination of alcohol and this medication found in his bloodstream. Questions surround why this medication was found in his bloodstream and perhaps these articles were crafted to bring increased attention to the case as his family were growing frustrated with the investigation (Orinda mother calls death investigation 'shockingly passive').

Nonetheless, a tragedy such as this should highlight the need for teen education when we are talking about toxic drinking. A new program has begun at Stonybrook University in Long Island, New York called the Red Watch Band that specifically covers this topic. This project was started after a Stonybrook faculty member lost her own son, a college freshman while away at another college, to an alcohol overdose.

When used properly with consultation from your health care provider, there is little need to worry about the FDA oral prescription medication (Viagra, Cialis and Levitra) or injectable medications (Edex, papavarine) used to treat erectile dysfunction although reading only these headlines may cause you to think otherwise.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Post: The Pros and Cons of Legal Nurse Consulting

The Pros and Cons of Legal Nurse Consulting I’ve spent years pursuing different avenues in the health care industry. I spent my high school years studying to become a CAN, I was at one point a EMT, and I eventually turned to alternative practices like massage therapy, herbs and general fitness and nutrition. Not long ago, though, I heard a term that was relatively new to me – legal nurse consulting. My aunt told me about her pursuit of a legal nurse consulting certification. Her goal was to pass the certification exam and open her own business, partnering with lawyers around the country to help them understand medical charts and the medical profession as a whole. Sounds great, right? I’m wondering if it really is. I urge anyone who is considering legal nurse consulting to consider the pros and cons. While it is certainly an admiral and profitable career path, it may limit your future choices. First of all, legal nurse consulting is not a get-rich-quick solution to your problems. If you

NP Residency

The healthcare system of today is so complex yet so dysfunctional that I believe the time has come to educate and train the NP providers of tomorrow in a way that is reflective of that complexity. We have done a good job up to this point but need to bring that to the next level. Residency. I'm not necessarily referring to the typical residency training of physicians which takes place in hospitals but a residency-type of program in an out-patient setting (ironic that we use the term residency). We realize that healthcare is not exclusively delivered in hospitals. It takes place in independent providers offices, in community health centers, in mobile health vans, and in retail settings. It takes place in people's homes and places of employment. It takes place in many of the health decisions that we make on a daily basis. I found this NP residency program in Connecticut that claims to be the first NP residency in the US. The programs admits 4 NPs each year and trains them to ha

Private Practice

There is an interesting trend that I'm observing and don't necessarily see how this is going to turn out. I'm seeing more and more nurse practitioner's opening their own autonomous practices. Many of these offices set out to offer care that is personalized, covered under insurance, and of course high-quality. I'm also seeing more NP specialty/sub-specialty practices such as house calls, incontinence, and women's health. This is in a time when more physician practices are joining together in these conglomerations that aren't necessarily tied to hospitals. You'd be hard pressed to find a solo primary care physician these days yet nurse practitioner solo practices are popping up. The talk about the formation of accountable care organizations can be attributed to health care reform and the spurring of large multi-physician practices. What to make of this? I honestly don't know. Many people and patients have said to me "you should start your own prac