UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Bioaccumulation and the "Therapeutic" Overdose

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: pharmacology (PubMed Search)

Posted: 1/23/2014 by Fermin Barrueto (Updated: 11/22/2024)
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Everyone has admitted an altered mental status, patient or bradycardic patient and all of your test results are coming back normal except for a mild increase in creatinine. Take a look at the medication list. Creatinine is a poor indicator of renal function and GFR may be severely impaired even with a mild elevation of creatinine. If you have a predominantly renally excreted drug, you can see toxic effects of a drug even if administered at therapeutic levels.

Common bradycardia inducing medication that is renally cleared: atenolol (very high renal excretion) and digoxin (70%).

Altered Mental Status and on Keppra? Keppra is 100% renally cleared!

Ask your pharmacist for help with the medication list with renal or hepatic insufficiency.