The Current State Of OTC Medication Use for Pain Management
Leveraging his expertise in pain management, Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE, CTTS, joined Drug Topics to discuss the importance of pharmacists in patients’ use of OTC medications to treat pain.
The treatment of acute and chronic pain in the US has become one of the most pressing issues within health care in the 21st century. From an illicit opioid crisis trickling down to the improper use of non-addictive, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, staying educated and establishing relationships with pharmacists are key in the treatment of pain.
“When we balance everything going on in the world, yes, there's still an opioid crisis out there,” said Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE, CTTS. “It's evolving, but there's things of concern when it comes to over-the-counter pain medicines too, whether it's acetaminophen, whether it's [nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs].”
Outside of just the context of the US opioid epidemic, Garofoli caught up with Drug Topics to discuss current trends and perspectives within the use of OTC medications for treating pain. In this week’s episode of Over the Counter, Garofoli fittingly discusses which OTC pain medications patients gravitate toward, consumers’ potential challenges, and how pharmacists come into play when managing patients’ OTC regimens.
Garofoli is a clinical assistant professor at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and host of the Pharmacy Podcast Network’s Pain Pod. He’s also known across the internet as “Pain Guy” and has extensive experience discussing issues within pain management as well as counseling patients on the proper use of medications. Listen to our full-length conversation with Garofoli as he dives deep into the world of OTC medications used to treat acute and chronic pain.
Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with David Blair, CEO of the independent pharmacy benefit manager LucyRx. He joined Over the Counter to discuss how his company is revolutionizing the way pharmacy benefits are being distributed.
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