Emergency Drugs
In our job, you will never go home at the end of the day thinking that you haven’t done something valuable and important - Suneel Dhand

image by: Rose Wong
HWN Suggests
EM Drugs That Work and Drugs That Don’t – Part 1: Analgesics
In this podcast we discuss the key concepts in assessing drug efficacy trials, and provide you with a bottom line recommendation for the use of gabapentinoids, NSAIDs and acetaminophen for low back pain and radicular symptoms, topical NSAIDs and cyclobenzaprine for sprains and strains, caffeine as an adjunct analgesic, why we should never prescribe tramadol, dexamethasone for pharyngitis, calcium channel blockers for hemorrhoids and anal fissures, buscopan for abdominal pain and renal colic and why morphine might be a better analgesic choice than hydromorphone…
Resources
Emergency Medication Dosing Guidelines
From ACLS meds to drips...
Emergency Drug Cards for Adults and Children
The medications were chosen because they are often prone to dosing errors and require time-sensitive ordering. They generously offered to share this incredibly compact resource for free to the Emergency Medicine community as a PV card. If you see them, give them a high-five.
Air Care Emergency Medications
List for emergency care in flight.
EM Drugs that Work and Drugs that Don’t Part 2 – Antiemetics, Angioedema, Oxygen
In this Episode 127 Drugs that Work and Drugs that Don’t Part 2 – Antiemetics, Angioedema and Oxygen, with Justin Morgenstern and Joel Lexchin we discuss the evidence for various antiemetics like metoclopramide, prochlorperazine, promethazine, droperidol, ondansetron, inhaled isopropyl alcohol and haloperidol as well as why should not use an antiemetic routinely with morphine in the ED. We then discuss the evidence for various drugs options for a potpourri of true emergencies like angioedema and hyperkalemia, and wrap it up with a discussion on oxygen therapy…
List of Emergency Drugs and their Actions
There are two types of emergency medications. The first group of pharmaceuticals are those that are absolutely necessary and should be included in every emergency drug kit. The second group of medicines includes those that are beneficial but optional, depending on the practitioner's experience with emergency medical operations and whether sedation or general anaesthesia are used for behaviour and anxiety management.
Must Know Drug Interactions in Emergency Medicine
Drug interaction-related morbidity and mortality is highly under-recognized in Emergency Medicine. Patients who present with altered level of awareness, delirium, syncope and falls are often admitted to hospital without a definitive diagnosis; and only later is it recognized that a drug interaction was at play. Thirty percent of ED patients have at least one drug related problem contributing to their ED visit, which includes adverse drug reactions and subtherapeutic dosing.
Pocket Prescriber Emergency Medicine
Drug prescribing errors are a common cause of hospital admission, and adverse reactions can have devastating effects. Pocket Prescriber Emergency Medicine is a concise, up-to-date prescribing guide containing all the essential information on a vast range of drugs that staff from junior doctors to emergency nurses, nurse prescribers, paramedics and other pre-hospital providers may encounter in the emergency setting.
What are the 20 emergency drugs in life-threatening conditions?
I have made a quick guide to understand what are the 20 emergency drugs used in medical emergency conditions.
EM Drugs That Work and Drugs That Don’t – Part 1: Analgesics
In this podcast we discuss the key concepts in assessing drug efficacy trials, and provide you with a bottom line recommendation for the use of gabapentinoids, NSAIDs and acetaminophen for low back pain and radicular symptoms, topical NSAIDs and cyclobenzaprine for sprains and strains, caffeine as an adjunct analgesic, why we should never prescribe tramadol, dexamethasone for pharyngitis, calcium channel blockers for hemorrhoids and anal fissures, buscopan for abdominal pain and renal colic and why morphine might be a better analgesic choice than hydromorphone.
50 Drugs to Know
Please note that this is not meant to represent every drug an EP should know. This is simply a quick guide to many of the common and life saving drugs that we use every day. It does not include antibiotics and it does not include many important pediatric drugs. Use this with care and remember that every patient does not weigh 70kg.

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