New ASHP guide will help with medicine dosages for obese patients

The American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) has published a new guide that will help determine the proper doses of medication for obese patients.

The text is called "Demystifying Drug Dosing in Obese Patients" and is the first of its kind to focus on the dosage of critical and narrow therapeutic index drugs for obese pediatric and adult patients.

The guide will give an outline of medications and dosing methods for obese patients, as well as expert advice on how to administer them. It will also contain insight, recommendations and sample calculations that can be used by caregivers to narrow down dosage options for individual patients.

The new ASHP guide will contain information about obese pediatrics, critical care patients and organ transplant patients and the doses of medicine recommended for each. It will also offer direction for patients who have undergone gastric bypass and other bariatric surgeries. Tips will be included for absorption, distribution, metabolism and clearance as well as weight-based dosages, drug efficacy, dosing concentrations and toxicity.

Dr. Brandon R. Shank, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. David E. Zimmerman, from Duquesne University, are co-editors of the guide.