Greater Glasgow and Clyde Medicines

Medicines Update -2022

For all healthcare professionals across NHSGGC both in primary care and the acute sector.

Please note, Medicines Update blogs are correct at the time of publication.

Medicines Update blogs remain on the website for 4 years. If you would like a copy of a blog published more than 4 years ago, please contact  medicines.update@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Click here for a promotional poster on Medicines Update and here for an animation on the Communications subcommittee of ADTC responsible for the development of Medicines Update.

If you would like to contribute to Medicines Update, click here for a guide to blog writing. When you email the committee to discuss writing a blog, you will be sent a checklist to complete prior to submitting the blog for review.

06/09/2023 announcement

Accessing GGC Clinical Guidelines via Medicines Update blogs and the Adult Therapeutics Handbook 

GGC Clinical Guidelines have migrated to the Right Decisions for Health and Care platform. As a result of the migration, direct links to GGC guidelines within Medicines Update blogs (and the Adult Therapeutics Handbook, GGC Medicines App) currently go to the homepage and not individual guidelines. This change was out with our control. 
Please note, there is a message on the homepage highlighting intermittent issues with the search function, therefore, if you cannot find a guideline via the search box, select the relevant category from the homepage or if the guideline still can't be found, contact clinical.guidelines@ggc.scot.nhs.uk. 
An update will be provided in due course.

SSRIs/SNRIs - Risk of bleeding

Posted: Friday, April 15, 2022

Category - Medicines Update

Key points SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) are associated with a risk of bleeding, especially upper GI bleedingThe risk of GI bleeding ...

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VSL#3 & Vivomixx removed from Drug Tariff

Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Category - Medicines Update

Following a review by the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) back in 2018, the probiotic food supplements VSL#3® and Vivomixx® were removed from Part XV of the Drug Tariff in England. The Committee concluded that the evidence did not sufficiently demonstrate that the products are clinically effective.

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