Purple Pen Podcast

Listen in to our latest episode as Kristin chats with Josh Schiller, a Accredited Practising Dietitian, about navigating the world of nutritional supplements and vitamins in pharmacy practice. Josh breaks down which products he would recommend, the key interactions between diet, vitamins, and prescription medicines that you need to know about and the age old question, do you really need that multi-vitamin. From green leafy vegetables to food-drug interactions that can impact therapy outcomes, this episode will help you confidently guide your patients through the supplement aisle and beyond.

We talk to Gary Bain (AKA the wound guy) about the integumentary system, the stages of wound healing, the advantages of good old fashioned clean water for wound cleaning, guiding principles of dressing changes for inflammatory phase vs proliferation phase, when to use different types of dressings e.g hydrocolloid, the benefits of a wound selfie to check progress, advantages of compression bandages for accelerating wound repair, the importance of moisturising a closed wound and busting wound management myths.   

We talked with, Dr Eleni Yiasemides (board-certified consultant Dermatologist specialist from Sydney) about *Inappropriate indications for topical corticosteroids (cortisones) like perioral dermatitis when less is usually more *The verdict on combination products corticosteroids + anti fungal creams and when to use them *Busting myths on topical corticosteroids like "apply sparingly" *The issue of tachyphylaxis *Practice points about alcohol based treatments, preservatives and fragrance *Alternative topical therapy other than corticosteroids *Best practice for managing skin health (moisture, hydration and occlusion) alongside medicated treatment like corticosteroids   Read further Perioral dermatitis https://dermnetnz.org/topics/periorificial-dermatitis RACGP  https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2021/september/selection-of-a-corticosteroid The Australasian College of Dermatologists https://www.dermcoll.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ACD-Fact-Sheet-Topical-corticosteroids-and-eczema-April-2024.pdf

We're marking World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week 2025 with an episode dedicated entirely to antibiotics, the medicines we rely on every day and the ones we need to protect. We're joined by Caroline Chen, a senior antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist and project officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, for a deep dive into all things antibiotics. Together, we walk through the ABCs of commonly used antibiotics, or more accurately the B through T, including beta-lactams, clindamycin, doxycycline, macrolides, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin, quinolones, rifampicin and trimethoprim. This episode highlights how these medicines work and when we use them and key counselling points. Antibiotics are a finite resource, and understanding them is one of the most powerful tools we have to preserve their effectiveness for the future.

Listen in as Kristin chats with Dr Angela Kwong, a Sydney-based General Practitioner with a special interest in medically supervised weight management, about the use of GLP-1 agonists. Dr Kwong serves as the NSW State Lead for the RACGP Specific Interests Group in Obesity Management and works closely with colleagues across disciplines to improve care for people living with obesity. She is also the founder of Enlighten Me, a multidisciplinary online program that provides evidence-based, GP-led support for patients seeking weight management. The program has been recognised for its contribution to patient education and its focus on accessible, stigma-free care. Additional GLP-1 reading: 1. GLP-1 agonist role in renal protection - FLOW Trial 1a. Digestible summary of the FLOW trial 2. Current ANZCA guidelines for anaesthesia / sedation in patients using GLP-1 agonists (May 2025) 3. Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity