Objective: Opioids (except for tramadol) have not been shown to be effective in patients with fibromyalgia, but they can increase the risk of adverse drug reactions.The aim was to determine the treatment patterns of a group of patients with fibromyalgia and to identify the factors associated with the use of opioids in Colombia.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a group of patients with fibromyalgia from a pain clinic in Colombia. Sociodemographic, clinical and pharmacological variables were identified. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed.Results: A total of 559 patients were analysed, 88.6% of whom were women, and the mean age was 53.4 � 12.6 years. A total of 40.6% received nonpharmacological management, and the majority were treated with acetaminophen (96.1%) and pregabalin (62.8%). A total of 69.6% received opioids, the most common of which was hydrocodone (36.3%). The average morphine equivalent milligrammes was 36.9 � 91.2 (range: 2.3-750 mg), and 43.8% had intermediate/high doses. Being

pharmacological variables and comorbidities were considered. A descriptive analysis was performed. Results A total of 8708 patients were identified; they had a median age of 44.7 years, and 59.3% were women. The most common causes of conjunctivitis were unspecified (53.1%) and allergic (37.4%). The most commonly used drug was olopatadine (26.1%), followed by dexamethasone with neomycin and polymyxin B (25.0%). A total of 97.0% of the patients received ophthalmic prescriptions, while 12.8% received systemic medications. Glucocorticoids (40.3%), antibiotics (37.7%) and antihistamines (31.7%) were the most commonly used groups of ophthalmic drugs. Glucocorticoids and ophthalmic antibiotics were the medications most frequently prescribed by general practitioners for the treatment of viral or bacterial conjunctivitis.

Purpose: Conjunctivitis is one of the most common ocular pathologies. Its treatment depends on its etiology, but an excessive use of antibiotics and corticosteroids, which in many cases are contraindicated, has been described. The objective was to describe the prescription patterns of medications used to treat conjunctivitis in a Colombian population.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on the pharmacological treatment of patients diagnosed with conjunctivitis based on a drug-dispensing database of approximately 8.5 million people affiliated with the Colombian Health System. Some sociodemographic and pharmacological variables and comorbidities were considered. A descriptive analysis was performed.Results: A total of 8,708 patients were identified; they had a median age of 44.7 years, and 59.3% were women. The most common causes of conjunctivitis were unspecified (53.1%) and allergic (37.4%). The most commonly used drug was olopatadine (26.1%), followed by dexamethasone with neomycin and polymyxin B (25.0%). A total of 97.0% of the patients received ophthalmic prescriptions, while 12.8% received systemic medications. Glucocorticoids (40.3%), antibiotics (37.7%) and antihistamines (31.7%) were the most commonly used groups of ophthalmic drugs. Glucocorticoids and ophthalmic antibiotics were the medications most frequently prescribed by general practitioners for the treatment of viral or bacterial conjunctivitis.Conclusions: Many patients with conjunctivitis are not being managed according to the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines, which highlights that the widespread use of antibiotics with ophthalmic glucocorticoids could be considered potentially inappropriate prescriptions in many cases.

Background: Different drugs have been approved to reduce the intraocular pressure. However, most of them contain preservatives to maintain sterility and these can be toxic to the ocular surface. The aim was to determine the patterns of use of antiglaucoma agents and ophthalmic preservatives in a group of patients from Colombia. Methods: A cross-sectional study that identified ophthalmic antiglaucoma agents from a population database of 9.2 million. Sociodemographic and pharmacological variables were considered. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Results: A total of 38,262 patients were identified, with a mean age of 69.2 ± 13.3 years, and 58.6% were women. A total of 98.8% were prescribed antiglaucoma drugs in multidose containers. The most widely used were prostaglandin analogs (59.9%), especially latanoprost (51.6%) and β-blockers (59.2%). A total of 54.7% of patients received combined management, especially with fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs (41.3%). A total of 94.1% used antiglaucoma drugs with preservatives (benzalkonium chloride, 68.4%). Conclusions: The pharmacological treatment of glaucoma was very heterogeneous, but the most commonly used therapeutic groups were in accordance with the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines but with differences by sex and age. Most of the patients were exposed to preservatives, especially benzalkonium chloride, but the wide use of FDC drugs can minimize toxicity on the ocular surface.