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Four score and seven minutes ago (about an hour and a half) your physician brought forth, upon her desk, a new prescription, conceived in best medical practice, and dedicated to the proposition that all generics are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civilian war, testing whether that medication, or any medication so conceived, and so dedicated, can help us long endure. And maybe we can feel good at the same time. For forty years as a pharmacist, I've been building bridges - from the doctor to those in need of important drug information - you. With respect for the listener, and from the perspective that it is better to apply a recommended course of therapy than it is to comply with an ordered course, the goal here is not to provide specific answers about your drug therapy, but rather to help you generate the questions that will that will empower you in this. Toward that end, there will be weekly podcasts, very often with guests who will be "the people".
60 Episodes
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Summary: The Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI’s), which include Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex, and Nexium, are a very effective group of drugs to treat heartburn and reflux, but as with every other drug, there might be side effects and adverse effects, both short and long-term. In this episode, we discuss the possible link between the long-term use of PPI’s and dementia, as reported in the press and medical journals. Topics:· Proton P...
Summary: If you have poison ivy, can you spread it to someone else? If the poison ivy is dead, can you still have a reaction if you touch it? Where else can you get poison ivy, besides touching the plant? This episode addresses these questions, and in so doing, touches on the prevention and treatment of the contact dermatitis caused by poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Topics:· Urushiol Oil 01:50· Contact...
Summary: When the panic attack comes from what’s inside, where do you hide? It’s thought that a panic attack is physiologically very much like a flight or fright response, comparable to encountering a Grizzly bear on a trail. In this episode we discuss the current medications available for treating panic attacks and panic disorder and how these medications work. We also discuss other non-medication options such as psychotherapy (talk therapy), exercise, yoga, and...
Summary: Blood clot formation and breakdown happens all the time. It’s when the body potentially forms clots where they aren’t needed (AFib) that we run into problems: strokes and heart attacks. In this episode we make the distinction between antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants and their roles in preventing unwanted clots. How they work? Once again, we’re just tinkering with a natural process in our bodies. Topics:· Balance of Clo...
Summary: The drug ads float images of happy people across the room, with a voiceover discussing the mechanism of actions of the drug (JAK inhibitor) along with an undercurrent of warnings and side effects of the drug. One of the newer drug groups are these JAK inhibitors, an oral form of targeted immunotherapy. This episode attempts to explain this drug group, and also discusses to whom exactly the drug companies are directing their ads. Topics:· &nbs...
Summary: This episode introduces a phrase uttered thousands of times every day regarding medications: anticholinergic side effects. A brief discussion follows about how and why these side effects may occur, what these side effects are, the drugs that may cause them, and the importance of discussing these possible side effects with your pharmacist and physician. Having a side effect of a medication is not unusual, but it shouldn’t it be unusual for you to understand the...
Summary: Marijuana is currently considered by the government to have the same abuse and dependency potential as heroin (Schedule 1), and yet 27 states have legalized marijuana either for medicinal and/or recreational use. This makes no sense. This episode addresses this disconnect and delves into the issues created by a few U.S. Senators who want to deschedule and legalize marijuana. Legalizing marijuana may address the changing attitudes toward marijuana and its place...
Summary: The complex dynamics of sexual dysfunction is beyond the scope of this episode, but what we can discuss is the effect that drugs, both prescription and OTC, can have on causing sexual dysfunction (in this podcast, primarily ED in men). The importance of education and clear communication between a patient and their healthcare team is essential, to determine if the sexual dysfunction may be due to a side effect of a medication or is it a symptom of some other physiologic or...
Summary: Knowing when a “symptom” is actually a side effect can save you a lot of trouble. By participating, by providing your physician and pharmacist an accurate accounting of when medications were started - and when possible side effects occurred – any changes to your medications will be based on a more accurate picture. It’s a process. And it can be complicated, but the accurate and timely sharing of your observations, whether they be signs, symptoms or side effects, is ...
Summary: I think people trust that if a product is displayed in nice bright packaging beneath the bright white lights of the gas station, that it must be okay, it must be meeting some king of standard. Not necessarily. This episode addresses two types of “gas station drugs”: gas station heroin and ED pills. Those pills may well have gotten to those shelves and the FDA had no idea about it. Since there is a disclaimer stating the FDA has not evaluated any cl...
Summary: The big pharmaceutical companies have always had a choice: whether to place their focus on the patient or on profits. Every pharmaceutical company (Eli Lilly has determined that they are a “medicine company’) will attempt to present as being there for the people, and they will have a business plan that is about profits and the “health” of the company. But Big Pharma is not in the clothing or automobile business…they are in the “health of the people” business.&...
Summary: The discussion of medication errors continues here, with a focus on the opportunities to prevent medication errors. Not all prescription medications are created equal. Regarding medication errors, this means that the potential adverse events that might occur, with an error, are more severe with high-risk medications. Are you on a high-risk med? Once again, a person who is familiar with their drugs, and motivated to participate in their own care, with the...
Summary: The goal is always to have zero medication errors, and yet they occur. This episode takes a look at what is considered a medication error (missed doses count), how often medication errors occur, how often they cause harm to the patient (who is actually a person), and the importance of a team-approach (pharmacists, physicians, nurses, patients, and anyone who is part of the person's healthcare) to preventing medication errors. Topics:· ...
Summary: To be more involved in your healthcare - your medications in particular - and to be able to participate in a conversation with your pharmacist or doctor, you might need to become your own detective. And to that end, this episode briefly reviews the different drug classes in order to help you to realize the “whys” of your drug regimen, and in turn to more actively participate in your care, with your healthcare team. Topics:· Allergic Reaction – Che...
Summary: The relatively recent release of Ingrezza and Austedo (2017) offer an option for the treatment of the abnormal involuntary movements associated with Huntington’s Disease and Tardive Dyskinesia (TD), a condition associated with the use of neuroleptics. This episode addresses the multiple activities of dopamine, how neuroleptics work by blocking dopamine receptors, and how this may result in TD. In turn, the presumed activity of Ingrezza and Austedo are discussed, pot...
Summary: Any job is made easier – or possible – by having the right tool for the job. The same goes for getting the most benefit out of your drug(s) and minimizing the risks of your medication. The right tool for this is at your fingertips…actually, it includes your fingertips: it’s you, being a drug detective. Topics:· The Right Tool 01:00· Get in the Game 01:55· Evidence Based Medicine 02:25· &nb...
Summary: This episode looks at the relatively widespread use of Trazodone for insomnia, an off-label drug use of this antidepressant. Currently, there is some disagreement in the medical community on Trazodone’s place in the treatment of insomnia, but that does not necessarily make its use wrong or inappropriate. While that discussion goes on, what can you do about it’s off-label use now? Listen. Topics:· Twenty Rx FDA Approved Meds for...
Summary: A listener shares his experience with the treatment of his Prostate Cancer, from the initial diagnosis, research into the best treatment for himself, his strict adherence to this treatment, and his continuing follow-up as he is now seven years cancer-free. This discussion attempts to clarify some of the terminology encountered in this listener’s journey. Topics:· Treatment Options 01:50· Wait and Watch· ...
Summary: Sometimes when you start a medication, you first might have to adjust to the idea of taking a drug every day, and then to the reality of its effects upon your body and mind. But this episode is about another step that you might want to add to this scene: monitoring and then communicating with your healthcare provider. When was the last time your doctor called to see how you were feeling? It’s you who has to start this communication, and with this i...
Summary: The balance of the flora in the gut is essential to maintaining a healthy barrier between what’s in your GI tract and what’s in your bloodstream. This episode addresses how broad-spectrum antibiotics can cause C. Diff, the dramatic effects of this and how it is treated. Also discussed is how diet, alcohol and some drugs may affect the balance and diversity of the microbiome in your, thereby causing Leaky Gut (allowing contents of gut into the body), which in turn ma...
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