You know what you eat, but do you know your prescriptions?

I was talking to a patient the other day. I was trying to figure out what prescriptions he needed refill. First I must say this gentleman was not the typical health illiterate patient. He was very well spoken and educated. He simply told me to refill 2 of his 5 current medications. I asked him what does he take the meds for. He had no idea. This is not something new; it happens daily in the pharmacy. My question to you is do you eat food that you do not know what it is? Why do we take meds? Is the reason for taking them simply because the doctor said so. You cannot begin to take your medications prescription or over-the-counter correctly unless you know why you're taking it. You are probably wondering what does learning about your prescriptions have to do with abuse. You must know how to take your prescriptions correctly in order not to abuse them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about your medication. Learn about your medications, do not simple take them because someone told you too. You should know what medications you're putting in your mouth.

Bath Salts

Ivory Dove, red wave, and vanilla sky sound harmless; but these are names of substances marketed as bath salts. When I think of bath salts, I think of nice bubble baths, relaxation, and the scent of lavender. But these bath salts are not for relaxation. They are used for smoking or snorting by mostly teenagers and young adults. Bath salts are easy to obtain in convenience stores, online, etc.  And very legal in most states. Florida and Louisiana have banned bath salts that contain methylenedioxypyrovalerone or MDPV. This substance creates a high similar to cocaine and is highly addictive. A person high from MDPV can experience increased heart rate, nose bleeds, severe hallucinations, paranoia, seizures, psychosis, feelings of superhuman strength, extreme violence and kidney failure. Death is likely and there are stories of suicide and homicide from people under the influence of MDPV. In the future, I'm sure more states will ban this substance. Parents this is something to take notice of.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. I hope you enjoy the latest news about me and what I'm doing around DC. Enjoy!

The FDA is making changes. Last week the FDA, announced recommending drug manufactuers to limit the amount of Tylenol in prescription drugs to 325 mg. This does not affect your extra strength Tylenol of 500 mg that you buy over the counter. But you will not be able to find more than 325 mg in prescription products. So your Vicodin which has 500 mg of Tylenol will be reformulated to have a lower amount of Tylenol. This is a good change for the American public. Overuse of Tylenol can lead to liver damage. Your risk increases if you partake in alcohol frequently and also take Tylenol. Also of note during the cold and flu season, many products have multiple drugs in them. You may be taking more than the recommeded dosage of Tylenol without realizing it. This is the reason Tylenol causes so many accidental overdoses. Make sure to read those labels and always follow the recomended amount of drugs.