Posts Tagged ‘#medications’
Don’t Know Where . . .
. . . they got the idea that
nothing is impossible.
I’ve been doing nothing
for the past several years.
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10 Questions to
Ask About Drugs
By James Gaffney, Mature Life Features
Many patients, especially older adults, fail to ask their doctors or pharmacists about the prescription drugs they take.
To avoid adverse reactions to a prescribed medication, a list of 10 questions has been put together by the medical director of a major pharmaceutical firm.
1. For what specific condition or treatment are you prescribing this medicine?
2. Are there other treatment options available? Alternative drugs? Generics?
3. How am I directed to take this medicine? When? In what amount? With or without food?
4. How long will I remain on this medication — long-term for a chronic condition or short-term for an acute condition?
5. What are the potential side effects of this medicine?
6. Under what circumstances should I discontinue use of this medication and notify my physician — for example, vomiting, nausea, dizziness?
7. Are there conditions that would prevent me from taking this medication, such as high blood pressure.
8. Have I told my doctor about all other medications I’m taking, both over-the-counter and prescription?
9. If I am taking other medications, is there an increased risk for potential side effects or adverse reactions?
10. After reading the information provided by the drug manufacturer and my pharmacist, do I have additional questions?
You should also:
— Provide every physician treating you with an up-to-date list of prescribed and over-the-counter medications being taken;
— Alert any health-care professional treating you (including your pharmacist) to details of your personal and family history that might impact your tolerance for, or reaction to, a particular
medication;
— Take prescribed medication exactly as indicated; never exceed or skip a recommended dosage;
— Educate yourself about potential side effects and adverse reactions that could occur, and
— Never borrow or lend prescribed medications from or to friends or family members.
While Tomatoes and Avocados . . .
. . . are fruits,
it’s not a good idea to put them in a fruit salad.
And did you know that avocado peel
is extremely healthy but,
because it’s so bitter and chewy,
few people eat it.
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Follow The Doctor’s Orders
Taking medications correctly at the right time and in the right way as prescribed by your doctor can help control any medical issues. While not doing so can some grim consequences, not everyone follows those rules because they’re too busy, feel good without the medications, have pills too big to swallow or any number of other excuses.
About 30 percent of medication prescriptions are never filled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 50 percent of cases studied, patients don’t continue medication as prescribed. This non-adherence to doctor’s orders causes as much as 50 percent of chronic disease treatment failures and 125,000 deaths per year.
One of the two most-common reasons medications are not taken as prescribed is, “I’m feeling better. I can stop taking medication.” Not taking medications as prescribed by your doctor can result in several negative outcomes.
If, for example, you’ve started on a new blood-pressure medication but you’re not taking it regularly, it may not properly control your blood pressure. If your doctor thinks you’re taking the medication as prescribed, they may look at high blood-pressure readings as a sign that you need additional medication.
The other most common reason for not following the prescribed medical course is, “My medication is too expensive. Missing one dose or taking a half-dose here and there to save a little shouldn’t be a big deal.” Your doctor may not notice you’ve missed a few doses here and there. But medications like those for your thyroid or blood thinners may have a huge impact if only one dose is missed.
To help you stick to a required regimen, don’t skip doses or take half doses to save money. If money is a problem, tell you doctor so the problem can be addressed and solved.
Keep taking the prescribed medicine until it’s completed or until your doctor tells you no longer need it. The reason you may be feeling is good is because the medication is working, so keep on taking it.
If you have any questions about the medication you’re taking, talk to your doctor and pharmacist.
A Disease That Sneaks Up On You
By Tom Morrow
(The author is a long-time friend and colleague of this blogger.)
A 19th century malady that is becoming more prevalent in today’s society is Parkinson’s Disease.
PD is thought to occur primarily with the elderly. There are no easy explanations and it can hit the young. Males are more often affected than females at a ratio of around 3 to 2.
When young people like actor Michael J. Fox and boxer Muhammed Ali are afflicted, the age factor sort of goes out the window. Fox was 27 when he was diagnosed. Ali was 38. Older victims such as well-known actor Alan Alda are more commonplace. Singer Linda Ronstadt was 67.
I was 75 when I was diagnosed.
PD is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor nerves. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become more common. The most obvious early symptoms are tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking and keeping balanced.
By 2015, it was estimated PD affected more than 6 million people and resulted in about 117,400 deaths globally. The average life expectancy following diagnosis is between seven and 15 years.
The cause of PD is unknown but both inherited and environmental factors are believed to play a role. Those with a family member affected by PD are at an increased risk of getting the disease, with certain genes known to be inheritable risk factors. Other risk factors are those who have been exposed to certain pesticides and those who have had head injuries. Cognitive and behavioral problems also may occur with many victims suffering from depression, anxiety and apathy. Dementia can become commonplace in the advanced stages of PD.
Boxers, such as Ali, and sports figures who have sustained a number of blows to head often develop PD. A lot of football players are victims.
Those suffering with Parkinson’s also can have problems with their sleep and sensory systems. The motor symptoms of the disease result from the dead cells in the mid-brain leading to a dopamine deficit. The cause of this cell death is not very well understood. Diagnosis of typical PD cases is usually based on symptoms when motor skills difficulties are the patient’s chief complaint.
The bad news is that there still is no known cure for PD.
For those of us with PD, treatment can reduce the effects of the symptoms. Initial treatment is done typically with medications such as levodopa or dopamine agonists. As the disease progresses, experience has shown these medications become less effective.
Actor Fox has greatly increased the public awareness of the disease. After diagnosis, Fox embraced his Parkinson’s in television roles, sometimes acting without medication to further illustrate the effects of the condition. He has appeared before Congress without medication to illustrate the effects of the disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation aims to develop a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Professional cyclist and Olympic medalist Davis Phinney, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s at age 40, started the Davis Phinney Foundation in 2004 to support PD research, focusing on quality of life for people with the disease.
While boxer Ali showed signs of PD when he was 38, it was not diagnosed until he was 42. He has been called the “world’s most famous Parkinson’s patient.”
A physician initially assesses PD with a careful medical and neurological history. Focus is put on confirming motor symptoms and supporting tests with clinical diagnostic criteria being discussed by a physician and PD specialist.
Multiple causes often mimic PD, making it look similar to the disease. Stroke, certain medications, and toxins can cause “secondary parkinsonism” and need to be thoroughly and properly assessed. Parkinson-plus syndromes, such as progressive palsy and multiple system atrophy, should be considered and ruled out appropriately due to different treatment and disease progression.
For PD victims losing their motor skills, such as walking and difficulties in keeping balance, swallow your pride and use a walker both indoors and out. The results of a bad fall can be worse than any disease.
Mature Life Features 