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Help Prevent Medication Mix-Ups

There are lots of medications on the market — name brand prescriptions, generic equivalents, and over-the-counter remedies. A recent study from the United States Pharmacopeia, there are more than a thousand drugs that have names that are similar to others. Similar names creates a potential for confusion — the wrong drug (with a similar name) being substituted for the right one. Look at these sound-alikes for example: Were you prescribed Actos (for type 2 diabetes) or Actonel (for osteoporosis)? Were you prescribed Celexa (for depression) or Celebrex (for arthritis)? Were you prescribed Heparin (a blood thinner) or HESpan (to thicken … Continue reading →

More Pharmacy Lingo

The drug store sometimes seems to have a language all its own. What’s the difference between a capsule, a caplet, and a gelcap? Does it matter which one I pick? Will it change how the medication is delivered to my body, or how quickly it works? Here’s a list of pharmacy terms you might encounter — when trying to pick an over-the-counter treatment for a problem, or when picking up a prescription. First, let’s look at the product itself. Most medications list “active ingredients” — the stuff that produces the therapeutic effect — and “inactive ingredients” — the stuff that … Continue reading →

Unraveling the Prescription Code

It isn’t just the bad handwriting that keeps us from understanding the scribbles on a prescription sheet. There’s a bit of shorthand or code in there, too. Are you ready to crack the code? Here are some terms and phrases you might see on your prescription — in case you’re curious. Many of them deal with timing: what time of day the medication should be taken, and how frequently the medication should be taken. An “am” or “pm” (not surprisingly) refers to medication taken in the morning or the evening. But other bits of code might be less obvious. If … Continue reading →

Antibiotics: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

I’m currently taking two different types of antibiotics to treat an infected cat bite (ah the joys of working with animals). Here’s a fun fact: the doctor told me that eighty percent of cat bites end up infected. I guess I’ve been lucky so far — I’ve only had two bites get bad. Antibiotics come from two basic places: molds and bacteria. They work in one of two ways: by killing bacteria outright or by stopping their ability to reproduce (so they die out). Different antibiotics work against different types of bacteria — so taking one type of antibiotics for … Continue reading →

Flu Kits

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With all the talk about swine flu in the news lately, you may have heard mention of a “flu kit” — basically, a bunch of stuff to keep handy in case you come down with some form of influenza. The things in your flu kit can help keep you comfortable while the virus runs its course. So what might you want to put in your flu kit? Medical-Type Stuff A thermometer. Fever may be your most noticeable (and bothersome) flu symptom. Fever/pain medication, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil). Avoid giving aspirin to children. Tissues. The flu can spread quickly … Continue reading →

Drug Mistakes May Harm One out of Fifteen Children

A study from the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality found that drug errors hurt approximately one out of every fifteen hospitalized children. That translates into more than five hundred thousand children harmed by drug errors every year — a number far higher than previous estimates. What kind of drug errors are we talking about? Medicine mix-ups — giving the wrong drug to the wrong patient Accidental overdose — giving too much of a drug to a patient Bad drug reactions Remember what happened to actor Dennis Quaid’s newborn children last year? They accidentally received a drug overdose but eventually … Continue reading →