Its about that time

Its becoming of the season where the tissues should never be in short supply and chicken soup is a daily requirement. Cold and flu season is just one of those things we just have to deal with. We can't make people wash their hands and cover their faces when they cough. Germs will get us no matter how hard we try to avoid them.
The distinctiveness between what can have an antibiotic and what can't is pretty simple. A virus means deal with it and bacterial infection means you get some help. Its no fun to be sick and if we could have a quick fix we are going to get it. Sometimes that just isn't the best method though. You may have infection but over usage of antibiotics may prevent you from that time when the infection is so bad that you need something to live or die and it just won't work good enough. So you have to be careful. You don't want your body to form immunity to life saving medications. Believe it or not that simple 5 day treatment Z-pack could save your life one day. Not just saving you from being sick for only 4 days vs. 12.
Another big warning I guess I should call it would be is to be careful what you pick out at your local drugstore. There are tons of over the counter products that scream, "I will help you!". They can, not saying they won't, but you don't want to come home with something that you may not need. You have a cough and nasal congestion but no fever then you don't need something that has acetaminophen in it which most cold remedies do. Acetaminophen isn't something you can mess around with like most people have in the past. Its just like any other drug that if you have too much of it then that whole immunity comes into play. Plus there is that whole liver effect that isn't good. New studies shown that we have to decrease the once lived by maximum dosage amounts because of the chaos it does to your liver.
Anything you put in your body you have to read the labels. You have to read the warnings. My favorite saying, EDUCATE YOURSELF!!! Just know what your putting in your body and make sure that its something you have to have. The over the counter medications are growing in availability. The aisles are getting bigger. If your sick and need some help, ask the pharmacist. Explain your symptoms and they can lead you to the right thing that you can try. Here are list of things to look out for when its your time to be sickly:

Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen: Used for those body aches and muscle cramps. Also helps brings down and break a fever. Ibuprofen will also help with swelling/inflammation. 

Phenylephrine: Stuffy nose. Breaks up that thick mucus that is causing your nasal airway to swell. 

Mucenix: breaks up chest congestion and works as a cough suppressant. (love this personally! Just remember you need to drink a crap load of water whenever taking it. It has to flush through your body to work at its best!) 

Dexamethasone: Cough suppressant. Helps stop or at least lighten up your cough attacks. 

Dextromethorphan: Cough suppressant

Doxylamine succinate: Antihistamine. Stuffy nose and swollen nasal glands. 

Hope this helps!

Be responsible for you

"I don’t agree with children that are hyper being put on Ritalin before exercising other options. ADD and ADHD were unheard of, just like cancer, and other Illnesses that have presented themselves, when processed foods did not exist. Children sit around watching TV and eating foods that have no nutritional value whatsoever. Now we have a huge problem and no one knows how to fix it. Because just like with our doctors we trust the people who “process” our food to not add anything that can cause illnesses.'"

No one likes the thought of having to daily medicate their child. Its not something a parent would like to have to depend on to have a normal day. With this response, you kinda hit a personal impact. It is your view to not agree with these medications, but to actually witness the benefits first hand when nothing else works then your perspective might change.
Learning disorders are being heavily diagnosed now. I don't think its because it just wasn't ever heard of though. Back in the day when parents would seek help with their kids it was usually just seeing if their kid was just an average one or the one that "rides the short bus". People avoided seeing doctors which didn't help with research behind it. Nowadays the research and studies are busting a move because more and more people are stepping forward with issues then they were before. Medication usage is much higher than it was before because of this. People are no longer afraid to say anything because it really is a lot more common then it used to be so parents no longer feel that shame that they didn't produce a normal kid.

I personally had to study a lot with disabilities. I never knew what Autism was until a Doctor told me that is what my daughter had. I've never medicated my autistic daughter. Studies of working with a Gluten Free diet helps change the toxin build up in Autistic children. It does make a difference. It does make a difference for any kid. Processed food, the stability of our environment, the pollution of our society, has created a world of new diseases and obese five year-olds.

My oldest daughter who is now eleven was diagnosed with ADHD/ADD at least five years ago. This year, we finally decided to intervene with medications.  It took us awhile to find the right one but we did. It has made a HUGE difference in the way she functions, communicates, and her overall well being. Her school performance has literately did a 180 degree flip. Will she need this medication all of her life? I don't know the answer to that question yet. All I know is that my daughter feels great and her overall performance with everything is for the better. There are kids out there that don't need to be on anything though. I do agree with you on that. 

So we have malnourished children that our lazy. Its a problem but its the parents problem. Last time I checked, I cook the food my kids eat. I am responsible for what they consume and what they do. You need to have your kids into sports so they get that extra activity. You have to encourage out door play and leave the video games and TV for rainy days. The problem isn't the kids is basically what I am saying. Its the parents. You ask my son what his favorite thing to do and he will say riding his bike or playing football. 

Basically my stand is with everything is that everything that you do is up to you. You choose what you eat. What you drink. What you physically do on a daily basis. As a parent, you are responsible for what your kids eat, drink, and physically do. I'm really tired of hearing people blame companies for their lack of respect for themselves with education. Things do happen. Look at me, I am very educated with Pharmacology. I even took certain medications before that worked for me. 10 years later, they didn't. If I didn't catch what was happening, I could be dead because of taking those medications. Things happen sometimes. You can't control everything, but you can can control a majority of it. Another example of this that personal reflects on me is my health of what it was when I became pregnant with my first child. I went from daily exercising, eating around 1400 calories a day, to about 100lbs heavier, out of shape beyond belief and mentally a mess. Why? Not because I was pregnant. It was because I lived at McDonald's or Arby's. I did not eat one thing that was healthy for me and I avoided anything that involved moving. So...I learned a very hard lesson that took years to recover from. I am responsible for me. No one else is.

I'm pointing at YOU! (Reader Response Questions)

I had a very impressive and open minded reader response. Tons of questions which I love and that means lots and lots of my prospective....who wouldn't like that? haha :) I'm going to have to respond in waves. There are a lot of topics but in the end they will eventually coincide with my reasoning. So here is Phase One.

Here is just a few questions they started out with: "Do you agree with drugs being handed out to patients coming in because they are depressed or in pain, have allergies, a child who is hyper, etc, etc.....? Do you think they should first require therapy? A nutritionist? Who should be blamed for the chemical dependency issues?"

I live and breathe in the Pharmacology world. Medications has done wonders in our life and the fact that we are on the verge of curing cancer is over the edge exciting. Taking elements of our world and combining them with man made elements, we can make people better. We can also make them worse. There is always a downside to everything. I pursue this field not for the pretty nice paycheck. I do it because I believe in it. I respect medicine. If I don't understand something then I research until I do. I hate seeing these stupid law commercials that say if you took this drug and had a bad side affect to it, that you can sue. Every one is different. People don't react to all medication the same. That is why there are people allergic to certain ones. Every time that you take any form of medication whether it is Tylenol, Advil, Claritin, Lortab, Xanax....and all the other available medications over the counter, prescription and even holistic methods; the fact still remains that everyone will react, absorb, tolerate and what not differently. Different methods and treatments and options are there because of that. When you take a medication, you sign up to deal with its symptoms and side effects even if the stuff isn't even written on the bottle to warn ya. You chose to take the damn thing so deal with it. Plus just because the doctor prescribed it for you, doesn't mean that is the best thing. It could be though, that is why you need to educate yourself.

Physicians nowadays are over prescribing certain medications. There are a combination of reasons though why I personally think they are. I recently had to study to obtain my Pharmaceutical Sales License and apart of my studies I had to learn the legalities of how to make your product stand out more. What you can and can not do to "bribe" a doctor to push your product more then the competitor. Surprisingly there are a lot of laws out now that forbids the back in the day I'll buy you lunch and give you court side tickets to the best game in town kinda thing. Of course some old schoolers will still take things even though their not supposed to and promote whatever product they are supposed to even in situation maybe where it wasn't needed. That is why people have to stop being so dependent on the fact that you think that your doctor can and will fix everything. You go to your doctor for medical guidance and advice. They will always promote your health because that is what they are licensed to do but it is still a BUSINESS. People tend to forget that. So you have a really bad cough. Its not bacteria and its just a virus. Could they give you a controlled suppressant to help you manage it or can you deal with hot tea and lemon and just go to bed early? Getting a prescription should be looked at as a recommendation, not obligatory.

In regard to chemical dependency issues as the reader stated its not so much about pointing a finger to blame. If you really have to blame someone then its only going to be the person that took it in the first place. They chose to take it with a recommendation from a doctor. They filled the script and then poured a glass of water and swallowed it.. Medications act completely different to all and that even means processing it chemically. Someones brain may pick up on something and then tell the body that it likes it and its not going anywhere. So...now you have an addict because that is what the body's response was. Blaming the Doctor, Pharmacists, and Drug companies is not valid in my opinion.

When someone is sick they can usually tell if they can tough it out, need chicken noodle soup, need Tylenol and what not. They can also tell when they may want to check to see if its bacterial. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics vs. having a virus. There are some cases where if you don't have antibiotics with your infection then it could turn into something worse and kill you and there are times that you just could use them but not NEED them. The first case of medicine is preventative medicine. People tend to forget that too. Don't want to be sick? Wash your damn hands and quit picking your nose and then shaking someones hand. Don't eat whatever the hell you want and then your cholesterol won't be so damn high and if you don't want your liver to get pissed off at you, don't drink. Living life is just like choosing to medicate it. You chose what happens, quit blaming others for your decisions.

I hope that answered those questions listed the best....now I got to work on the rest!!! Keep you questions coming!!!

Anxiety, Depression, and September 11th.

Its one of those times of the year that make ones day rather difficult. Some people never have recovered mentally from the pain that they had personally experienced. Life events scar us or brand us to be the people that we are today. Medications sometimes alter these scars or help them be more manageable. They can also can make people worse.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a very strong advocate for medication use. I'm also even more now, a believer of misdiagnosed or misuse of certain medications. Anti-psychotics and anxiety types of medications are available for those that need them. The rate of more people on these forms of medications is a lot higher now, then it was before September 11th, 2001. We all or at least we all should have been effected by that day. I lost a fellow colleague who was on the plane that hit tower two with his 3 year old daughter. September 11th of 2000 is also my first born child's birthday. Her first birthday was devastation. My pain vs. someone else's is not going to be greater or less then of someone else. Everyone deals with things in different ways, the same goes for medications. Everyone reacts to them different.

So, we have higher user list of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. I was actually just recently dealing with my own issues under these medications. I personally or should I say finally and luckily realized that these medications were making me well....a freaking nutcase for one. Through my assistance with my knowledge of these forms of medications and the collaboration of my fellow current colleagues, I am officially off of every medication my doctor put me on that put in a greater or should I say even worse state of mind then I originally was to begin with. The thing is, I'm telling this because back in 2001, I was on these medications before. They helped me then. I was on them for little less then a year and then was weaned off them and was able to go on about my life. This time around, the same medications didn't work. They made me worse. Now, I'm better off of any form of medicine then I was even before I started this last medication round.

So here I had the same medications that actually made me a better person once. Got my focus back, stopped the panic attacks, made me focus and be ME again. This time around, they didn't. Unfortunately the damage has been done as in regards to the person i became on these medications, but I'm off of them now and feel better then I ever did before. There isn't always a right answer to how to manage depression and anxiety. Sometimes you just need time to heal or to learn how to manage things. Then there are times you need a Xanax because your hyperventilating because your scared for some reason. The biggest thing is, you need to know your body. You need to know what is okay and what is your breaking point. Don't be afraid to say to your doctor, "Hey...I haven't been myself lately. I've been really stressed. What can I do different? Is this depression?" Don't go all crazy and hit up WebMD because you want to self diagnose or anything like that. Sometimes you just need to feel that sadness. You need to feel certain things to just know that its still you. A pill doesn't fix everything. It doesn't. But it can lead you on your way too.

Where do go from here? Well...if your at the point that you can't manage certain things anymore, talk to your doctor. If they prescribe something, educate yourself on what your on. It takes awhile for the effects at least for anti-depressants to kick in and work right, but that even applies to working wrong too.

In closing, just take a moment to self reflect every now and again. Remember moments, good and bad. Feeling emotions is okay to feel. Don't be scared of it. Take a moment to look at the sky. See an airplane in the air. Remember how there were days that there was once nothing in the air and the reason for it. Remember the people that lost their lives that day. Remember the ones that went in to help and especially the ones that never came out. Remember the people that took over a plane to take down terrorists even though they still lost their lives but saved probably hundreds of others. Tragedy makes, breaks, and conforms you. You need help, get it. But don't depend on numbing yourself because that isn't what is going to happen.

Addiction in a rant

One topic that I will hit on a lot will be Addiction. My opening to it is more of a personal reflection versus a scientific approach but when it comes down to everything, it can be just as important.

Through scientific advances along with everything else, drugs both legal and illegal fuel our world. The purpose of medications is supposed to be therapeutic, to help, to cure, and to heal. Unfortunately, no matter what we can create, there will always be something negative to it. Not one drug is alike. Not one drug is absorbed the same way in each and every person. Everyone is different and so is everyone chemical breakdowns.

Through my years of working in the industry, I have come across many unexpected "medications" that you would see being serviced from a hospital facility. People put themselves in positions where they either become addicted or they become unable to live without things.

I was given an order once to deliver beer to a patient. Yes, I said beer. It was a regular Budweiser and yes it was prescribed. There was a lot going on with this patient, but the biggest thing was that they were ordered to maintain a beer daily as part as their therapeutic plan. Sounds crazy, looks crazy, but it was something that was needed to be included to maintain that patient care.

Alcohol abuse is mostly just looked at as a disease because it is. Mental and physically your body become dependent on a substance that has been consumed so much and at so long of a rate, it could kill you if you stop. It kill you if you don't.

Illegal drugs are no different. Unfortunately the gateway to most illegal substance abuse is through prior therapeutic medication use. People become depressed or overly stressed and the anti-anxiety medications either are not working quick enough or that the patient just doesn't feel the immediate results needed. There is were Marijuana comes into play. Yes one state does have legal contract to prescribe this for therapy and when used appropriately the side effects and the therapeutic benefits are amazing for a patient. With the good, you will always have a bad view though. Marijuana is addictive and has a high probable rate of abuse that is seen up to 75 percent of its legal and illegal users. That is the main reason why it is illegal everywhere else because of that reason.

A pill or any form of drug isn't meant to fix your whole entire world. Its to guide you back to your normal state. Just because you have a headache, doesn't mean you need Advil or Tylenol every single time you have one. When any medication is taken in succession, they don't work as well and/or your body becomes in need of it to function or your body shuts down because of it.

Taking any drug: Legal, illegal, prescribed, and over the counter has potential to either help you or harm you.....or do both. I personally chose to work and to study pharmacology for more personal reasons. I've had to study a lot more because of hearing new stories and seeing how medications can heal and harm. I've seen people think their whole is dependent on a pill or a drug. That isn't the purpose of medications.

It is still used today, but not very often and that is Cocaine. FDA has guidelines in accordance with Micro-medics that it is to be used as a local anesthesia. I'm not talking though about the powder that people are seen using I guess on the streets. They use a Topical Solution and ALWAYS use the lowest dose possible for administration. Its still terrifying though. Such a powerful drug with a high range of toxicity. Its scary. We think we are making medical marvels but sometimes is it that? Are we making a better longer future or finding new ways to break us apart?

It all comes down to the patient and the doctor. Doctor monitors patient. Patient talks to doctor. Patient talks to Pharmacist. Pharmacist talks to Doctor. Everyone is involved. Medicine can heal if you use it right. When you use it wrong you could end up trapped in a life of addiction. Most people don't win that battle of addiction anymore. That is the scariest part.

Reader Question & Response

Reader Question and Response:

"I just started Celexa and Ambien (which I only take on weekends). Is the Celexa making me drag, since I've been taking it in the morning, or was it a hangover effect of Ambien? Should I take my Celexa at night?"

Here is a breakdown first of both medications. Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) is typically used for Insomnia. Its part of the drug class of Non-barbiturate Hypnotic.  This is a controlled substance at a Schedule IV. 
Celexa (Citalopram Hydrobromide) is typically used as an Antidepressant and/or Serotonin Inhibitor. 


Now every medication effects EVERYONE differently. Both of these medications have those fun side effects of fatigue. Celexa unfortunately does have an effect of causing Insomnia too. Its "peak point" to begin working usually takes up to 4 hours by the time its taken. So if you take this medication at night, you can avoid those side effects of the Insomnia and Headache. So yes, it can either make you tired or reverse it could keep you awake. Some medications of this class usually since its a stabilizer of serotonin levels, its more common to have the reaction of having like a "caffeine kick". With that effect, its best it in the morning. Then there is people like you and me. I've personally have been on this medication. When taking it in the morning, my day dragged. I felt all the opposite effects like you are describing with the feeling of blah. I switched to taking it at night and it seemed to help. The biggest factor is that its a minimal of two weeks but most specifically 30 days for Celexa to be working right and for your body to metabolize it appropriately.


Combining both the Ambien and Celexa at night will not enhance each others own effects. Its completely fine to take both. If your still feeling a long drag in the morning, try taking at least the Ambien sooner in the evening versus right before bed. That way your sleep time will consume the full affects of the Ambien and won't carry on in your awake hours. 


It seems that the Ambien might be the main cause of your hangover effect. But, if your feeling this way even two days after you even had one then its your body's response to the Celexa. So try to reverse the sequence of when you take your medications. Unfortunately you will have to wait that time frame of two weeks to see a difference in the Celexa. Plus in addition, which I'm sure your doctor has advise: avoid drinking alcohol while on either of these medications. 


So try the Celexa at night. If your still having the same response, talk to your doctor at maybe looking at a different medication that would not include this specific effect. 

Life Dosing Drugs

I've should have done this long ago. I've been grateful that my friends and family chose to come to me for advice or when they have questions when it comes to their medications. I don't hold my PharmD, but I do withhold over ten years of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry. My exposure to medication formulations, process, and pharmacokinetics has developed quite a career path for myself that is still ongoing.

I decided to use my love for blogging in addition to my understanding of how important it is to know your medications to bring it to you. You have questions about some medications your on and don't want the pharmacy lingo you have to decipher then ask me. I may not know everything right off hand, but my ability to research, applications and fellow colleagues I will be able to help.

A brief additional background on me is that I'm wrapping up my degree in Hospital Business Management with a Minor in Marketing in addition to also beginning my Masters in Health Information or aka Informatics. I currently hold a management position in a small bed surgical facility under the direction of the Director of Pharmacy. I've been known on several drug studies, mostly backed by the Ohio State University and most specifically clinical to Psychology. I can compound, infuse, integrate policy procedures, ACLS/BLS Certified with also additional Certifications for Chemotherapy, and highly in tuned with Micro-medics, Lexi-comp, and recently undergoing PALS medication training.

So that's the black and white of everything, but realistically I'm here for you. If I can help just one person with some information you never thought you could know unless you worked in Pharmacy then at least I'm helping.
Medications are in every home and I'm pretty sure there isn't one person out there that hasn't ever been exposed to any medications or vaccinations.

So here it is. Life Dosing Drugs by yours truly. ;)