 prescriptions that, if needed, contain warnings such as taking medications with or without milk, or not drinking alcohol while taking medication. These warnings should be taken seriously. For example, grapefruit juice can cause increase medicine in your blood possibly making the drug toxic. Calcium can bind with some drugs and cause them to not absorb. Follow the instructions and talk to your pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.
When your doctor writes you a prescription, the dosage is specific for you and your weight, age and medical condition. If you take an antibiotic without a prescription it may not be the right antibiotic for your infection which could make it worse. And, when you don’t finish taking your medications it could make the condition worse.
Be sure to follow the exact instruction provided by your doctor and pharmacist when taking medications. Your pharmacist will label your prescription with directions on when to take the medication as well as what you what you should take it with and for how long. Stickers will also be used on the bottles when there are drug interaction warnings.
Patients suffering from high blood pressure or glaucoma are at a greater risk of drugs having dangerous consequences. Some OTC medicines like Sudafed can increase blood pressure even if the patient takes a prescription for high blood pressure. Other OTC medications such as antihistamines can cause further complications with Glaucoma.
You may think you’re saving money by buying medications via the internet, but it can be dangerous. According to the FDA, “the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs have not been reviewed by the FDA, and their identity and potency can’t be assured.” You may not get the medication that you intended to order, it may not be the right strength and it could even be expired.
The key ingredient in staying healthy is to trust your local pharmacist for all of your prescription and OTC questions and needs.
Niacin has long been hailed as a cholesterol treatment by boosting HDL (the good cholesterol) levels and lowering LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s often prescribed in conjunction with familiar statin medications such as Lipitor and Crestor. Niacin (vitamin B3) is also available over-the-counter in smaller doses.
However, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that taking Niacin does not reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes. What’s more, taking large doses of niacin has been shown to cause patients to experience liver problems, infections and bleeding in the brain, stomach and intestines.
We’ve spent some time discussing diabetes on our blog, and this study of 25,000 people also links niacin with the development of diabetes in people who were not diabetic at the beginning, of the study. The study also resulted in more diabetic participants requiring hospitalization.
These results are alarming, but before you stop taking any medications, talk to your doctor about whether the benefits of niacin outweigh the risks for you.
Note: Niacin is naturally present in many foods such as leafy green vegetables, fish, meat, poultry and eggs, so don’t be alarmed by this study… it is only concerning large doses of niacin taken as a supplement.
Good news for women suffering from hot flashes and for people with diabetes — two new drugs have been approved by the FDA.
Duavee is for menopausal women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms or “hot flashes” and the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Vasomotor symptoms are thought to occur when estrogen levels fall and affect the body’s temperature regulating mechanism. About 50% of postmenopausal women experience moderate to severe hot flashes. According to a 2013 study, vasomotor symptoms interfere with family life, work productivity and sleep. Sleep disruption can cause fatigue and depression which also impacts family and work life. Duavee should only be used for the shortest period of time consistent with treatment goals and the lowest risk for the patient.
Afrezza is a new inhalation powder for diabetics to use at mealtime. While not a substitute for long-acting insulin, it will allow both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics to have an option at mealtime to control blood sugar levels without a needle. The inhalant should be taken at the beginning of each meal or within 20 minutes of starting a meal. Peak insulin levels are achieved within 12-15 minutes of taking the drug compared to 45-90 minutes with injected, rapid-acting insulin. Afrezza should not be used in patients with chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker’s cough.
As with any medication, there are side effects. Discuss these medications with your doctor to see if they are right for you.
Have you had the Cyber Talk with your teens?
Summer is in full swing. School is out, we’ve celebrated the 4th and maybe already taken our family vacation. We go back to work and the kids are at home alone. So, do you know what your teens are up to when you’re not with them?
Learn the technology. We all joke that our kids know more about computers and devices than we do, but that shouldn’t be the case. Learn all that you can about their devices.
Know the passwords. Have your child give you all of the passwords to their devices and accounts. This goes for their phone, email, facebook, twitter, snapchat, gaming console, etc… every one of them.
Set some ground rules. Talk to your kids about what’s appropriate online behavior and what sites they can visit and who they are allowed to talk to online. If your kids don’t know the “friend” in-person, then they shouldn’t be chatting with them online.
Know where they are. Only 15% of parents use the location service on their child’s phone.
These numbers suggest that our kids really don’t fully understand the importance of staying safe online. They feel a sense of security since they are at home, but they are far from it. If you haven’t had the online safety talk with your kids, yet, take some time and discuss it today and get their passwords while your at it.Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo said on Monday that he has been at risk of contracting coronavirus, and he will undergo a swab test.
As president he gave these statements while urging construction workers to save the distancing measures and the use of a mask.
I have been in a lot of risk. There are people who have been by my side recently who have tested positive, and I have to swab test today, he said.
Cortizo spoke in the capital during a tour of construction projects that were suspended due to the pandemic and were beginning to reactivate today.
The president and officials inspected the formation of health committees and the protocol measures that all companies must comply with when reopening activities.
According to the Ministry of Public Works, this same Monday the construction of a hundred works was resumed, one of the sectors with the largest sources of employment in the country and which generates about 16% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
So far Panama has 97,043 accumulated positive cases and 2,086 deaths. Active cases are 25,296 and recovered total 69,661.Home ᐳ News ᐳ Mano Dura Redux: The Price of Mass Gang Arrests in El Salvador
Amid emergency powers, El Salvador has arrested tens of thousands of people
BARRIO 18 / 15 JUN 2022 BY SETH ROBBINS EN
While the scope of the recent mass arrests in El Salvador is shocking, it is not the first time that the country has used emergency measures to crack down on street gangs.
Since El Salvador legislators granted President Nayib Bukele emergency powers in late March, authorities have arrested more than 40,000 people, or about one percent of the population between the ages of 15 to 64, according to World Bank figures. The sweeping arrests, which began after a three-day killing spree that left 87 people dead, are unprecedented in their speed and breadth. Human rights groups and family members allege a growing number of arbitrary detentions.
El Salvador governments have long used mano dura (iron fist) policies to crack down on the MS13 and Barrio 18 street gangs. The first mano dura campaign in the early 2000s resulted in some 23,000 arrests. An unintended ­– and costly – consequence was the recruitment of a new generation of gang members in the overcrowded prisons.
SEE ALSO: Will Soaring Arrests in El Salvador Overwhelm its Prisons?
InSight Crime spoke to security analyst Douglas Farah, who recently produced an in-depth report that examined the MS13, about how the sweeping arrests are likely to affect the gangs. The conversation also touched upon recent evidence that Bukele officials negotiated with imprisoned gang leaders to keep homicide figures low, and aided in the release of several who are wanted on US terrorism charges.
InSight Crime (IC): What effect do you see the mass arrests having on gang dynamics in prisons and on the street?
Douglas Farah (DF): That is the million-dollar question. I think this is the first time we're seeing a serious internal split inside the MS13. It’s not clear cut to me yet what we're looking at. But I think the potential for divisions is strong.
It is clear that there are significant elements of the gangs that are with Bukele and either renegotiated a pact with him, or never really broke the pact. And that's the group of the extraditable leaders.
The big spike in homicides was [by] a faction of the gang. And that faction is deeply disturbed by some of the things that the ranfla historíca [the historic leadership] is doing from prison and how they're being protected.
IC: Do you think some of that