By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. When Christopher Columbus and his colleagues were sailing around the world, their teeth were falling out. You see they had figured out that on long sea voyages, fresh water could easily go swampy in barrels. So they brought beer instead. It lasted longer. But they hadn’t figured out that only eating salted meat and dried grains for months at a time wasn’t exactly a balanced diet. They were missing fruits and vegetables. This deficiency in their diet had given many of the sailors in the Age of Discovery scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include: swollen and bleeding gums, loosening of teeth, and bleeding into the muscles and joints. Many people died of scurvy during those early long distance sea voyages.
It was later discovered that citrus fruits like limes could be carried on long distance ships voyages and that something in them prevented scurvy. In fact the British sailors were so renowned for carrying the limes on their boats that they were called Limey’s. Of course, we know now that the citrus fruit have high amounts of Vitamin C in them. We know that a deficiency of Vitamin C causes scurvy, and so getting adequate Vitamin C prevents scurvy.
The amount of scurvy you will see in the streets of Dauphin these days is, well, non-existent. Vitamin C is still an important vitamin. What does Vitamin C do? Vitamin C is used to make collagen. Collagen is an elastic-like goo that is needed to hold together blood vessels, tendons, muscles and bones. So the bleeding and tooth loss of scurvy are due to lack of collagen formation. Vitamin C is involved in making the neurotransmitter, norepinepherine. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain, so indirectly Vitamin C can effect mood. Vitamin C is involved in making carnitine, which in turn helps get fat to the powerhouses of the cell called mitochondria. So Vitamin C is involved in burning fat to get energy. Vitamin C may be involved with getting cholesterol out of your blood and into your gut as bile acids. This may effect your cholesterol levels or your chance of getting gall stones.
Lately, Vitamin C is probably most often talked about as an antioxidant. Being an antioxidant means Vitamin C mops up free radicals. Free radicals are special oxygen atoms just itching to have a chemical reaction with anything around them. If that something is the DNA in our cells, that could kill the cell. Or, if the cell isn’t killed, oxygen damaged DNA could even lead to cancer. So it is best if we have antioxidants like Vitamin C to mop up these free radical oxygen atoms before they cause damage.
Why do people take Vitamin C pills? Well, Vitamin C has been used for many things like heart disease, eye disease, cancer, iron absorption, high blood pressure and to prevent sun burn. These all have varying amounts of proof behind them. There is good evidence to support Vitamin C helping the body absorb iron better. The evidence for using oral or injectable Vitamin C in cancer treatment is controversial at best.
One of the most popular uses is to prevent the common cold. This idea was made popular by the brilliant chemist Linus Pauling from the United States. Pauling was the first person to win two unshared Nobel prizes in two different fields. He won a Nobel prize in Chemistry and a Nobel Peace prize. He was a very bright guy. So when he wrote a book called “Vitamin C and the Common Cold” in 1970, people noticed. Despite his brilliance, Vitamin C is questionable against the common cold. Some studies have found big doses of Vitamin C (like 3 g per day) may reduce the duration of the cold about a day. Other studies have found no difference versus placebo. High doses of Vitamin C also increase the risk of upset stomach and diarrhea.
There are many different forms of Vitamin C you can buy. The chemical name for Vitamin C is ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid dissolves in water. From the reading I’ve done, it doesn’t seem to matter if you dissolved some ascorbic acid in water and drank it, bought an inexpensive pill of Vitamin C at the pharmacy and swallow it, or buy an expensive form of Vitamin C in a specialty store and take it. All forms of Vitamin C seem to be equally bioavailable. That means no matter which form of Vitamin C you use, the same amount gets into you blood stream or into your cells.
So how much Vitamin C do we need? Well you only need about 10 mg of Vitamin C per day to prevent scurvy. Most adults though need around 100 mg of Vitamin C per day. The Health Canada Recommended Daily intake is actually 90 mg in adults males and 75 mg in Adult females, but 100 mg is a nice round number. The upper limit of what Health Canada says we should take is 2000 mg of Vitamin C per day. And you can easily get Vitamin C from your food. A glass of orange juice or ½ a cup of chopped, raw sweet red pepper both have about 100 mg of Vitamin C. Notice I said raw red pepper, though. Vitamin C is very heat labile. That means cooking destroys the Vitamin C.
So you scurvy dogs should remember to eat your fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C will help you keep healthy.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Vitamin C - Audio
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Friday, April 16, 2010
Oxycontin EDS
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Oxycontin is a long acting, powerful narcotic pain killer. It is often used to treat severe pain like that experienced by cancer patients or severe arthritis where other pain medications won’t work. Unfortunately, oxycontin has a bad reputation. It has been called “Hillbilly Heroin” as it has become a popular drug of abuse. Because it has been abused, the Manitoba government is in the process of making it more difficult for patients to get oxycontin paid for by the Pharmacare program.
Why does oxycontin work so well as a pain killer and why has it become popular for abuse? Well it starts with opium and the opium poppy. There is evidence that people were growing opium poppies in Mesopotamis at least 5000 years ago. Opium poppies were traded into Egypt, Greece and Europe. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, would have been aware of opium in ancient Greece. Alexander the Great is credited with bringing opium to the far east. From the 1600’s on opium became the main commodity the British traded with China. They even fight a few wars over it. In the early 1800’s, Friedrich Serturner in Germany discovered how to extract morphine from opium.
Opium seems to have always had its problems with addiction. The extraction of morphine was thought to be a great break-thru as it made the opium like pain killing effects more reliable, longer lasting and safer. Morphine was even called “God’s own medicine”. Morphine is usually referred to as the original narcotic. All the modern narcotic pain killers, including the oxycodone in oxycontin, are derived from morphine. As good as morphine was and a safe as it was compared to opium, problems with addiction seem to have started early as well. Morphine was used during the American Civil War. In that war, there were reports of hundreds of thousands of cases of “soldier’s disease”. Soldier’s disease of the American Civil War is now interpreted as symptoms of morphine addiction.
All the modern derivative of morphine tried to create a safer, more effective pain killer. One of the most unfortunate examples was heroin. It was developed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s by Heinrich Dreser in Germany for the Bayer company. Apparently heroin was originally marketed as a safe pain killer for children. Then it was marketed as a way to step down off of morphine in adult patients. Unfortunately, although heroin is a stronger pain killer than morphine, it is also much more addictive.
Oxycodone, the active ingredient in oxycontin, was also developed in Germany in the early 1900’s. It is a stronger pain killer than morphine and has the potential to cause slightly fewer side effects. It has been in different pain killers over the years, including in Percocet. Oxycontin was marketed by Purdue in the 1990’s. Its advantage is that is it very long acting. Most people can use just 2 pills a day 12 hours apart. Unfortunately, like other narcotics going back to opium, there have also been problems with addiction and abuse. Rightly or wrongly, oxycontin abuse seems to have received a large amount of media attention in the last few years. So the Manitoba government has decided to act. Although I understand the government’s desire to reduce prescription medication abuse, I worry about patients who need the pain relief. Some of them may get caught in the new paperwork and not be able to afford their medication.
The new rules work through the Part 3 EDS system. EDS stands for Exceptional Drug Status and is an appeal process your doctor can do on your behalf. If you have never been on oxycontin before, and your doctor decides you need it, he or she can fill out forms to say why your pain is very severe, and why other drugs won’t work for you. If Manitoba Health doesn’t like the paperwork, they won’t pay for it, even if you go over your pharmacare deductible.
If you are on oxycontin right now, you have a little time. The government has put in a grandfather clause until May 26, 2010. That means you have between now and May 26 to contact your doctor and ask them to fill in the Part 3 EDS paperwork. After May 26, all patients on oxycontin, new and existing, will require a Part 3 EDS to get coverage from Manitoba Health. If you get the letter from Manitoba Health saying you have a Part 3 EDS, remember your medication is still not necessarily free. You still have to spend your pharmacare deductible before Manitoba Health will pay.
Do I think these new oxycontin rules will fix the problems with abuse and addiction? Not to be a pessimist, but probably not. There are other medications to abuse if you have an addiction. And although Manitoba Health is well intentioned, we have been dancing with the fantastic benefits and dangerous pitfalls of the opium like drugs for over 5000 years and I don’t think this will be the last song.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.
Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Oxycontin is a long acting, powerful narcotic pain killer. It is often used to treat severe pain like that experienced by cancer patients or severe arthritis where other pain medications won’t work. Unfortunately, oxycontin has a bad reputation. It has been called “Hillbilly Heroin” as it has become a popular drug of abuse. Because it has been abused, the Manitoba government is in the process of making it more difficult for patients to get oxycontin paid for by the Pharmacare program.
Why does oxycontin work so well as a pain killer and why has it become popular for abuse? Well it starts with opium and the opium poppy. There is evidence that people were growing opium poppies in Mesopotamis at least 5000 years ago. Opium poppies were traded into Egypt, Greece and Europe. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, would have been aware of opium in ancient Greece. Alexander the Great is credited with bringing opium to the far east. From the 1600’s on opium became the main commodity the British traded with China. They even fight a few wars over it. In the early 1800’s, Friedrich Serturner in Germany discovered how to extract morphine from opium.
Opium seems to have always had its problems with addiction. The extraction of morphine was thought to be a great break-thru as it made the opium like pain killing effects more reliable, longer lasting and safer. Morphine was even called “God’s own medicine”. Morphine is usually referred to as the original narcotic. All the modern narcotic pain killers, including the oxycodone in oxycontin, are derived from morphine. As good as morphine was and a safe as it was compared to opium, problems with addiction seem to have started early as well. Morphine was used during the American Civil War. In that war, there were reports of hundreds of thousands of cases of “soldier’s disease”. Soldier’s disease of the American Civil War is now interpreted as symptoms of morphine addiction.
All the modern derivative of morphine tried to create a safer, more effective pain killer. One of the most unfortunate examples was heroin. It was developed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s by Heinrich Dreser in Germany for the Bayer company. Apparently heroin was originally marketed as a safe pain killer for children. Then it was marketed as a way to step down off of morphine in adult patients. Unfortunately, although heroin is a stronger pain killer than morphine, it is also much more addictive.
Oxycodone, the active ingredient in oxycontin, was also developed in Germany in the early 1900’s. It is a stronger pain killer than morphine and has the potential to cause slightly fewer side effects. It has been in different pain killers over the years, including in Percocet. Oxycontin was marketed by Purdue in the 1990’s. Its advantage is that is it very long acting. Most people can use just 2 pills a day 12 hours apart. Unfortunately, like other narcotics going back to opium, there have also been problems with addiction and abuse. Rightly or wrongly, oxycontin abuse seems to have received a large amount of media attention in the last few years. So the Manitoba government has decided to act. Although I understand the government’s desire to reduce prescription medication abuse, I worry about patients who need the pain relief. Some of them may get caught in the new paperwork and not be able to afford their medication.
The new rules work through the Part 3 EDS system. EDS stands for Exceptional Drug Status and is an appeal process your doctor can do on your behalf. If you have never been on oxycontin before, and your doctor decides you need it, he or she can fill out forms to say why your pain is very severe, and why other drugs won’t work for you. If Manitoba Health doesn’t like the paperwork, they won’t pay for it, even if you go over your pharmacare deductible.
If you are on oxycontin right now, you have a little time. The government has put in a grandfather clause until May 26, 2010. That means you have between now and May 26 to contact your doctor and ask them to fill in the Part 3 EDS paperwork. After May 26, all patients on oxycontin, new and existing, will require a Part 3 EDS to get coverage from Manitoba Health. If you get the letter from Manitoba Health saying you have a Part 3 EDS, remember your medication is still not necessarily free. You still have to spend your pharmacare deductible before Manitoba Health will pay.
Do I think these new oxycontin rules will fix the problems with abuse and addiction? Not to be a pessimist, but probably not. There are other medications to abuse if you have an addiction. And although Manitoba Health is well intentioned, we have been dancing with the fantastic benefits and dangerous pitfalls of the opium like drugs for over 5000 years and I don’t think this will be the last song.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.
Oxycontin EDS - Audio
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Friday, April 09, 2010
Yeast Infections - Audio
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Yeast Infections
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
I share a birthday with some important people, including: Queen Victoria, The Buddha, and Bob Dylan. So while I was listening to the Parkland’s Best Music, 730 CKDM in the Winnipegosis Clinic Pharmacy, I was happy to hear a song by one of my birthday mates. It was “Signs”. You known, “And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply…” And then the announcer rocked my world. That wasn’t a Dylan song. It was by the Five Man Electrical Band! And to top it all off, they are a Canadian band. The other game-changer I learned about in Winnipegosis that day was how over the counter yeast infection treatments had changed.
The new over-the-counter treatment for vaginal yeast infections is called CanesOral. It is a one time only oral capsule. It contains 150 mg of fluconazole. That medication used to only be available by prescription. Fluconazole is general considered a safe medication. After swallowing one pill of fluconazole150 mg, the patient should start feeling relief in a few days. Side effects are usually mild but could include: nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, headache or rash.
What is a vaginal yeast infection? A vaginal yeast infection is caused by a fungus called Candida albicans. Yeast are tiny organisms that live in small numbers on the skin and inside the vagina. The inside of the vagina is usually too acidic for a lot of yeast cells to grow. But if the conditions change, yeast cells may begin to multiply. Things such as the menstrual period, pregnancy, diabetes, antibiotics and birth control pills can change the inside of the vagina so that yeast cells can grow more easily. Moisture and irritation of the vagina may also make it easy for yeast to grow.
What are the signs of a yeast infection? You may have: itching and burning, a white discharge that looks like cottage cheese or pain during sex. Vaginal yeast infections are very common. However, the symptoms are similar to other more serious conditions (e.g., some sexually transmitted diseases – STDs), and some less serious conditions like bacterial infections. Your doctor can tell you if you have a yeast infection or not. Unfortunately, women have not been shown to be very good at self diagnosing vaginal yeast infections. A 2002 study of 95 women by Ferris showed only about 1/3 of the women correctly self diagnosed their vaginal yeast infections. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you have another kind of infection won’t help and can make the problem worse. So when should you see your doctor? If you still have symptoms seven days after the treatment or, if the symptoms get worse during treatment.
There are also a group of people who should always see their doctor before trying an over the counter treatment. See your doctor if: you are under 18 years old, you have never had a yeast infection before, you have diabetes, you are pregnant or if the symptoms seem different than your last yeast infection.
What is the treatment for a yeast infection? Well, over the counter we used to just have creams and tablets that were inserted inside the vagina. Now we also have the option of this one time only oral capsule you swallow. There is also the CanesOral combi-pak that has the oral pill, plus a cream for external itching.Is it okay to have sex while using the treatment? No, sex is not recommended. Your partner could become infected. Also the yeast infection medication that is inserted into the vagina can decrease the effectiveness of spermicides, condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps. These birth control methods will not work as well during a treatment and for up to three days after.
I think it is great women have another convenient option for treating themselves for a yeast infection. However, remember that although the symptoms might feel the same, women can be wrong up to 2/3 of the time when self diagnosing a yeast infection. So if you have doubts, or if any yeast infection treatment doesn’t clear the symptoms in seven days, see your doctor.
For your next yeast infection, try CanesOral. If you want to meet Bob Dylan, and the Five Man Electrical Band, I can’t help you. However, if you want your blood sugar checked and learn more about Diabetes, come down to the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Thursday, April 8th from 10 am to 2 pm. We will have a nurse and our capable staff there for an informative Diabetes Clinic.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.
Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
I share a birthday with some important people, including: Queen Victoria, The Buddha, and Bob Dylan. So while I was listening to the Parkland’s Best Music, 730 CKDM in the Winnipegosis Clinic Pharmacy, I was happy to hear a song by one of my birthday mates. It was “Signs”. You known, “And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply…” And then the announcer rocked my world. That wasn’t a Dylan song. It was by the Five Man Electrical Band! And to top it all off, they are a Canadian band. The other game-changer I learned about in Winnipegosis that day was how over the counter yeast infection treatments had changed.
The new over-the-counter treatment for vaginal yeast infections is called CanesOral. It is a one time only oral capsule. It contains 150 mg of fluconazole. That medication used to only be available by prescription. Fluconazole is general considered a safe medication. After swallowing one pill of fluconazole150 mg, the patient should start feeling relief in a few days. Side effects are usually mild but could include: nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, headache or rash.
What is a vaginal yeast infection? A vaginal yeast infection is caused by a fungus called Candida albicans. Yeast are tiny organisms that live in small numbers on the skin and inside the vagina. The inside of the vagina is usually too acidic for a lot of yeast cells to grow. But if the conditions change, yeast cells may begin to multiply. Things such as the menstrual period, pregnancy, diabetes, antibiotics and birth control pills can change the inside of the vagina so that yeast cells can grow more easily. Moisture and irritation of the vagina may also make it easy for yeast to grow.
What are the signs of a yeast infection? You may have: itching and burning, a white discharge that looks like cottage cheese or pain during sex. Vaginal yeast infections are very common. However, the symptoms are similar to other more serious conditions (e.g., some sexually transmitted diseases – STDs), and some less serious conditions like bacterial infections. Your doctor can tell you if you have a yeast infection or not. Unfortunately, women have not been shown to be very good at self diagnosing vaginal yeast infections. A 2002 study of 95 women by Ferris showed only about 1/3 of the women correctly self diagnosed their vaginal yeast infections. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you have another kind of infection won’t help and can make the problem worse. So when should you see your doctor? If you still have symptoms seven days after the treatment or, if the symptoms get worse during treatment.
There are also a group of people who should always see their doctor before trying an over the counter treatment. See your doctor if: you are under 18 years old, you have never had a yeast infection before, you have diabetes, you are pregnant or if the symptoms seem different than your last yeast infection.
What is the treatment for a yeast infection? Well, over the counter we used to just have creams and tablets that were inserted inside the vagina. Now we also have the option of this one time only oral capsule you swallow. There is also the CanesOral combi-pak that has the oral pill, plus a cream for external itching.Is it okay to have sex while using the treatment? No, sex is not recommended. Your partner could become infected. Also the yeast infection medication that is inserted into the vagina can decrease the effectiveness of spermicides, condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps. These birth control methods will not work as well during a treatment and for up to three days after.
I think it is great women have another convenient option for treating themselves for a yeast infection. However, remember that although the symptoms might feel the same, women can be wrong up to 2/3 of the time when self diagnosing a yeast infection. So if you have doubts, or if any yeast infection treatment doesn’t clear the symptoms in seven days, see your doctor.
For your next yeast infection, try CanesOral. If you want to meet Bob Dylan, and the Five Man Electrical Band, I can’t help you. However, if you want your blood sugar checked and learn more about Diabetes, come down to the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Thursday, April 8th from 10 am to 2 pm. We will have a nurse and our capable staff there for an informative Diabetes Clinic.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.
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