Drugs Blog

A generic drug often costs significantly less than the brand name version of the drug. For example, on Drugstore.com, a popular online drugstore, 50 mg. tablets of Zoloft, a medication used to treat depression, recently cost $100.00 for a 30-day supply, while the generic version, Sertraline HCl, cost $15.00 for a 30-day supply – a savings of $85.00!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for approving and regulating the use of generic medications. According to the FDA, all drugs, including brand name drugs and generic drugs, must work well and be safe. Generic drugs use the same active ingredients as their brand name counterparts and, therefore, have the same risks and benefits.

However, there is some controversy about the safety and effectiveness of some generic drugs. Despite the fact that the active ingredient in a generic medication is the same as in the brand name counterpart, small differences could effect how the generic medication works in your body. This may be due to how the generic medication is produced or the type and amount of inactive materials present in the medication. For some people, these slight differences may cause the drug to be less effective or lead to side effects.

Learn More About Generic Drugs

• Are Generic Drugs as Safe and Effective as Brand-Name Drugs?
• Levothyroxine: Is there a difference between brand name and generic versions?

Summer is in full swing! Whether you’re hanging out in a local park or can afford the price of gas to go to the beach, it will be hard to get through the rest of the season without getting some sun.

If you take certain medications, you need to make sure that you are careful about protecting your skin. Dozens of prescription and over-the-counter medications can cause an increase in sensitivity to sunlight, known as photosensitivity. This medication side effect can cause you to burn more easily or quickly; or, result in hives and other skin eruptions.

Some of the commonly used medications that cause photosensitivity include certain antihistamines, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine), used to treat nasal allergies; NSAIDs, such as Naprosyn (naproxen), used to treat pain and inflammation; and antibiotics, such as Achromycin (tetracycline) and Septra (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim). Other medications that can make you more sensitive to the sun include certain antidepressants, anti-psychotics, drugs used to treat heart disease and hypertension, cancer chemotherapy, and oral diabetes medications.

If you are taking a medication that causes photosensitivity, it is important to take the following precautions:

• Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, especially in mid day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Wear protective clothing including sunglasses that block UV rays, hats with a wide brim, long-sleeved shirts and pants. Several companies make sun-protective clothing.
• Use a sunscreen that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. Apply the sunscreen 30 minutes prior to exposure and reapply the product after swimming or excessive sweating.

If you are not sure if your medication causes photosensitivity, speak with your pharmacist.

The following article from About.com provides important information about photosensitivity:

• Sun Sensitivity Can Be Side Effect of Some Medications

A small square of dark chocolate weighing less than one-quarter of an ounce can lower blood pressure in otherwise healthy people with prehypertension or mild hypertension, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dark chocolate reduces blood pressure by increasing the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessels. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to relax and dilate. Only dark chocolate contains cocoa flavanoids, the active ingredient in dark chocolate that stimulates the action of nitric oxide. Milk chocolate and white chocolate have little or no cocoa flavanols and, therefore, have no blood pressure lowering benefit. With only 30 calories in a small square, dark chocolate should not increase your waistline. And, you don’t need a prescription!

If you have high blood pressure or prehypertension, your doctor may recommend a healthy diet, exercise, weight loss, and prescription medications.

The following articles from About.com provide important information about dark chocolate:

• Chocolate as a Health Food? An Affair of the Heart
• Health Benefits of Chocolate

What your doctor is reading is a regular feature that reviews current information about medications from the medical journals that are most often read by physicians.

The dietary supplements red rice yeast and fish oil combined with healthy lifestyle changes – such as exercise and diet – can help reduce LDL cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol) as effectively as the statin drug Zocor (simvastatin), according to new research.

This alternative method for lowering LDL cholesterol may be helpful for people with high cholesterol who are unwilling or unable to take statins because of muscle cramps, other side effects or the cost of brand name statins. Since no prescription is required, this therapy is readily available.

Red yeast rice is a Chinese herbal medication first described in the Tang Dynasty in 800 AD. It is used as a garnish for food and a traditional medication. Red yeast rice contains naturally occurring statin (lovastatin) and 9 different substances called monacolins that could inhibit the body’s ability to make cholesterol.

However, there may be some problems with the use of red rice yeast supplements. ConsumerLab.com, a company that evaluates health, wellness, and nutrition products, found that levels of cholesterol-lowering statin compounds varied by more than 100-fold among 10 red yeast rice products – some containing a large amount but others had hardly any.

ConsumerLab.com also found that four of the 10 products were contaminated with citrinin, a substance that may cause kidney damage.

If this information is confusing, speak with your healthcare provider before using a red yeast rice product. Dietary supplements, such as red yeast rice, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and problems with quality and safety can be a problem.

The following articles from About.com provide important information about the use of red yeast rice:

• What is Red Yeast Rice?
• Risks of Red Yeast Rice
• Red Yeast Rice - Drug Interactions
• Desperately seeking red yeast rice? Consider generic statins

Earlier this week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has ordered manufacturers of fluoroquinolones – including the antibiotics Cipro, Levaquin and other medications – to add a black box warning to their prescribing information.

According to the FDA, people taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic have an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture, a serious injury that could cause permanent disability.

To decrease your risk of a tendon rupture, you should stop taking fluoroquinolone if you have any tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation; avoid exercise and use of the affected area; and, contact your doctor immediately. Your doctor may recommend switching you to a different type of antibiotic.

The FDA warning includes the following fluoroquinolone antibiotics:

• Ciprofloxacin (marketed as Cipro and generic ciprofloxacin)
• Ciprofloxacin extended release (marketed as Cipro XR and Proquin XR)
• Gemifloxacin (marketed as Factive)
• Levofloxacin (marketed as Levaquin)
• Moxifloxacin (marketed as Avelox)
• Norfloxacin (marketed as Noroxin)
• Ofloxacin (marketed as Floxin and generic ofloxacin)

QID means "four times each day" and DAW means "dispense as written". These are two of the abbreviations doctors use when they write prescriptions.

Your doctor uses abbreviations that tell your pharmacist which medication to give you and directions on how to use that medication. You should learn to read a prescription immediately after it is written by your doctor. Doing so will help make sure that you know what medication you are getting. It will also give you a chance to ask questions about your doctor’s instructions.

Understanding your prescription may help prevent a medical error.

This past holiday weekend I went to a beach party where my host was serving an array of mixed drinks. I was amused by their names – pussy foot, a non-alcoholic fruit juice punch and hairy armpit a concoction of fruit juice and ouzo – until I learned that they were both made with grapefruit juice.

More than 50 prescription and over-the-counter medications are affected by grapefruit juice, including some commonly prescribed medications used to treat high cholesterol, high blood pressure, depression, pain, erectile dysfunction, and allergies. Grapefruit juice can interact with these medications possibly causing serious side effects.

Learn more about grapefruit juice and medications and check to see if your medication interacts with grapefruit juice using Drugs A to Z, a thorough drug database right here on About.com.

Since I take several medications that interact with grapefruit juice, I opted for a glass of iced tea. I also let my host know about grapefruit juice and medications—he was surprised, especially because he takes Zocor (simvastatin) and Norvasc (amlodipine), two medications that are affected by grapefruit juice.

According to the Institute of Medicine, “The frequency of medication errors and preventable medication-related injuries represents a very serious cause for concern.” The following tips can help you avoid an error when you receive and consequently fill a prescription.

1. Be able to read your doctor’s prescription. When you receive a prescription from your doctor, make sure that you can read it. If the prescription is not legible, ask your doctor to print the name of the medication and the directions for taking the medication.

2. Know your medication. When you leave your doctor’s office, you should know the name of your medication and the reason why your doctor has prescribed it. If you have questions, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. And, make sure you read any written material given to you along with your medications.

3. Use the same pharmacy for all your medications. If you have all of your prescription medications filled at one pharmacy, your pharmacist can more readily check for drug interactions. Let your pharmacist know about any medication allergies and any over-the-counter medications or supplements that you are using.

4. Check your filled prescription at the pharmacy. Carefully read the label on your prescription bottle. Let the pharmacist know if you find anything that you think is incorrect. If you are having a prescription refilled, make sure the medication looks exactly the same as it did the last time. If it does not, ask the pharmacist why. At home you can use the pill identifier to make sure you have the correct medication.

5. Keep all of your doctors informed. Keep a list of all your medications. Bring that list to all appointments and make sure that each doctor is aware of all your medications. This will lessen the chance that you will have drug interactions or get too many medications.

A personal note from Dr. Mike: Last week, I had a prescription filled at my local pharmacy and I received half the dose of medication that my doctor prescribed. I had been taking a lower dose of the medication and my pharmacist assumed it was just a refill. If I had not read the prescription label, I would not have gotten the proper dose and I might have had problems with my health condition.

To learn more about medical errors, read the following articles from Trish Torrey's About.com Patient Empowerment site:

• Why Do Prescription Drug Errors Occur?
• How to Prevent Prescription Errors at the Pharmacy

Do you know what mysterious bottles and tubes of medication lurk on the shelves of your medicine cabinet? If it has been more than six months since you took a look at what medications you have, it may be time for an inventory. Follow these steps:

1. Take all medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, out of your medicine cabinet.
2. Check the expiration dates on all bottles and tubes.
3. Set aside for proper disposal, all medications that have expired.
4. Set aside any medication that is not in its original container. Without the original label, you may not know what the medication is or if it is outdated.
5. Set aside liquid medications that are cloudy and tubes of ointments or creams that have become hard or cracked, even if they have not expired. If you have any doubt, throw it out!
6. Safely store the medications that you are going to keep.
7. Properly dispose of all medications that you have set aside. Do not flush them down the toilet.