Dear PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: When I was browsing Italy, I seasoned a dreadful bout of acid reflux. A doctor prescribed an oral medicine termed Riopan, which I took just before bed. It worked remarkably well. I am instructed that you can just take it indefinitely devoid of worrying about facet effects.
Is this drug available in the United States either by prescription or more than the counter? It is the finest medicine I have taken for this challenge.
A. Riopan is an old-fashioned antacid that was initial produced in Germany. It is acknowledged underneath the generic name magaldrate and is made up of a combination of aluminum and magnesium hydroxides.
Though magaldrate is no for a longer period readily available in the U.S., you can get the exact essential substances in this sort of acquainted around-the-counter antacids as DiGel, Gelusil, Maalox and Mylanta.
To master much more about controlling heartburn and other gastrointestinal complications, you may well would like to check with our “eGuide to Beating Digestive Ailments.” This on the web source is out there less than the Health and fitness eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Pricey PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: Since I commenced getting pregabalin, my memory has disappeared. Is this a facet effect? I applied to remember almost everything, and this is disconcerting.
A. When we checked the official prescribing information for pregabalin (Lyrica), we discovered that the most widespread facet outcomes are dizziness and drowsiness. Other adverse reactions that have been documented in clinical trials include things like “thinking abnormal,” amnesia, confusion and memory impairment.
A person study report notes that even though medications these kinds of as pregabalin and gabapentin (Neurontin) are extensively made use of, “few data are out there on the consequences of these drugs on cognitive functions, these kinds of as studying memory” (Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, June 2017). Other visitors have also complained about memory reduction though having pregabalin.
You ought to discuss this trouble with your prescriber. If you ever take into consideration stopping this drug, be absolutely sure to have your doctor deliver a prepare for gradual tapering. Halting instantly can lead to disagreeable adverse reactions.
Dear PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: Why does not the pharmacy set the true expiration date of medicine on the patient’s bottle? It need to appear from the major bottle they took the medication from. They often put the discard day as one calendar year from the day of dispensing, even if the source bottle has an expiration date many years in the long run.
Medications are high priced, and some individuals throw them absent just after a 12 months, even though they continue to may possibly be superior. The functions that reward are the pharmaceutical organizations and the pharmacies.
The losers are clients, insurance policies providers and the place as a total for throwing away revenue on unneeded matters. Can something be performed about this apply?
A. We could not agree additional! We have been badgering the Foods and Drug Administration about this dilemma for decades with no resolution.
If a affected person needs to report an adverse response to the Food and drug administration, they need to have to fill out Form 3500B. It requests an expiration date along with the great deal amount and NDC variety.
It is scarce for pharmacies to place the expiration date on the label if they transfer the pills from the manufacturer’s authentic container. That indicates people have no way of understanding the legitimate expiration day. That is not the circumstance if the medicine is dispensed in the drug company’s first packaging. The law calls for expiration date along with lot number and NDC variety. We imagine this really should be available for all dispensed prescription drugs.
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In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Generate to them in care of King Characteristics, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or electronic mail them via their web page: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their most recent e-book is “Top Screwups Medical practitioners Make and How to Keep away from Them.”
(c) 2023 King Attributes Syndicate, Inc.
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