Africa-Press – Mauritius. My husband has started ordering brand-name Eliquis through a Canadian pharmacy website. The drug apparently takes a circuitous route through Mauritius from where it is shipped.
Information suggests the drug originated in either Turkey or Puerto Rico. Is this medication safe? A. You raise a very important question. We do not have a good answer.
The shipment of medications poses challenges at every step from the manufacturing plant to the patient’s mailbox. We have long worried that excessive heat and humidity could affect mail-order medicines.
That includes many pharmaceutical products shipped within the United States. According to the Food and Drug Administration’s official prescribing information for Eliquis (apixaban): Store at 68 -77 degrees Fahrenheit; excursions permitted between 59 and 86 degrees.
Delivery trucks for USPS, UPS and even FedEx can exceed that range. Medicine left in a mailbox may also be exposed to extreme temperatures. We wish the FDA, USP or National Association of Boards of Pharmacy would address this critical issue.
Q. I took an over-the-counter sleep aid for years. Then I read that the antihistamine diphenhydramine in it might interfere with processing the day’s memories.
That worried me. Later, my doctor prescribed levocetirizine for my allergies. It helped me sleep very well, although I had vivid dreams. The dreams are not nightmares really, but very intense.
However, I woke up refreshed and rested. My understanding is that the brain uses sleep to organize and store the events of the day. How does this antihistamine affect that activity? A. OTC sleep aids have become very popular. Many nighttime (PM) pain relievers contain the sedating antihistamine DPH (diphenhydramine).
The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics (Jan. 9, 2023) states that first generation antihistamines like DPH “can impair next-day performance and are not recommended for treatment of chronic insomnia.
” The journal goes on to state that “Chronic use of anticholinergic drugs has been associated with an increased risk of dementia.
” DPH has anticholinergic activity.
A review of newer antihistamines such as levocetirizine (Xyzal) may also have a negative impactive on cognitive and psychomotor performance (Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, October 2022).
For alternatives, you may find our “eGuide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep” useful. It can be found under the Health eGuides tab at www. PeoplesPharmacy. com. Q.
Metformin was my lifesaving med for years, until suddenly it wasn’t! After 10 years of constant diarrhea (which I hated) and weight loss (which I loved), I was diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney failure and irritable bowel syndrome.
Now I struggle to keep my Type 2 diabetes under control with low-carb foods plus cinnamon tabs. My HbA1c is not great at 6.9, but not disastrous. While metformin can be a super drug for some people, it can be a very dangerous drug for others.
A. Metformin remains the most prescribed drug for Type 2 diabetes in the world. French regulators approved it in 1957, while the FDA waited until 1994 to make it available in the U.S. Although metformin helps control blood sugar and has both anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity, it does have some serious side effects. In addition to digestive distress, some people suffer from headache, liver damage and lactic acidosis.
This metabolic condition can be life threatening. Symptoms include rapid pulse, palpitations, low blood pressure, lethargy and severe stomach pain. People with poor kidney function are more vulnerable to this complication and should probably not take metformin.
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