Thankfully, during the last two hundred years, scientists have developed drugs to treat a host of maladies. If you think about it, antibiotics alone have not only relieved pain and suffering, these drugs have saved countless lives.

Why, then, do many people resist or even fear medication?

I have a perfect example: my mother. A strong woman, my mom is battling cancer for the fourth time in 15 years; however, although drugs have literally extended her life, she remains leery of even the most basic medicines.

During her latest round of chemo, she became violently ill.  After investigating the situation, I found out she hadn’t taken her anti-nausea medication, because she wanted to see if she could “do without it.” The results of not taking her pills as prescribed by her doctor lead to two days of misery. We had a long talk, and she agreed to take the medication the right way next time.

People suffering from mental illness also resist the idea of using drugs to improve their quality of life. Although they suffer from debilitating depression, they let preconceived notions that they are “weak” or that they should “buck up” dictate whether they seek help or not. I am sure you know someone or have heard of someone who was doing great on anti-depressants only to stop taking them, because the medicine had worked – they felt fine!

It is true, some types of depression may be only temporary, such as at a time of loss, but if a person has suffered repeated bouts of melancholy, they should seriously consider taking the medicine for the rest of their lives (or as long as the doctor advises).

The media has not helped either. Athletes suffer injuries, and they sometimes become addicted to pain medication. The press focuses on these cases, dissecting them from every angle, so much so that the “normal” American becomes fearful of becoming addicted to pain medication as well.  If you think about it, many people have suffered needles pain, because of this unfounded fear. If a patient in pain takes the medication as prescribed, the chances of addiction are minimal.

I also know several men who refuse to use ibuprofen and other over-the-counter pain relief medications. I don’t think they fear taking the medicine itself, they fear being seen as less manly for accepting help. What these men don’t realize, however, is that they need to accept the remedy in order to feel better more quickly.

Some say we live in a pill-popping society. I say medications, when used as prescribed, increase the quality of human life tremendously.

Think about it. It is very common today to be on several medications at one time. You may suffer from high blood pressure and depression, but did you know that some of the drugs used to treat those conditions may cause dizziness? And what can dizziness do to you? You could fall! As you can see, it is important to talk with both your doctor and your pharmacist about possible interactions between the medicines you are taking.

Other drug interactions have been proven as well. One medication that many Americans take in prescription form is Coumadin. Those that take this medication need to be aware that they should not consume any other medication or substance that will thin the blood (unless under the strict care and observation by a physician). If one unknowingly takes Coumadin with another type of blood thinner, the results could be disastrous.

It is also important to READ the prescribing information included when you fill any new prescription. Sometimes it may seem unnecessary to do so, yet you need to take care of yourself, and reading about the medication helps to give you a clear view of what it can do to your body. If you have trouble understanding any of the materials given to you, do not hesitate to ask for help. Again, you must remember that you are in charge of your own health.

A final way to be your own best advocate is to become familiar with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. This wonderful site will also assist you in understanding your medications. As you can guess, it contains valuable information on medications available to consumers today. And if you have lost the material that came with your prescription, the FDA offers these medication guides in a free, downloadable form. Here’s what they have to say about these guides:

“Medication Guides are paper handouts that come with many prescription medicines. The guides address issues that are specific to particular drugs and drug classes, and they contain FDA-approved information that can help patients avoid serious adverse events.”

There are approximately three billion prescriptions written each year in the United States. This fact from the FDA proves that millions of Americans rely on medication to live healthy, full lives. Be your own “best advocate,” and vow to learn all about your medications, their side effects, and how they interact with one another.

Questions for Your Doctor
1. Why do I need to take this medication?
2. Can I change the way I eat and/or how much I exercise instead of taking this new medicine?
3. How will this new medicine help me?

But there are a few responsibilities that consumers need to understand when choosing to medicate their ills with these wonder drugs.

First, medications need to be kept out of the hands of children. Most people remember to do this when they have little ones at home. They keep medicines in high cabinets and they rely on child proof caps. This works to keep young children from ingesting prescription pills or liquids; however, there is a new trend brewing. Older children, including middle school age, are now experimenting with prescription medications. In fact, there is a growing trend around the country, called “pill parties.”

As you can imagine, if a young person ingests medications not prescribed to him or her specifically, the results could be disastrous. Last year in a small community in Wisconsin, one child died because he took pills that were given to him by his peers. This is not an isolated incident; it is happening across the nation. To combat this alarming trend, keep your pills out of reach of children of ALL ages.

Another responsibility that consumers need to be aware of is that outdated or unused medications should never be washed down the sink or flushed down the toilet. The reason is simple; they contaminate the ground water. This shocking fact is troubling. Most of us think that our water is purified at wastewater treatment facilities, and this is true; however, some of these medicines still find their way into our ground water supply. Who wants hormones, or any of the other medications, in our drinking water? No one!

To dispose of medications properly, take advantage of one of the many “drug drop offs” spots around the country. Health departments, police departments, and other agencies are now holding drug round-ups to take old and unused medications back from consumers. If you can’t find a drug drop off near you, you can dispose of medications in coffee grounds or cat litter in a sealed bag in your trash.

A final responsibility that the public needs to be aware of is that all medication should be taken according to the directions. This is especially important with antibiotics. Many of us have gone to the doctor for treatment for a terrible cold, flu, or sinus infection, and we are glad to receive an anti-biotic to fight off the infection. Sometimes, though, we stop taking the medication once we start to feel better. This is a mistake. It helps to create strong “bugs” that can become drug resistant. So, even if the medication lasts for 14 days, and a patient feels better on day 8, he or she should continue taking all the medicine to completely kill the organism causing the illness.

Medications remain a tool to help us feel better, to make our lives easier and less painful. Thank goodness these wonder drugs exist! But with any medication, remember your responsibilities as well. 1. Keep medications away from ALL children, from infants to teens. 2. Dispose of your medications properly. 3. Take ALL of your medicine as prescribed by your doctor. By doing these three simple things, we can all avoid pill peril.

Depression during the holiday season is as rough as it gets. There is really nothing anyone can do to relieve depression besides taking an effective drug because depression often takes time to really diminish.

Pristiq is the brand name for desvenlafaxine, or  O-desmethylvenlafaxine. It is an antidepressant and is developed and marketed by Weyth, a part of one of the largest pharmaceuticals and healthcare manufacturing companies in the world. Weyth is famous for manufacturing over-the-counter medicine (OTC) Robitussin and Ibuprofen.

Pristiq is most effective when treating a major depressive disorder. It is used orally. However, the drug can also be used to treat many similar depression symptoms like panic disorder, repeated episodes of anxiety, extreme apprehension, and “change of life” signs. Pristiq is usually taken only once a day but it could vary according to doctor’s order. Also, dosage is based on your medical condition and your response to the treatment. You can take this medication with food or without food, but do not crush, chew or dissolve this in water. The most essential thing  is that you need to start taking the drug at low doses and slowly increase so you can reduce side effects. It is also important to keep taking the drug when you start to feel well because sudden stops can result in side effects like mood swings, headaches, tiredness, sleep changes, and mild shocks.

It is important to consult your doctor every step of way during this drug-taking process, and it may take several weeks to fully receive the full benefit of it.

After a brand name of a medicine comes out, patent laws keep the company financially protected for some time, but generic versions follow shortly and are often much more affordable. Because of the FDA, a generic product will be as strong and as affective as a brand name product as long as the active ingredients and dosage sizes are the same. If the generic product has been approved by the FDA, a consumer should be confident that it is the same quality as a brand name product.

The classic example here is ibuprofen tablets. Advil and Motrin are both very popular brand names for a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen. The only difference between the two products and any other product that is ibuprofen is simply the name, and possibly the dosage size. The actual composition of ibuprofen is always the same if the substance is pure; it’s a fact of chemistry.

It is wise to shop around, when possible. Consumer Reports determined that the same drug can vary up to $100 from store to store! Trying to save money on prescriptions is sometimes necessary, but one should never resort to dangerous options such as skipping prescriptions or sharing prescriptions. The best choice you can make is to ask your doctor if there are cheaper, equally affective options. The answer is often yes.

Is your dry mouth related to the antibiotics, or a new symptom? Can you drink milk with your statin medication? Can you take your anti-inflammatory with your iron supplement?

What about herbal remedies and vitamins? You can purchase these over the counter, but the FDA doesn’t require them to be labeled the same way prescription medications are. It’s also possible that the ginger you are taking for gout will work against the ulcer medication you’re taking for heartburn.

Fortunately, any information you need is a simple mouse-click away. Most major pharmaceutical companies have websites full of information, and even interactive forms for reporting adverse reactions.  Some sites have a good amount of human growth hormone information.

Be an informed consumer, and bookmark this list of links when you need to check out your supplements and medications!

RxList – A large database of prescription medications, it also includes a “pill identifier” button. Click on “Consumer” for information; “Advanced Consumer” will give you the actual chemical structure and other details directed towards professionals.

Vitamin Encyclopedia – This is a commercial site but has loads of information on all things vitamin, including recommended daily allowances, therapeutic doses, and symptoms of overdose. It’s easy to navigate by vitamin or mineral name. The only drawback is each vitamin page contains links to purchase related products at the bottom; be a savvy consumer and do plenty of research before purchasing vitamins and supplements!

Herbal Encyclopedia - Similar to the Vitamin Encyclopedia, and also includes lists of dangerous interactions.

Drugs.com – The most comprehensive and easy to use of all prescription sites. Also contains a drug interaction checker, news, pill identifier, and more.

A recent survey by USA TODAY, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health shows some interesting results:

• 53% of respondents said that drug advertising is a good thing
• 37% say they had asked their doctor to prescribe a medicine that they saw on television
• Only 23% say they are bothered by drug advertising

The bottom line is that it appears drug advertising works. This is why the pharmaceutical industry in 2006 spent $4.8 billion on consumer ads, according to IMS Health, a private firm that tracks sales and marketing.

No matter what the industry, businesses will continue to market their products if it is effective. And the drug business is no different. Expect the number of television pharmaceutical ads to continue to rise in coming years, despite my head shaking at the American public.

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