Here are a few tips to avoid complications at your pharmacy:
1: Prescriptions for painkillers and sleeping aids get extra scrutiny, so don't try to do anything out of the normal.
2: Don't use drive throughs at pharmacies. More mistakes are made at the drive throughs.
3: Just know that most prescriptions are filled by less-qualified pharmacy technicians than the pharmacists.
4: Generics are fine, but it is advised to not replace blood thinning or thyroid medications with generics.
5: There is no national database to track all of your medications. Therefore, try to stick with one pharmacy or if you want to change, have all of your prescriptions moved to the new pharmacy.
6: To avoid long lines, don't go to the pharmacy on Monday or Tuesday evenings. This avoids the weekend refill crowd.
7: Be kind to your pharmacist or technician if they can't reach your doctor to authorize a refill. It is against the law in most states for them to do it.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Skin-Saving Remedies
A rare but observable skin condition we see in our offices is psoriasis. There is an estimated 7.5 million people in the United States that have this autoimmune skin condition. There seems to be a few new drugs on the horizon that may give those sufferers much needed relief.
Stronger medications: a new injectable drug called ustekinumab may be approved by the FDA this year. It seems to slow down the autoimmune response which causes the build-up of the patients inflammation. This inflammation then forms the grey-silver plaques were are all familiar with.
Over-the-counter: A cream called Psorent is formulated on an old therapy of coal tar (called LCD). Psorent doesn't leave the stain on the skin like coal tar did and also doesn't have the odor.
Natural therapy: reduce stress in your life. There is much literature indicating that increased stress can result in psoriatic flare ups. You may want to ask your primary care physician or dermatologist for medications that will help put your mind at ease.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
Stronger medications: a new injectable drug called ustekinumab may be approved by the FDA this year. It seems to slow down the autoimmune response which causes the build-up of the patients inflammation. This inflammation then forms the grey-silver plaques were are all familiar with.
Over-the-counter: A cream called Psorent is formulated on an old therapy of coal tar (called LCD). Psorent doesn't leave the stain on the skin like coal tar did and also doesn't have the odor.
Natural therapy: reduce stress in your life. There is much literature indicating that increased stress can result in psoriatic flare ups. You may want to ask your primary care physician or dermatologist for medications that will help put your mind at ease.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Athlete's Foot revisited.
Thank God I finally am back to some normalcy from hurricane Ike. But I was more fortunate than most.
I have seen a lot of athlete's foot recently and wanted to talk briefly about its symptoms, prevention and care.
In my opinion, athlete's foot is perhaps the most misdiagnosed skin condition on the body. Not only by patients, but medical professionals as well.
Essentially, athlete's foot is a fungal infection. These are caused by 'dermatophytes' that come from three organisms: Microsporum (most common but does not cause athlete's foot), Epidermophyton, and Trichophyton which is mainly responsible for tinea pedis or athletes' foot. The most common form occurs in-between the toes and generally 'weeps' or expresses a clear fluid. The second most common type is red, scaly, and itchy (like you see on TV). It itches because it causes an inflammatory response which is essentially an allergic reaction. But the majority of athlete's foot does not present to the patient with symptoms. Patients come into my office all the time complaining of dry skin which is in actuality, athlete's foot.
Generally, you get this fungal infection from communal areas that are warm and damp such as locker rooms, weight rooms, showers, and pools. Also, people who share shoes are susceptible to acquiring athlete's foot.
To prevent athlete's foot, wash your feet daily with mild soapy warm water and dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes. Change socks daily and try to wear natural fibers vs. synthetic or blended fibers. Alternate shoes and use foot powder, if your feet have a tendency to sweat. Avoid going bare-footed and if your shoes are made of cloth or mesh, wash them once a month.
To treat athlete's foot, use over-the-counter antifungal creams twice to three times a day for two to no more than three weeks. If your symptoms do not improve, see your local podiatrist for an evaluation.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
I have seen a lot of athlete's foot recently and wanted to talk briefly about its symptoms, prevention and care.
In my opinion, athlete's foot is perhaps the most misdiagnosed skin condition on the body. Not only by patients, but medical professionals as well.
Essentially, athlete's foot is a fungal infection. These are caused by 'dermatophytes' that come from three organisms: Microsporum (most common but does not cause athlete's foot), Epidermophyton, and Trichophyton which is mainly responsible for tinea pedis or athletes' foot. The most common form occurs in-between the toes and generally 'weeps' or expresses a clear fluid. The second most common type is red, scaly, and itchy (like you see on TV). It itches because it causes an inflammatory response which is essentially an allergic reaction. But the majority of athlete's foot does not present to the patient with symptoms. Patients come into my office all the time complaining of dry skin which is in actuality, athlete's foot.
Generally, you get this fungal infection from communal areas that are warm and damp such as locker rooms, weight rooms, showers, and pools. Also, people who share shoes are susceptible to acquiring athlete's foot.
To prevent athlete's foot, wash your feet daily with mild soapy warm water and dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes. Change socks daily and try to wear natural fibers vs. synthetic or blended fibers. Alternate shoes and use foot powder, if your feet have a tendency to sweat. Avoid going bare-footed and if your shoes are made of cloth or mesh, wash them once a month.
To treat athlete's foot, use over-the-counter antifungal creams twice to three times a day for two to no more than three weeks. If your symptoms do not improve, see your local podiatrist for an evaluation.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
Saturday, September 6, 2008
New injectable "pillows for the feet" helps reduce foot pain.
September has started off a little sluggish regarding my postings. But I am starting the month off with some very exciting information.
I have been reading recently about a new product that some Podiatrist's across the country are using to help reduce pain to the balls of the feet due to the loss of fat pad. The product is called Sculptra and is a bioabsorbable product that is injected just under the skin to replace the fact pad that is lost.
Sculptra, also called New-fill, is made of poly-L-lactic acid. The product has been used safely outside of the U.S. since 1999 and was recently approved by the FDA to be used on people who have fat pad loss to their face due to complications associated with HIV. However, as I mentioned, there are a few Podiatrists across the country who are using it to treat fat pad loss to the feet.
We lose fat pad to our feet naturally due to aging. But we can also lose this fat from participating in ballistic sports (mainly running long distances/jogging), wearing high heels and people who have diabetes.
Loss of this fat pad causes pain to the bones in the front of the foot (called metatarsalgia), can lead to nerve pain (called neuromas), thick callouses, and ulcers (especially those with diabetic neuropathy). Injection of Sculptra replaces this lost fat 'cushion' to the feet and has shown a high success rate in reducing these problems.
The side effects seem to be very minimal and are those associated with receiving a 'shot' in general. The only two negatives to this procedure is 1) the Sculptra can break down just like our natural fat from to much pressure and additional injections may be required and 2) since the use of this product is not approved for the feet, insurances will not cover the procedure so it is an out-of-pocket expense.
This is very exciting news and is something I am going to explore and may be offering my patients very soon.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
I have been reading recently about a new product that some Podiatrist's across the country are using to help reduce pain to the balls of the feet due to the loss of fat pad. The product is called Sculptra and is a bioabsorbable product that is injected just under the skin to replace the fact pad that is lost.
Sculptra, also called New-fill, is made of poly-L-lactic acid. The product has been used safely outside of the U.S. since 1999 and was recently approved by the FDA to be used on people who have fat pad loss to their face due to complications associated with HIV. However, as I mentioned, there are a few Podiatrists across the country who are using it to treat fat pad loss to the feet.
We lose fat pad to our feet naturally due to aging. But we can also lose this fat from participating in ballistic sports (mainly running long distances/jogging), wearing high heels and people who have diabetes.
Loss of this fat pad causes pain to the bones in the front of the foot (called metatarsalgia), can lead to nerve pain (called neuromas), thick callouses, and ulcers (especially those with diabetic neuropathy). Injection of Sculptra replaces this lost fat 'cushion' to the feet and has shown a high success rate in reducing these problems.
The side effects seem to be very minimal and are those associated with receiving a 'shot' in general. The only two negatives to this procedure is 1) the Sculptra can break down just like our natural fat from to much pressure and additional injections may be required and 2) since the use of this product is not approved for the feet, insurances will not cover the procedure so it is an out-of-pocket expense.
This is very exciting news and is something I am going to explore and may be offering my patients very soon.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
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