Medications

Most people consider their pets as a much-cherished member of the family. We may share a slice of pizza with our pet dog or a can of tuna with our cat, but that does not mean it is safe for them to share our medicines as well (be it intentional or accidental).   This is because the way our pets metabolize (breakdown) these medications may not be the same as…

Your mind can sometimes work in a mysterious way to influence your health. Of greater interest is the fact that such conditioning effect of mind can work to either positively (known as placebo effect) or negatively (known as nocebo effect) affect your health. It may seem a little far-fetched, but this has been widely reported by many clinical and scientific studies. For instance, you’ve probably already heard of patients showing…

In my years practising as a pharmacist, one of the most common question I get from patients, friends and relatives is:  “Do medications for diabetes cause kidney failure?” It seems that the public has a misconception on medication for diabetes and to clear up this misunderstanding, we first need to understand what exactly diabetes is.   Diabetes and its complications Diabetes is a disease where the sugar level in one’s…

“I’ve been coughing for three days now, I’d like to have the best cough mixture.”   This is a common request that I receive as a pharmacist. Naturally, when it comes to medications, we would like to have the best there is. So, does the best cough mixture or medication actually exist? Whenever I receive requests like these, I would maintain my usual composure and start gathering more information on…

It can be really handy to have some common over-the-counter (OTC) medicines around especially when you are on holiday abroad. There is no one-size-fits-all list for a travel medicines kit, however, here are some pointers to help you organize a medicines kit for your next travel.   How is your personal health? Current medications: Are you on any long-term prescription medications (such as for high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, heart…

This article is a follow-up to the article on Diphtheria and why is it deadly. Vaccination against diphtheria is usually combined with vaccination against pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus under the name of DTaP or TDaP. Recently, DTaP or TDaP is further combined in with the polio vaccine known as DTaP-IPV or TDaP-IPV. It is a single injection that is recommended to be administered at 1, 2, 5 and 18…

Sympathomimetic toxidrome is a syndrome where patients suffer from toxic effects that is exerted upon the autonomous sympathetic nervous system.   Wait, now you are confusing me. To know what sympathomimetic toxidrome is, we first need to understand the term “sympathomimetic” and the sympathetic nervous system. Have you ever felt your heart beating very hard and fast when you’re watching a horror film? Or sweat profusely when waiting for your…

Low-dose aspirin or more commonly known as “baby aspirin” is an anti-platelet medication. It is commonly prescribed to people who have had or have a high risk of a heart attack or a stroke. It works by preventing platelets from forming a clot efficiently thereby reducing the risks of heart attacks or a stroke. In order for low-dose aspirin to work effectively, it has to be taken daily. However, sticking…

Skin whitening is a huge industry as both men and women are progressively getting more conscious of their outlook. Although many manufacturers claim that their products can whiten skin despite little scientific evidence, none of them are as controversial as skin whitening injections. In order to stop such sham, he Ministry of Health, Malaysia even went as far as publishing a report on Vitamin C injections.     Myths and…