Health
beingwell magazine Summer 2008
If I am scheduled for surgery at the hospital what medication information should I bring with me?
A great help to the hospital is for any patients scheduled for surgery to book an appointment with your community pharmacist for a MedsCheck. At the end of this appointment your pharmacist will provide you with a list of your medication names, doses and method of taking them. This is valuable information for the physicians, pharmacists and nurses at the hospital to ensure accurate and safe prescribing during your stay with us.
We would recommend that you keep an up-to-date list of what you are prescribed and how you are taking the medications, as well as a list of any other vitamins, supplements or “natural medicines” you may be taking. This information is valuable for your community pharmacist so they can help you avoid drug interactions between the different treatments. It is always helpful to keep a copy available so it can be brought with you should you have to make a visit to the emergency department.
If you are not able to keep an up-to-date list, please bring all your medications with you to the hospital.
I have been taking vitamin E for my heart. Is it okay to continue taking it?
Currently, the routine use of vitamin E to prevent heart disease is discouraged.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and for a long time it was believed that it would help prevent heart disease. As an antioxidant it was thought to fight the free radicals produced by your normal bodily processes that can cause harm to cells in your body. Recent studies have shown that in fact, vitamin E intake is not helpful in preventing heart disease and in fact, higher doses of vitamin E might actually be associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Now that I have had my cardiac bypass surgery, can I stop taking all my prescriptions?
Cardiac surgery will fix the vessel(s) in your heart, but both your heart and other systems in your body will remain at risk from your ongoing cardiac disease. Medications that may continue include Aspirin, which protects your heart by preventing blood clots, your cholesterol or lipid lowering medication, which helps prevent any further build-up of plaque and other medications that help control both your blood pressure and your heart rate, which ensures your heart is not working too hard. You may have some medications stopped before leaving the hospital, but likely some will continue and others may even be added.
Please speak with your hospital pharmacist before you leave the hospital and make sure you completely understand any changes in your medication routine.
Why do I need to take calcium and vitamin D with my Actonel®?
Several treatments called bone metabolism regulators (bisphosphonates) are available to treat and or prevent osteoporosis. These include alendronate (sometimes referred to as Fosamax®), risedronate (Actonel®), zoledronic acid (Aclasta®), etidronate (Didrocal®) and others.
Osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones common in women after menopause and may also occur in men. It often occurs in women several years after menopause when the ovaries stop producing the female hormone estrogen.
Early onset menopause tends to make a woman more at risk for osteoporosis. Men may be at risk for it due to aging or a low level of the male hormone testosterone. If left untreated, osteoporosis may lead to broken bones. The bones may break with tasks as simple as lifting or from a very minor injury.
The treatments listed above help prevent loss of bone, but also rebuild bone already lost. By taking calcium and vitamin D along with these bone-building drugs, your body is able to make the strongest bone possible. Didrocal® already includes some calcium in the kit, but you may need to take more. Please speak to your physician if this is the one prescribed for you. Vitamin D should be taken separately. Please speak with your physician or pharmacist about the appropriate dose.
Remember the bone metabolism regulators need to be taken on an empty stomach with a glass of water and you must not take your calcium, other medications or have food at the same time. Take your calcium and vitamin D with a meal.
My doctor just switched the drug for my cholesterol. Can I drink grapefruit juice now?
It has now been identified that grapefruit juice can interact with a number of drugs. The interactions are very specific to the drug and not necessarily for the whole group of similar drugs. The interaction may either increase the drug in your body or prevent it from working.
Depending on which medication you were switched to, you may be able to drink grapefruit juice.
Speak to your pharmacist to find out for sure.