HealthBeat: Rx Resources

If you're among the millions of people with asthma or other lung diseases, there's something you should know. Your inhaler is about to change. And that means you'll have to make some changes, too.

Have you ever gone into your medicine cabinet, grabbed a prescription bottle only to realize you've forgotten what the pill is for?

Children diagnosed with attention deficit disorders are often prescribed stimulants, such as Adderall, Strattera, Concerta or Ritalin to treat the condition. But according to the American Heart Association, certain steps should be taken before your child pops one of these pills.

A new study claims two widely-prescribed drugs for lowering cholesterol may not be the best choice for patients. Now some drugs are getting another look and researchers say there could be better options. 


Some doctors are suggesting a return to older, tried-and-true cholesterol medications after a new study found that Vytorin and a related drug, Zetia, may not help prevent heart disease, even though they may reduce key risk factors. 



More bad news about the cholesterol lowering pill Vytorin has cardiologist Seth Uretsky hearing from worried patients. 



Dr.

If you think your doctor is doing you a favor by handing you a free drug sample or two, you might want to reconsider taking them. 


Free drug samples may seem like a money saver at the time, but a new study finds they can actually end of costing you more in pharmacy fees in the long run. 



The University of Chicago research says patients who don't get samples spend about $175 on prescriptions drugs over six months.

Some parents spend a lot of money on vitamins, trying to make sure their children get the nutrients they need. But one expert says that may not be necessary. 


According to a study in the medical journal, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one third of children in the United States take vitamin and mineral dietary supplements.

Healthcare professionals write 118 million prescriptions every year in this country for a class of drugs known as antidepressants. But a study released earlier this week, has many of those who pop the pills wondering whether they might do just as well with therapy or a good workout. 


New research has some people questioning whether antidepressants are as effective as advertised.

When a muscle aches from too much exercise or a joint burns with the pain of arthritis, you probably don't think twice about using an over-the-counter cream to fix what ails you. But just because the product comes without a prescription, doesn't mean it can't hurt you. 


In fact, just last April, a Staten Island high-school track star who rubbed BenGay-like products on her aching legs died of a rare overdose after she applied too much of it.

Are you allergic to anything? Cats? Dogs? Maybe seafood? 


You can avoid many of those things and also avoid the runny nose, watery eyes and scratchy throat.

But for some people an antihistamine is a daily necessity to avoid all those things. And one of the most popular ones just became easier to get. 



The antihistamine is Zyrtec, and it's decongestant cousin, Zyrtec-D.

Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines.  The Food and Drug Administration has ruled they're too risky for children so young. 


If this story sounds a bit familiar, that's because it is. In fact, Thursday's warning by the FDA is a move that's been expected for months. 



You may recall that last October drug companies quit selling dozens of non-prescription cold remedies targeted to babies and toddlers because of concerns over dosing mistakes and side effects.

Trial tests for two popular cholesterol-lowering drugs show that the medications don't work as advertised. 


The study tested more than 700 people with very high cholesterol to find out if a combination of the drug, Zetia, and the statin drug, Zocor, worked better than Zocor alone. The surprising findings are that the combination, known as Vytorin has absolutely no beneficial effect on patients and may actually be responsible for more heart problems. 



The latest studies show that Zetia alone can reduce cholesterol levels by 20 percent, but it has no effect whatsoever on reducing patients' risk for heart attack or stroke.

This time of year, one of the most common complaints in KELOLAND doctor's offices is sinus pain and congestion.  And most of those patients want a prescription for an antibiotic to cure what ails them, but it may be time to let the man in the white coat be the doctor. 


There's nothing quite like the congestion in your nose, the pressure in your cheeks and the ache in your teeth to signal a sinus infection.

Up to 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with Crohn's Disease every year. There is no cure, but treatments are getting better. 


Crohn's Disease is an inflammatory condition of the intestines. It causes pain, cramping, and constant diarrhea. And if you have a relative with the condition, you are ten times more likely to develop it yourself.

Drug maker Merck's feeling pains in its pocket. The drug giant has agreed to pay one of the largest lawsuit settlements ever. 


Three years after withdrawing its pain medication Vioxx from the market, Merck announced Friday that it will pay 4.85 billion dollars to settle what could be as many as 47,000 lawsuits filed by people who claim they or their family members suffered injury or died after taking the drug. 



The company says it will pay the money into a fund and people who claim they were hurt by Vioxx can petition for money.

Odds are you've seen the commercial that repeats the phrase HeadOn, apply directly to the forehead" over and over, which may have you wondering whether the over-the-counter product really works. 


Headaches are a problem faced by most of us. In fact, studies show that roughly 45 million Americans suffer from them each year.

Herbal supplements are big business. Millions of people spend billions of dollars on herbs such as ginseng, ginkgo, and St. John's Wort. Many of these supplements have real health benefits. But many don't and some are downright dangerous. 


A Mayo Clinic study shows that most people who take herbal supplements don't know enough about the supplements they're taking. 



Cheerleading has been a part of Connie Walker's life for 40 years. 



Walker says, "I was a high school cheerleader." 



…and a college cheerleader.

If you're a parent, you might want to run a quick inventory of your medicine cabinet looking for over-the counter cough and cold medicines meant for children because the future of such remedies is being called into question by the FDA. 


The issue being considered by the FDA's Advisory Committee is something pediatricians say they've known for years.

You probably know there are only two categories of drugs at your local pharmacy: prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs.  But the Food and Drug Administration is looking to add a third category to the medication mix. 


If you've has a cold lately or are an allergy sufferer, like I am, the idea of having to get your medication from behind the counter is nothing new.

Now that makers of cough and cold medicine for very young children have pulled their products from store shelves, parents are left with a few questions. Like how do you treat a stuffy nose and a cough in an infant or a toddler without those products? 


This news is certain to startle parents who have long used over-the-counter cough and cold remedies to calm the colds of young children, but doctors say there's no real evidence that these medicines actually work. 



That sound is enough to send shivers down any parent's spine.

It's going to be harder for parents to ease their little one's stuffy nose and cough because some popular remedies are being pulled from store shelves. Those medicines are cough and cold formulas--14 of them-- designed specifically for infants and toddlers. They're being withdrawn from the market today voluntarily by their makers. 


The products being removed from stores shelves carry names most parents are familiar with--Dimetapp, Little Colds, Pediacare, Robutussin, Triaminic, even Tylenol.