Understanding Prescription Drugs For Canadians For Dummies Book

Introduction     1
About This Book     2
Conventions Used in This Book     3
What You Don't Have to Read     3
Foolish Assumptions     4
How This Book Is Organized     4
A Healthy Look at Prescription Drugs     4
Ailments A to Z     4
Medications A to Z     4
Common Concerns     5
The Part of Tens     5
Icons Used in This Book     5
A Healthy Look at Prescription Drugs     7
Prescription Drugs and You     9
Prescription Drugs: The Basics     9
Your Doctor, Your Pharmacist, and You     11
Treating What Ails You     12
Getting to Know Your Medicines     12
Addressing Your Concerns     13
Last(ing) Advice to Take from Chapter 1     14
Prescribing Knowledge     15
How Drugs Work     16
Entering the fray: How medicines get into our bodies     16
The incredible journey: How a pill gets from your mouth to your brain, bones, and beyond     17
How drugs affect your body's cells     20
How your body rids itself of medication     21
What Is a Prescription Drug?     22
The difference between over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs     22
The difference between behind-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs     24
The difference between prescription drugs and complementary and alternative medicines     25
The Difference between a Brand-Name Drug and a Generic Drug     26
Brand-name drugs     26
Generic drugs     26
Choosing brand-name or generic drugs     27
The Non-Medicinal Ingredients in Oral Medications     29
Your Doctor, Your Pharmacist add You     31
Prescribing Patience     31
Prescribing Prescription Drugs: Your Doctor's Role     33
Why your doctor prescribed a drug     33
What you need to tell your doctor     34
How your doctor chooses your prescription drug     35
What to make sure your doctor tells you     39
Dispensing Prescription Drugs: Your Pharmacist's Role     41
What your doctor needs to tell your pharmacist     42
What you need to tell your pharmacist     44
What you need to make sure your pharmacist tells you     45
Consuming Prescription Drugs: Your Key Role     49
Understanding the prescription label     49
Noting the warning labels      51
Understanding the package insert     52
What to watch for with your medications     53
Making Sure Your Prescription Works for You     59
Taking Your Medication: Practical Answers for Common Questions     59
What drugs am I taking?     60
What dose am I supposed to take?     60
How will I know whether I need to change doses?     61
How often should I take my medicine?     62
What should I do if I miss a dose?     63
Can I split the drug?     64
Should I take my medicine with food?     67
Are there things I should avoid when taking my medicine?     68
Can I stop my prescription before it's finished?     69
Should I refill my prescription?     70
Head to Toe: Using Different Types of Medication Properly     73
Easy to swallow: Pills, capsules, and liquids     73
In the eye of the beholder: Eye drops and ointments     74
Hear, hear! Ear drops     75
On the nose: Nose drops and sprays     76
Hit me with your best shot: Inhalers     77
Getting it in the end: Suppositories and enemas     80
For Women Only: Vaginal preparations     81
Rubbing it in: Lotions, creams, ointments, and patches     81
Needling questions: Injections     82
Looking After Your Medication     83
Storing your medication     84
Dealing with leftover medication     85
On the Road Again: Travelling with a Prescription Medicine     85
Preparing for your trip     86
Packing your prescription medicine     86
Forgetting your prescription medicine at home     86
Why Your Prescription Drug Might Not Be Working     88
Are you sure your medicine is not working?     88
Are you taking the right medicine?     89
Are you on the right dose of the medicine?     90
Are you taking the prescription properly?     91
Is the medicine being absorbed into your body?     91
Ailments A to Z     93
Aliments and Their Treatment     95
Conventions We Use in This Chapter     95
Acne     96
Addison's Disease     97
Alcoholism     98
Allergies     98
Alzheimer's Disease     99
Anemia     100
Iron deficiency     100
Vitamin B12 deficiency     100
Angina     101
Anxiety Disorders      102
Arrhythmias     103
Arthritis     104
Osteoarthritis     104
Rheumatoid arthritis     105
Asthma     106
Athlete's Foot     107
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)     108
Baldness     108
Bedwetting     109
Bipolar Disorder     109
Blood Clots     110
Cancer     110
Breast cancer     111
Prostate cancer     111
Chlamydia     112
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)     112
Claudication     113
Cold, Common     114
Cold Sores     114
Conjunctivitis     114
Contraception     115
Cough     115
Depression     116
Diabetes     117
Insulin therapy     117
Oral hypoglycemic agents     118
Diarrhea     119
Dizziness     119
Ear Infections     120
Eczema     121
Edema     121
Endocarditis Prophylaxis     122
Endometriosis     123
Epilepsy      123
Erectile Dysfunction     124
Fibromyalgia     125
Flatulence     125
Gastroenteritis     126
Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)     126
Glaucoma     127
Gonorrhea     127
Gout     128
Headaches     129
Heart Attack     130
Heart Failure     131
Hemorrhoids     132
Hepatitis, Viral     132
Herpes, Genital     133
Hirsutism     134
HIV/AIDS     135
Hyperprolactinemia (Enlarged Prostate)     136
Hypertension     136
Hyperthyroidism     138
Hypothyroidism     139
Incontinence, Urinary     139
Infertility     140
Inflammatory Bowel Disease     140
Influenza     141
Insomnia     142
Irritable Bowel Syndrome     143
Kidney Failure     143
Kidney Stones     144
Libido, Reduced     145
Lipid Disorders (Abnormal Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels)     146
Lupus     147
Menopause     148
Menstrual Cramps     148
Multiple Sclerosis     149
Muscle Cramps     149
Nausea and Vomiting     150
Obesity     150
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder     151
Osteoporosis     151
Pain     152
Parkinson's Disease     152
Pneumonia     153
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)     154
Prostatis     154
Prostatism (Enlarged Prostate)     155
Psoriasis     155
Restless Legs Syndrome     156
Rosacea     156
Schizophrenia     157
Shingles     157
Sinusitis     158
Smoking Cessation     159
Stroke     159
Syphilis     160
Throat Infections     161
Toenail Infections     161
Tremor, Essential     162
Tuberculosis     163
Ulcers, Peptic     163
Urinary Tract Infections     165
Bladder infections     165
Kidney infections     165
Vaginal Dryness     166
Vaginal Infections     166
Vitiligo     167
Warts, Genital      168
Warts, Skin     168
Medication A to Z     169
All in the (Drug) Family     171
Conventions We Use in This Chapter     171
Prescription Drugs 101: A Primer     173
Prescription drug use during pregnancy and breastfeeding     173
Prescription drugs and children     173
Prescription drug interactions and side-effects     174
Prescription drug choices     175
Alpha-adrenergic Agonists (Centrally Acting)     176
Alpha Blockers     178
Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors     182
Alzheimer's Disease Medicines     183
Aminosalicylates     186
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors     189
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs)     192
Anti-anxiety Medications     194
Anti-arrhythmics     199
Antibiotics     204
Aminoglycosides     208
Cephalosporins     210
Fluoroquinolones     211
Lincosamines     213
Macrolides     216
Nitroimidazoles     217
Penicillins     219
Sulfas     221
Tetracyclines      222
Anticancer Drugs for Breast and Prostate Cancer     224
Anticholinergics (for Overactive Bladder)     229
Anticoagulants     232
Low molecular weight heparins     235
Anticonvulsants     237
Antidepressants     249
Antifungal Agents     257
Antihistamines     261
Anti-obesity Drugs     264
Antiparkinsonian Drugs     267
Antiplatelet Agents     271
Antipsychotics     276
Antiretroviral Drugs     282
Antithyroid Agents     283
Antituberculosis Drugs     285
Antiviral Agents     287
Beta Blockers     290
Biologic Response Modifiers     295
Bisphosphonates     296
Calcium Channel Blockers     300
Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors     304
Contraceptive Therapy     306
Oral contraceptive therapies     307
Medroxy-progesterone acetate (Depo-Provera)     309
Levonorgestrel (Plan B)     311
Corticosteroids     312
Nasal corticosteroids     316
Ophthalmic (eye) corticosteroids     317
Oral corticosteroids      319
Otic (ear) corticosteroids     322
Rectal corticosteroids     324
Topical corticosteroids     325
Diuretics     326
Dopamine Agonists     334
Gastrointestinal Tract Motility Modifiers and Related Drugs     337
Eye Drops to Treat Glaucoma     340
Fibrates (Fibric Acid Derivatives)     347
Histamine (H1) Agonist     349
Immunosuppressive Drugs     351
Inhaled Medicines to Treat Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)     356
Insulin     365
Leukotriene Antagonists     370
Lithium     371
Menopausal Hormone Therapy     374
Narcotic ("Opioid") Analgesics     377
Nitrates     380
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)     384
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents     387
Phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) Inhibitors     397
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)     399
Retinoids     401
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs)     404
Serotonin (5 HT) Receptor Agonists     408
Skeletal Muscle Relaxants     411
Statins     413
Stimulants      416
Testosterone     418
Thyroid Hormones     421
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)     423
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor     426
Common Concerns     429
Side-Effects and Drug Interactions     431
Understanding Side-Effects     431
Allergic reactions     432
Dose-related side-effects     433
Side-effects from your drug acting where you'd rather it didn't     434
Idiosyncratic reactions     436
Drug intolerance     436
Side-effects from non-medicinal ingredients     437
How to Avoid Side-Effects     438
Questions to ask your doctor before you leave the office     438
Questions to ask your pharmacist before you leave the pharmacy     439
Questions to ask yourself before you take your new medicine     439
What to Do If You Experience a Side-Effect     440
Understanding Drug Interactions     441
Drug-drug interactions     441
Drug-food interactions     442
Drug-alcohol interactions     442
Drug-complementary and alternative medicine interactions     443
Drug-sunshine interactions     444
Prescription Drugs for Moms-to-Be, Kids, and Seniors      445
Drug Safety for Women Who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding     445
Looking at whether a drug is safe when pregnant or breastfeeding     446
What to do if you're taking a prescription drug and then find out you're pregnant     449
Drug Safety for Children     449
Special issues regarding your child's use of stimulant medicines to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)     450
How to help your child swallow a medicine     452
Drug Safety for Seniors     453
Considering special risks for seniors     453
Helpful ways for seniors to stay organized with their prescription medicines     454
Watching out for special side-effects in seniors     457
Dealing with Emergencies and Hospitalizations     459
Can It Wait? Deciding When You Require Emergency Medical Attention     459
Dealing with an Overdose     461
What to Do If You Run Out of Your Prescription Medicine     463
Your Prescription Drugs and Hospitalizations     464
Your prescription drugs and the emergency department     464
Your prescription drugs and the inpatient wards     466
Your prescription drugs when you're discharged from hospital     468
Coping with the Costs of Prescription Drugs      471
How Your Doctor Can Help You Save Money     471
How Your Pharmacist Can Help You Save Money     473
How the Government Can Help You     474
How Your Private Health Insurer Can Help You     475
How the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Help You     475
Buying Prescription Drugs over the Internet     475
The Part of Tens     477
Ten Changes We Hope to See in the World of Prescription Drug Therapy     479
A Catastrophic Drug Plan     479
Drugs That Say What They Are     480
More Skepticism about New Drugs     480
Better Package Inserts and Information Sheets     480
More Quality Time with Your Pharmacist     481
Better Medical News Reporting     481
More Certainty about a Drug's Effectiveness and Tolerability     482
Smarter Technology     482
Easier Ways to Know When It's Time to Take Your Medicine     483
Multipills     483
And a Final Fantasy     484
Ten Not-So-Trival Facts about Prescription Drugs     485
How Many New Prescription Drugs Are Approved Each Year in Canada?     485
How Much Do Canadians Spend on Prescription Drugs?     486
How Expensive Is It to Run a Drug Study?      486
How Often Do People Improperly Take Their Prescription Medicines?     487
What Are the Best-Selling Prescription Drugs in Canada?     487
What Are the Best-Selling Prescription Drug Classes in Canada?     488
How Often Are Prescription Drugs Used for "Unapproved Indications"?     488
How Many Pharmacists Are Practising in Canada?     489
How Many Pharmacies Are in Canada?     489
How Much Medicine Is in a Pill?     489
Drug Index     491
General Index     518