Advice from your Pharmacist

Medications in the NEWS

Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol)
Over-the-counter pain reliever to be taken seriously and safely...
Dispose of your "sharps" safely
Do not throw away syringes, needles and other sharp waste in your garbage...
Gemfibrozil (generic Lopid) supply shortage
The nationwide shortage of gemfibrozil continues...
Generic Drugs FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions about generics...
Herbal remedies, dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals and other "natural" products
Learn about these ingredients by visiting the Natural Medicines Comprehensive database...
Lyrica for Fibromyalgia
Is Lyrica helpful?...
Plan B One-Step for emergency contraception
Available without a prescription for women 17 years and older...
Prescription Drug Ads
Be a smart shopper...
Rx vs OTC
When medicines change from prescription (Rx) to over-the-counter (OTC) status?...
Understanding your Medication
Tips for knowing about the medications you are taking...

Medication CHANGES

Albuterol HFA inhaler - Go Green and Keep it Clean
Cleaning and priming instructions
Inhaladores de albuterol con HFA: no dañan el medio Ambiente
Instrucciones de preparación y limpieza
Dovonex cream for psoriasis
Changing to Vectical ointment...
Flutamide (generic Eulexin) capsules for prostate cancer
Changing to bicalutamide (generic Casodex) tablets...
Niacin tablets
Changing from Niaspan to Slo-Niacin...
OneTouch SureStep meter for blood glucose monitoring
Changing to OneTouch Ultra2 meter and strips...
Splitting tablets?
If you are cutting tablets in half, here are some "do's and dont's"...
Testosterone enanthate injection
Changing to testosterone cypionate injection...
Topiramate sprinkle capsules
Changing to topiramate oral tablets...
Viagra tablets for erectile dysfunction
Changing to Levitra tablets...

Medications for Allergy Season

The information presented here is about selected medicines. For more information about these or other medicines, please see the Drug Encyclopedia at kp.org. You may also speak with a pharmacist at your local Kaiser Permanente facility.

Sneeze less and smile more
Get the facts about allergy relief medicines...
Spring allergy season
Find out more about "hay fever" (allergic rhinitis) and what you can do...
How to use Anti-inflammatory Nasal Sprays
Daily use provides the greatest benefit in managing allergy symptoms...

REMINDER

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is stocked BEHIND the pharmacy counter.
Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant medicine used to help clear stuffy, blocked noses. A law passed several years ago requires pharmacies to stock pseudoephedrine behind the counter. The law also limits the amount of pseudoephedrine a consumer may purchase. These measures were put into place to combat the abuse of pseudoephedrine in making the illegal drug methamphetamine. An alternative decongestant medicine, phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) is available over-the-counter without these restrictions. Please speak with your pharmacist if you need more information about decongestant medicines.

Other resources for helping you manage seasonal allergies
*Kaiser Permanente member web site: www.kp.org --> click on the Health & Wellness tab or enter "allergy" in search box
*Kaiser Permanente Healthwise Handbook - see chapter on Allergies
*American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: www.aaaai.org/patients.stm]

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.