Just as when they were pregnant, breast-feeding moms need to monitor the drugs they take, which could reach their infants.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these medication guidelines for breast-feeding mothers:
If you must take medications orally, take them just after breast-feeding, to give the medications time to travel through your system.
Generally, acetaminophen and NSAIDs [...]
Allowing patients to control their own pain medication intravenously is four times more likely to cause the patient harm than other medications, a new study says.
The report, published in the December issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, shows that most mistakes involving intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) resulted from either [...]
Giving your child medications, even over-the-counter medicines, should always be carefully monitored by your doctor.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions before you give any pain medication to your child:
If a person younger than age 18 has the flu or chickenpox, never give the person aspirin, which could lead to a rare but [...]
If you want to stop taking an antidepressant, it’s important to speak with your doctor first, the American Academy of Family Physicians says. The doctor may recommend weaning your body off the medication gradually.
People who stop an antidepressant too quickly may trigger a host of symptoms that doctors call antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Symptoms may include:
Anxiety.
Feelings [...]
Eli Lilly and Co on Tuesday said U.S. regulators approved once-daily use of two low-dose forms of its Cialis anti-impotence drug, offering greater convenience for men expecting frequent sexual activity.
The Indianapolis drugmaker said the once-daily formulations, in dosages of 2.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams, will allow men to attempt sexual activity any time between doses.
“In [...]
Remember . . .
When putting drops into your eyes, follow doctor’s orders.
Be sure your doctor knows about any other drugs you may be taking (including over-the-counter items like vitamins and aspirin) and about any allergies you may have.
Wash your hands before putting eye drops into your eyes.
Be careful NOT to touch the tip of the [...]
Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can negatively interact with foods, supplements or other drugs.
Here are guidelines to help prevent food-drug interactions, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
Check prescription and over-the-counter drug labels to see if they contain any warnings.
Follow directions on all medications carefully.
Unless you get your doctor’s OK, never break up [...]
Taking a blood pressure pill at bedtime instead of in the morning might be healthier for some high-risk people.
New research suggests that simple switch may normalize patterns of blood pressure in patients at extra risk from the twin epidemics of heart and kidney disease.
Why? When it comes to blood pressure, you want to be a [...]
