PharmaPassport Health Tips Blog

August 29, 2011

Hangover Cures That Work

Filed under: alcohol — Tags: hangover cures that work, hangover medicine, hangover remedies, hangover symptoms, how to get rid of a hangover — Kcondon @ 11:04 pm

After experiencing that sensitivity to light and sound, the throbbing head, and having the spins, the phrase that often follows is “I am never drinking again”. Yes, I am talking about the dreaded hangover. Hangovers are caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The hangover arrives when the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is falling, so about 8-24 hours after consumption. Basically when you consume alcohol, it puts your biological self out of sync, bringing on the hangover symptoms; so naturally the remedies would be to restore your biological self.

There are probably as many hangover cures out there as there are drinks. The important thing to know is a lot of the “cures” are just myths. The hangover remedies that work are the ones that biologically make sense. First let us tackle a few myths. Taking Tylenol during the symptoms of a hangover definitely works, but taking it before you go to sleep doesn’t actually do anything. Coffee isn’t going to solve the hangover; in fact, it just makes you more dehydrated so in the long run it doesn’t help you at all. Also, the morning-after drink – or hair of the dog – doesn’t work either it just delays the inevitable.

Those were just a few of the many myths out there. Now let’s focus on how to get rid of a hangover. Drinking water is the best thing you can do if you want to get over a hangover. Drinking lots of water will help restore your biological chemical balance. Taking painkillers like Tylenol, Aspirin and Ibuprofen have become known as hangover medicine because they work to reduce headaches and muscle pain, but they need to be taken with caution. As for hangover food, you should be eating eggs, bananas, Bouillon Soup, and fruit.

When consuming alcohol, you’re putting your body though a battle. If you know you’re going to go to war, you’re obviously going to prepare so you have the least amount of casualties. The casualties here, being the symptoms. Before you drink, understand your limits and stay within them. Eat food beforehand to prevent an excess of alcohol absorption into you body. Stay with one or two types of alcohol like vodka or gin because they are light liquors as oppose to dark liquors (dark liquors are more likely to cause a hangover). Stay away from the bubbly drinks because it really does go straight to your head. Stay hydrated throughout the night!

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August 17, 2010

5 Dangerous Medication Mishaps

Filed under: alcohol,anxiety,headaches,health risks,high blood pressure,infection,insomnia,iron — Tags: alcohol, blood pressure, combining medicine, dementia, dizziness, injuries, iron, medicine, over-the-counter, overdose, prescription medication — Amanda @ 6:17 pm

100,000 people die each year due to medication mistakes and 1.5 million become sick or injured due to improper use. Many of theses deaths and injuries are accidental. It’s shocking that the public is unaware of how use prescription and over-the-counter medicines safely. Read about these medication mistakes and enlighten yourself on how to safely use medications.

Age - One mistake people make is that they forget to ask their doctor or pharmacist if certain medications are safe for certain age groups. Many doctors are still uninformed about medications that cause risks to elders and children. Older adults process medication differently, and they are at an increased risk of problems like dementia, dizziness, falling, and high blood pressure. Some drugs can increase these risks and are more likely to cause dangerous side effects in people older than 65. To avoid this problem, check with your doctor and the Beers List before taking any medication you are unsure of.

Similar Medications – Many medications have similar appearances or names causing medications to accidentally be misused. The doctor’s handwriting may be hard to read, or the name of the drug could be incorrectly placed into the computer. The pharmacist could even grab the wrong medicine off the shelf as most pharmacies are organized alphabetically. For example, it is easy to mix up Proloprim and Proferrin; however one medication is an antibiotic used to treat infections, and the other is an iron supplement. To avoid this costly mix-up, ask your doctor to tell you the name of the medication after he or she writes it down. After receiving your medication at the pharmacy, check the prescription label and directions to make sure you received the correct medicine.

Combining Medications with Similar Side Effects– All drugs have possible side effects, but if you take two or more medications at the same time without consulting your doctor, they can interact with each other and cause unwanted or dangerous effects. Some drugs, including ones that involve blood pressure and dizziness, can magnify the other’s potential effects. If you are taking a drug with the potential side effect of high blood pressure, and then you being taking a medication with the same possible effect, your blood pressure will become dangerously high. If you combine medicines that may cause dizziness, it can lead to falls and fractures. Before taking any combination of medicines, talk to your doctor about their possible effects and reactions with each other.

Combining Medications with Similar Components- It’s easy to accidentally combine medications with similar effects or properties. You might be taking one medication for pain, one for anxiety, and another for insomnia – but little do you know that they are all sedatives and can cause toxic effects when taken in large doses. The risk for overdose is highest in drugs that are designed to deal with the central nervous system. Narcotic painkillers and sedatives are examples of these. To avoid accidental overdose, tell your doctor before taking any new prescription medication about all prescription and over-the-counter medication that you are already using.

Mixing Alcohol with medicine – Many people don’t realize the dangers of alcohol in general, let alone the dangers of mixing it with medication. Alcohol can be a deadly poison when taken with painkillers, sedatives, and other medications. Many experts now believe that there should be no alcohol consumption with any medication because alcohol can decrease the effectiveness of any medication or increase the risk of side effects. Alcohol can cause a dangerous reaction with over-the-counter drugs like Benadryl and cough and cold medicines. The cough and cold medicines can also contain alcohol themselves – so you can end up with alcohol poisoning. Other drugs like antidepressants can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure when mixed with alcohol, and some sedatives like Ativan or Valium can depress the heart rate enough to cause a coma when taken with alcohol.

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September 22, 2009

9 Ways To Reduce Snoring

Filed under: alcohol,healthy,nasal spray,nasonex,sleep apnea,snoring,Uncategorized,weight loss — Amanda @ 4:16 pm

If you’ve got a father like mine then when you were growing up you could probably hear him snoring throughout the house. This snoring was pretty intense, not just minor sound that can only be heard if you were in the same room with him, but a ridiculous noise you could hear in every room of the house. It sounded like a combination of jet engines (engines because only one would not begin to describe this noise), and the noise your house would make if it was torn from the ground by a tornado. Yes, it was that bad. So eventually my mother was basically through with having to listen to that and forced my father to at least try something to help the snoring. Fortunately, there were many different options my father could try to prevent him from snoring. What works for my father might not work for you so I have compiled a list of different approaches one can try.

1.Elevate your head as much as possible by either sleeping on more than one pillow or else by sleeping on a thicker pillow.

2.Avoid dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese or ice cream before bed because these foods can cause the build-up of mucus in the throat.

3.Try sleeping on your side instead of your back. This allows the air to travel smoother and the muscles in your throat to stay a bit tighter and decrease the likelihood of snoring.

4.Avoid a big meal before you go to bed because when your stomach is full of food this puts pressure on the diaphragm and thereby limits breathing passages (this is especially the case if you have eaten fatty, fried or starchy food).

5.Before going to bed inhale steam or sleep in a room where a humidifier is turned on. This will help keep your throat well lubricated.

6.Try using nasal strips. Nasal strips help to open up airways and will make sure that plenty of air can be brought into the lungs.

7.Resist the urge to drink alcohol before going to bed.

8.If you are overweight make an effort to lose some weight. Even losing a few pounds say 10 or so, can make a difference when it comes to snoring.

9.Eat a spoonful of liquid honey before retiring for the night. (I’ve never actually tried this one, but some people on the internet have said that this is a good way to reduce snoring).

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August 4, 2009

Why You Should Stop or Drink Less Alcohol

Filed under: alcohol,beer,cancer,colon,esophageal,liver,lung,montreal,prostate,spirits,Uncategorized,wine — John @ 12:20 pm

Now if you are like most people, you like to have the occasional drink or two, but sometimes you find you can get carried away and that couple of drinks turns into an unknown number of drinks and a splitting headache in the morning. Some people tend to drink heavily more often then they really should. And I don’t want to sound like that nagging parent, but it really isn’t good for your health. And even though there is plenty of evidence, like liver damage to help you realize that frequent heavy drinking isn’t good for your health, many people still do it. Maybe a new study from Montreal will help you realize the dangers of such high and frequent alcohol consumption.

The results of the study showed that those who drink a significant amount of beer and spirits most frequently are increasing their chances of developing six different types of cancer: esophageal, stomach, colon, liver, pancreatic and lung. The increase is actually quite amazing, and isn’t something to be taken lightly. The results showed an increase in risk of liver cancer by 800%, esophageal cancer by 700%, prostate and colon cancer by 80%, and lung cancer by 50%!

Though the risk of high intake or beer and spirits is quite evident, those that choose to drink wine did not seem to have a higher risk. Whether there are antioxidants that help prevent cancer, or those that drink wine live a healthier lifestyle is unknown. What is known is that too much, too often is not good for you. Be sure to watch your alcohol intake. Drink safely, and if you are looking for a reason to quit, or just lesson your alcohol consumption, maybe this is it.

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