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TREATMENT FOR OPIOID INDUCED CONSTIPATION: Numerous side effects are commonly seen with narcotic pain pills (opioids) use such as euphoria, respiratory depression, drowsiness, stomach upset and constipation. Of all the common side effects associated with narcotic use, the patient never develops a tolerance to constipation.  Opioid induced constipation (OIC)...

Fiber supplements and stimulant laxatives have been around for a very long time.  Many of us “seasoned” pharmacists remember “if not nature—Metamucil” and “Doxidan in the PM for a BM and the AM.”  There have always been a lot of advertising for laxatives in the media, but you are...

Bisacodyl (oral) Dulcolax® 5mg 5-15mg daily at bedtime Senna Senokot® 8.6mg 2 at bedtime,    max=4 daily Magnesium hydroxide Milk of Magnesia (400/5) 30-60ml at bedtime Stimulant agents USE: Are effective as initial therapy to treat constipation but should not be used for more than 1 week, without a physician...

Generic Representative Brand Dosage STOOL SOFTENER           Docusate sodium Colace® 50, 100 50-360mg/day           Docusate calcium Surfak 240mg 50-360mg/day MINERAL OIL Kondremul® 15-30ml LACTULOSE Chronulac®, Constulose® 15-30ml SORBITOL 30-50gm PEG 3350 soln Miralax® 1 cap 17gm in 8oz water Stool softeners USE: : Beneficial in rectal conditions, like surgery...

The most common first line therapies recommended for patients with frequent constipation is fiber supplementation.  The best option is a change of diet to include more fresh fruits and vegetables.  When that doesn’t provide adequate relief from constipation fiber supplements can be used.  The chemical composition of fiber supplements...

Your Thompson Pharmacist has a real opportunity to bring comfort to our patients that need a recommendation for constipation.  We’ve been all trained to ask about how frequent your bowels move, consistency, what makes it better or worse, diet, and exercise but we also need to inquire about the...

How long does it take my food to digest? That depends on a lot of factors, depending on the food types we eat, and medications we might be taking to decrease our stomach acid. The pH of your stomach is 1.5 to 3.5, because your stomach excretes about 1.5...

Back in November we talked about the fact that Tagamet was the first billion-dollar drug.  The second drug to reach the billion-dollar drug rank was Zantac. By 1990 Zantac hit the two-billion-dollar mark.  In the 1980’s there was a lot of interest in developing drugs for peptic ulcers, along...

Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has been available for treatment of the flu since 1999.  It works by preventing flu viruses from spreading from infected cells to other healthy cells. So far this flu season of 2018, influenza viruses have been susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral medications, which also includes zanamivir (Relenza®),...

Last week we discussed using two rather common over the counter medications (with physician’s approval) Vitamin B-6 and Doxylamine.  As discussed, this combo could be used instead of the very expensive Diclegis®. Diclegis is the only FDA approved drug for treatment of nausea of pregnancy.  The other prescription drugs...