Please Pass (On) the Pepto!

You may (or may not) realize it--but there are antacid products on the US pharmaceutical market that contain "salicylates"--which are a form of aspirin. One example it Pepto-Bismol®: just look at the active ingredients and you'll see the term "bismuth subsalicylate".

Herein lies the problem..as salicylates are a form of aspirin, they carry all the risks of aspirin and all the other NSAID drugs. Recently the FDA has been monitoring reports of increased bleed risk with use of these drugs. Many people take a daily dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack. Who would think that taking a product for an upset stomach on top of this could be such a serious problem?

My advice to you...ALWAYS read labels carefully when you purchase over the counter products. Just because a product is available over-the-counter does not mean it's risk free. Make sure you understand exactly what you are taking and why you are taking it! Check with your pharmacist to make sure that there are no drug interactions with any other medications or supplements that you are already using.

Getting back to the "Pepto problem", here is a list of things that could put a person at increased bleed risk when using antacids containing salicylates:

• age older than 60 years;

• a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding problems;

• taking blood thinners or steroids;

• taking other products containing NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen;

• drinking three or more alcoholic beverages every day; and

• taking more of these medicines than the amount recommended or for a longer period

than recommended, which increases the risk for serious bleeding.

Sources: PainMedicineNews; Wikimedia

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Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately? Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members. Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain. This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story. Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

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Most of us know someone who has osteoarthritis, if we don't have it ourselves. Joint replacement surgery is a pretty common remedy when the joint becomes severely damaged and the patient is in a lot of pain. With risk of complications from such a surgery, perhaps an alternative treatment should be tried first. One such remedy is the injection of a synthetic version of collagen(e.g. Synvisc®) into the affected joint. This procedure restores the cushioning to a joint that has degenerated over the years. It can diminish the pain substantially and help put off joint replacement surgery for months to years. The biggest drawback is that these products are expensive. GoodRX , a web site that can be used to estimate the cost of medications, estimates the cost of these products to be over $1,000 each. Here's another example--and I am not sure how widely accepted this protocol has become since study authors introduced it in November 2015. Are you ready for this? Inject

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