RxInsights

20/01/2025

These Lies Are Hurting Your Health

Here's what you need to be up front about -- and why.

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19/01/2025

Things that can hurt your sexual health
1. Ma********on
2. Po*******hy
3. Sugar
4. Sedentary lifestyle
5. Your diet
6. Your mental health
7. Stress
8. Certain drugs and herbs

17/01/2025

15/01/2025

Fertility, or the ability to reproduce, peaks for women during the late 20s, averaged 25 years. Biologically speaking, the 20s will be the easiest time to have a baby for most women.

Some declines in fertility begin at about 30 and at 35, a woman’s ability to become pregnant and carry a baby to term drops considerably. At forty, fertility plummets.

This is because of two age-related changes that every woman can expect across her thirties and forties: Egg quality decreases and the endocrine system, which regulates hormones and tells the body how to proceed with a pregnancy, becomes less effective.

With these changes, pregnancy becomes less likely and miscarriage becomes more likely. Lower-quality eggs have trouble implanting and maturing.

With respect to men researchers are beginning to find that older s***m may be associated with various neurocognitive problems in children, including autism, schizophrenia, dyslexia, and lower intelligence.

However, delaying child bearing due to economic status is highly justified, especially in our settings where there are no support systems for anyone. In the end, some won't even give birth at all, because they wouldn't have to bring someone to this world to suffer with them!

14/01/2025

Don't think that herbal health products are safe just because they come from plants. Even some plants are poisonous. Although herbal products are advertised as “natural,” they aren't natural to the human body.

Unlike prescription medicines, herbal products don't have be tested to prove that they work well and are safe before they're sold. In addition, herbal products may not be pure—they might have other things in them, like plant pollen, that could make you sick.

12/01/2025

Hydroquinone (an ingredient used in over the counter skincare to lighten dark spots and most bleaching creams) can cause IRREVERSIBLE DARKENING of the skin.

This is called ‘ochronosis’, and happens if you use it continuously for >3-4 months.

12/01/2025

Oranges are very good for digestion, taking them 20minutes before eating or even after will help improve digestion. Oranges contain soluble fibers and they aid in digestive processes. When it comes to digestion, oranges are good.

11/01/2025

Retinoids are the ONLY 'miracle' skincare ingredient.

They treat acne, pigmentation, scarring, fine lines/ wrinkles, and even have anti-cancer effect. But most people use them wrong, end up with irritated skin, and stop. Here's the RIGHT way to use them in your routine... 👇 1

1. START LOW: topical retinoids are available in both over the counter and prescription strengths. Here's the order of strength:(keep the strengths in mind)

OTC: retinol < retinal/retinaldehyde < adapalene 0.1%
Prescription: tretinoin 0.025% < tretinoin 0.05% < tretinoin 0.1% < tazarotene 0.1%

Start with lower strength and OTC options first. If you go straight to high concentration tretinoin or tazarotene, you'll wake up the next day with intense burning/peeling of your skin. And this leads me to the next point...

2. TINY AMOUNTS: use only a 'pea-sized amount' of the topical retinoid for your ENTIRE face. That's going to feel like nothing, and you're going to want to do more, but DON'T ❌.
Use 'microdots' from this pea sized amount across different areas, and then blend.

3. MOISTURIZE: even with tiny amounts, retinoids can still cause skin irritation for the first few weeks until your skin adapts to them. So moisturizing extra is the key to getting through this early period. You can apply moisturizer before, after, or even mixed with retinoid.

4. VASELINE: the corners next to your nose and your under-eyes are especially prone to retinoid irritation, so in these specific areas applying a small layer of vaseline BEFORE retinoid application can help to minimize their side effects there.

5. EVERY OTHER NIGHT: the ultimate goal with topical retinoids is to use them every night. However, when you're starting out, it's a good idea to do every other night while your skin is adjusting to the new ingredient. This is fine! The key thing is getting into the routine.

Bonus: 1. Retinoids are temperamental ingredients (need the right pH to work), so DON'T use other actives alongside them at night e.g. vit C, benzoyl peroxide.
2. Do not use retinoids if you are PREGNANT

11/01/2025

PSA: statins are used to reduce your 10 year risk of heart attacks and stroke, both of which can be debilitating and life changing.

They aren’t just a cholesterol lowering medication.

Medicines sometimes have multiple uses.

That’s all thank you.

09/01/2025

1. For Head pediculosis(lice)— Use permithrin 1%

2. For Scabies — Use permithrin 5%

3. For Ge***al warts — Use podophyllotoxin 0.5% Solution or gel

4. For Vaginal Candidiasis — Use clotrimazole

5. For Oral candidiasis — Use Nystatin oral

6. For pruritus(body itching) — Use calamine lotion

7. Reaction to insect bite, eczema — Use hydrocortisone cream or ointment

8. Treatment or prevention of infection in burns—Use Silver Sulfadiazine cream

9. Nappy rash — Use Zinc oxide ointment.

10. Note: 1. Chlorhexidine 0.2% is used as Mouth wash,
2. Chlorhexidine 5% is used as antiseptic for Wounds and burns
3. Chlorhexidine 7.1% is used for dressing umbilical cord of neonates.

08/01/2025

Antibiotic Counselling Simplified

1. With Food: Metronidazole, Nitrofurantoin

2. On an Empty Stomach: Ampicillin, Azithromycin capsules, Flucloxacillin, Fosfomycin, Phenoxymethylpenicillin, Oxytetracycline.

4. Avoid Dairy/Antacids: Ciprofloxacin, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Levofloxacin

5. Avoid Alcohol: Metronidazole (During and 48 hours after)

6. Urine Discolouration: Metronidazole, Nitrofurantoin, Rifampicin

7. Avoid in Pregnancy: Aminoglycosides, Clarithromycin, Chloramphenicol, Tetracyclines

8. Full Glass of Water: Clindamycin, Doxycycline, Metronidazole

9. Avoid Sunlight: Tetracycline , Levofloxacin

Proper counselling improves treatment outcomes and minimizes adverse effects. Let's empower patients with the right knowledge!

06/01/2025

The Latex-Banana Link

If you have a latex allergy, you could have a reaction to bananas too. That's because bananas and latex have similar proteins.

Symptoms can be mild like an itchy mouth or more severe with hives, wheezing, or even a collapsed throat. You will likely feel symptoms seconds to minutes after eating a banana.

If you have had a reaction to bananas in the past, you should avoid the fruit and be careful to make sure they aren't in salads or baked goods.

06/01/2025

Spironolactone (Aldactone) is a type of potassium-sparing diuretic (water pill). It's used to treat heart failure, high blood pressure, and swelling from kidney or liver problems in adults.

Important tips on the use of Aldactone

1. The spironolactone (Aldactone) tablets and spironolactone (CaroSpir) oral suspension aren't the same and can't be substituted for each other. When you pick up your prescription at the pharmacy, double check that you've received the correct form of spironolactone, as prescribed by your doctor.

2. Spironolactone (Aldactone) can be taken with or without food. In case you want to take it with food or not, keep it consistent, so that the level of this medication stays steady in your body.

3. If you're taking the spironolactone (CaroSpir) oral suspension, store the medication at room temperature, and shake the bottle well before use.

4. Spironolactone (Aldactone) can make you urinate more often. Try to take the medication in the morning or afternoon to avoid the need to get up at night to use the restroom.

5. If any side effects of spironolactone (Aldactone) (e.g., leg cramps, diarrhea, breast growth in males) become severe or bothersome, please let your healthcare provider know. Together, you and your provider can decide if continuing spironolactone (Aldactone) is the best option to treat your condition.

6. Avoid using potassium supplements or salt substitutes that contain potassium while taking spironolactone (Aldactone), unless your healthcare provider or dietitian tells you to do so. This can cause high levels of potassium in your blood, which can cause heart problems.

7. If you found this product tips useful, kindly share.

05/01/2025

—For mild pain, paracetamol is used alone or in combination with an NSAID.

—For moderate pain, paracetamol is used in combination with an NSAID and codeine or tramadol.

—For severe pain, paracetamol is used in combination with an NSAID and morphine.

—Paracetamol is particularly recommended for patients allergic to aspirin, patients with a history of gastric problems and for pregnant and breast-feeding women and children.

—Paracetamol has no anti-inflammatory properties.

—N-acetylcysteine IV is the antidote for paracetamol poisoning.

04/01/2025

Emergency Contraception

Take one 1.5 mg tablet(two tablets if it's 0.75mg) whatever the day of the cycle, as soon as possible after unprotected or inadequately protected in*******se and preferably within the first 72 hours as effectiveness decreases with time.

It is however recommended to administer the treatment up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected in*******se. But there is a risk of treatment failure; carry out a pregnancy test if signs or symptoms of pregnancy (no menstruation, etc.) appear one month after taking levonorgestrel as emergency contraception.

Note that Emergency contraception is intended to prevent pregnancy; it cannot terminate an ongoing pregnancy. It does not have any effect on the foetus.

03/01/2025

Detailed Oral Iron Supplementation Advice

Iron is a mineral supplement that's taken to prevent or treat low iron levels. Sometimes, a provider might only recommend iron supplements for a period of time, like during pregnancy.

1. It's best to take iron supplements on an empty stomach because your body absorbs iron best on an empty stomach.

2. If you experience stomach pain or nausea from taking iron supplements on an empty stomach, you can try taking it with food to ease those side effects. If you take iron with food, it's best to take it with a glass of orange juice or a vitamin C supplement because these can help your body better absorb the iron.

3. Taking iron supplements can cause your stool to look black or darker in color. This is expected and won't cause any harm.

4. Don't crush or chew the controlled-release or extended-release formulations of iron supplements. They're made with a special coating that releases the medication slowly and steadily over time. Crushing or chewing these pills can cause too much iron to be released at once. This might worsen side effects, like constipation and nausea.

5. Let your provider know if you're taking other medications before starting iron supplements so they can help you determine if there are any interactions between your medications. For example, you need to separate iron supplements from levothyroxine. Iron prevents your body from absorbing levothyroxine, so taking this combination together means that levothyroxine might not work as well to treat your thyroid condition.

6. If you're taking any other multivitamins, double check the list of ingredients in your vitamins to see if has iron. If so, you might not need any additional iron supplements. Taking too much iron can raise your risk for side effects, like constipation or stomach upset. And in rare, but serious cases, you might experience iron toxicity.

7. Speak to your provider before starting iron supplements if you're pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. Your provider can let you know how much iron to take based on your body's needs. In some cases, you might already be taking iron through other supplement products, such as prenatal vitamins, so you might not need additional iron supplements.

8. Iron supplements come in many forms, such as ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate, that differ in how much iron they contain and dosing. Do not mix the different forms.

02/01/2025

Nifedipine is used for High blood pressure (hypertension) and Angina(which is a type of chest pain)

Important Product Tips On The Use of Nifedipine

1. Swallow nifedipine ER (Procardia XL) tablets and capsules whole. Don't chew, divide, or crush the extended-release tablets.

2. It takes 1 to 2 weeks to see the full effects of nifedipine ER. Report if you don't see an improvement in your chest pain symptoms or blood pressure after a week.

3. Nifedipine ER can cause dizziness in the first few days, because it lowers your blood pressure, but your body will usually adjust. When first starting this medication or switching to a higher dose, make sure to sit or stand up slowly to avoid dizziness and risk of falling.

4. Nifedipine ER can cause swelling (edema) in your feet, ankles, legs, or occasionally your hands and arms. This is usually harmless. To help with swelling in the legs or feet, try sitting and propping your feet up for a while.

5. Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice, since it can raise the amount of nifedipine ER in your body and cause more side effects.

6. The nifedipine ER tablet has an outer shell that doesn't get digested, so it's normal for you to see it in your stool.

7. Before taking Nifedipine for hypertension or angina, ensure it's the extended-release version. There is an immediate-release form which is typically used to relax the uterus in pregnant women during labor and should not be used for hypertension or angina, as it may cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, reduced brain blood supply, or worsen angina.

8. If you found this useful, kindly share

01/01/2025

Teeda, Calpol, acetaminophen, and Tylenol are all the same medicine — paracetamol.

Never give more than one of these to your child at the same time.

Some parents mistakenly give their child one brand, like Teeda, and then add another, like Paracetamol, thinking they are different medicines. This can lead to an overdose.

Always check the label to see what the medicine contains. If you're unsure, ask your pharmacist for help. They’re there to guide you!