Recent Articles of Interest

Last month the FDA approved forty medications and six new medications received tentative approval.

With so numerous medications being produced and approved it is mind boggling to fathom how doctors, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, can keep pace with the information.

At last Auidiolearn.net is helping to bridge the gap. They provide audios with over 500 commonly prescribed medications. Medical professionals and the public can also subscribe to the monthly updates at no charge. Audio learning? What a great idea. The audio includes mechanism of action, side effects, indications and interactions. When else will these busy professionals have an opportunity to keep abreast the most recent medications?

It is easy to find a doctor who has not heard of an approved drug that may have fewer adverse interactions with other drugs or treat an illness more effectively. When was the last time a doctor prescribed an inferior mediation than one that was recently approved prescribe the most current drug? No one knows. It is going to take a concerted effort on everyone's part to keep abreast of the changes.

This is particularly difficult for older patients. Majority of the elderly are still not Internet savvy. Most are 100% dependent on their doctor to give them advice based on current medications. The elderly population take numerous medications on a routine basis. They often visit more than one doctor and their physicians don't always talk to each other.

If a patient only visits the doctor annual at best, then this can be a year of taking a medication that is of less value than an alternative on the market. Many patients suffer painful side effects, such as, muscle aches, stomach pain, nausea, bloating, cramping and rapid heart beat or worse.

Manyhealth insurance companies will not cover brand name medications, when there is a generic alternative. What if the drug store fills a prescription as prescribed and a generic available? A drug store that is keen to the generic alternative may inform the doctor to find out if they will the generic. A pharmacy technician may first become aware of this when they try to charge the insurance company and it comes back. Sometimes it does not come to anyone's attention until the order is filled and the customer goes to pick up their order.

Customers ask the pharmacist why the charge is so high and the pharmacist checks on it. Of course, this takes up the pharmacist's time. They come back and state that there is a generic available and the health insurance will not pay for brand name medications! Some customers may requests that the pharmacist contact the doctor.

Alternatively, most customers aren't aware of the problem with the price. They will not say anything and will either pay the higher price or not buy the medications even though it is needed. The retail price without insurance is out of the price range for numerous customers.

This may seem unbelievable, but there are millions of aged people who have to choose between eating and medications. They simply don't have funds for both. Notably, it is an unacceptable situation, it takes time and energy to stay current.

Whether you are a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, pharmacy tech please take an active roll in giving your patients with the most up to date information.