Emergency Contraceptive

For people in need of emergency contraceptive (also known as EC), you are in luck! The FDA has just approved a new emergency contraceptive, ulipristal tablets by Watson Pharma. If these tablets are taken within two hours of unprotected sex, they will prevent pregnancy. Through two clinical trials, these tablets were tested for safety and effectiveness.

Study 1: "A prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial conducted in the United States."
Study 2: "A randomized, multicenter, single-blind comparator-controlled trial conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland."

Side effects for this drug include "headache, nausea, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, fatigue, and dizziness." These side effects can also be noted in other emergency contraceptive tablets. It's advised to inform oneself on the emergency contraceptive before ingesting it.

[Source: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Pharmacy_News&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=24070]

Pills for Weight Loss

It has almost been a month since my last post! I've been so busy since I've been back in Berkeley for summer school. With organic chemistry, doing research in a lab, and now working part time as a clerk in a pharmacy, it's hard to even get a full night's sleep these days. I'm so excited to be working at Abbott's Compounding Pharmacy! I've recently been training for my position as a clerk. I get to help out with deliveries and call patients and work as the cashier as well. I love this job so much already because I'm going to have the opportunity to learn so much more about pharmacy! The pharmacists/clerks/technicians at Abbott's are so sweet as well, I already feel as though I'm part of the family. I'll give regular updates on how that's going! (:

Que She is an herbal weight loss supplement, and like many other similar to it on the market, it is not entirely healthy. The FDA has just learned that Que She has ingredients that could be dangerous to consumers taking it, especially ones who already have cardiovascular conditions.

"The agency’s analysis of Que She found that it contains fenfluramine, propranolol, sibutramine, and ephedrine. Fenfluramine is a stimulant that was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 after studies demonstrated that it caused serious heart valve damage. Propranolol is a prescription beta blocker that can cause adverse effects in patients with bronchial asthma and certain heart conditions. Sibutramine is a controlled substance and prescription weight loss drug. Ephedrine is a stimulant that is legally available OTC for temporary asthma relief but can pose a risk to those with certain cardiovascular conditions."

Many times people think that just because something is herbal or natural, it is healthy. But it's so important to research what you put in your body before you start taking pills like Que She. It's probably much better to just play it safe and go to the gym and eat healthy, instead of taking supplemental weight loss pills.

[Source: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Pharmacy_News&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23790]

Prostate Cancer

Unfortunately, one of my friend's fathers was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. I learned that prostate cancer is a malignant mutation that begins in a small structure called the prostate gland, a part of the male reproductive system. Two of the major symptoms of prostate cancer are painful urination and lower back/abdominal pain. In the past, prostate cancer has been treated through radiation, surgery, medications, and frequent monitoring.

Luckily, for those unlucky few who suffer from prostate cancer, the FDA has approved a new treatment. It's a "chemotherapy drug Jevtana (cabazitaxel), developed by Sanofi-aventis, for use in combination with the steroid prednisone to treat men with prostate cancer." Jevtana was tested in a wide case study, and it proved to increase the life span of men more than other drugs like mitoxantrone. As with most other drugs, the newly released Jevtana does have side effects that include, "neutropenia, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, constipation, asthenia, and renal failure."

[Source: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Pharmacy_News&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23628]

Aspirin Therapy Dangers

I remember learning about Aspirin in my Nutritional Science class this past spring. Aspirin was synthesized in 1853 and was marketed by Bayer Company beginning in 1879. Aspirin is the most widely used analgesic, antipyretic, and antiimflammatory agent. It also reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack. Aspirin is amazing because it has the ability to decrease elevated body temperature and increase oxygen consumption and metabolic rate. You also cannot get addicted to Aspirin.

Recent data has shown that people with "moderate cardiovascular risk factors, peripheral arterial disease, or diabetes" who are given aspirin daily are prone to increased bleeding instead of a reduction of cardiovascular mortality. Sometimes the cardioprotective effects of aspirin are falsely advertised so aspirin therapy is dangerous, rather than beneficial for people with moderate heart disease.

The solution to this issue is for patients to be educated on methods of lowering heart disease such as "reductions in lipid levels and blood pressure, smoking cessation, and weight control through diet and exercise." Studies to test aspirin therapy are ongoing.

[Source: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Pharmacy_News&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23157]

Dangers of Numbing Products

Many of my friends have gone in for laser hair removal over the past few years. When I think of laser hair removal, I can't help but to think of immense prolonged sharp pains. Everyone always reassures me that with numbing cream, there is basically no pain and laser hair removal is simple. I don't really buy that. As with all good things in life, there is always a catch. I decided to read up on some numbing products to see what the deal was. Here's what I found!

Skin numbing products can have severe side effects, as recently stated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The mode of action of skin numbing products like anesthetics is to "desensitize nerve endings." While the patient may feel better because they are not exposed to the pain, when too much of the product is put on the skin, it absorbs in blood stream of the human body. The severe side effects include "irregular heartbeat, seizures, breathing difficulties, coma, or even death."

Interestingly enough, the article touched upon laser hair removal. The dangers of numbing creams can be decreased with proper use of the products. This includes have minimal skin contact with the numbing cream or topical anesthetic and using a cream with a low level of numbness. Additionally, if you're going to use the numbing cream, it is advised that you place it on sensitive parts of the skin, where the laser will hurt more, than on large portions of the skin. Moreover, while many people wrap skin with saran wrap after applying the numbing cream, this is considered dangerous and advised against by the FDA. This is all such useful information to know because I realize that some of my friends have been incorporating these techniques during laser hair removal.

[Source: http://www.uspharmacist.com/content/d/fda_fast_facts/c/12649/]

Post Menopause

As many already know, women going through menopause experience a lot of changes in their body. I know this because my mom is going through menopause right now. Some of the symptoms one may experience going through menopause are hot/cold flashes, irregular periods, mood swings, sleeping disorders, weight gain, and depression. A few years after menopause is finished, a woman may experience osteoporosis, a bone disorder where bones are weakens and may eventually give out all together. This can become a serious issue. The reason women develop osteoporosis is because estrogen levels drop during menopause and estrogen absorbs calcium needed for the creation of new bone to replace old bone.

Recently a new osteoporosis treatment has been created for postmenopausal women. Amgen has created Prolia, an injectable drug that is a RANK ligand inhibitor, so it aids bone density to prevent severe osteoporosis. Women who take Prolia have a "twice-yearly 60-mg subcutaneous injection." This treatment has been FDA approved and immensely tested, the results positively demonstrating that it reduces bone fractures.

Some side effects of the drug are back pain, musculoskeletal pain, high cholesterol, urinary bladder infections, hypocalcemia, infections of the skin, dermatitis, rashes, and eczema. Additionally, Prolia may cause "significant suppression of bone turnover and this suppression may contribute to the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw, a severe bone disease that affects the jaw, atypical fractures, and delayed fracture healing."

[Source: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Pharmacy_News&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23563]

A Solution for Severe Asthma Sufferers

Yesterday, as I watched the newly released "Accused at 17," I saw a horrific scene where one of the main characters, Sarah, dies of an asthma attack because she is denied her inhaler by a murderer. The scene was deeply disturbing and lucky for people with extreme asthma, there is new device created to treat his unfortunate disorder.

The Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System's main method of treatment is through radio-frequency energy. The energy from the system heats lung tissue that decreases inflammation of the airways due to asthma. This new treatment has been FDA approved and is specifically meant for people with severe asthma. The system is manufactured by Asthmatx, and is being closely observed.

Also to keep in mind, "side effects during the course of treatment may include asthma attacks, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, partially collapsed lung (atelectasis), coughing up blood (hemoptysis), anxiety, headaches, and nausea."

[Source: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm209909.htm]

Trident Layers Gum Contains Phenylalanine

After making a trip to Target yesterday, I decided to buy a large pack of Trident Layers strawberry and citrus gum. While at home last night I began chewing the gum. I was immediately obsessed and finished the entire pack in an hour. Today, while cleaning my room, I noticed the empty case of the gum and saw a notice on the pack saying, "PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE." I immediately remembered from organic chemistry that phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. When I began to research the gum today, I read on many blogs that Trident Layers gum also contains aspartame. More research led me learn that aspartame is a sweetener made of two amino acids, one of which being phenylalanine.

Searching for aspartame information on google, I read about some horror stories like how aspartame can cause neurons in the brain to die due to overexcitement. As you can probably guess, it freaked me out and I immediately thought of all the pieces of gum I had previous eaten. Was my brain going to blow up? Was I going to become less intelligent?

With mixed reviews on different sites, I don't really know what to believe. Some people claim that aspartame in foods and drinks is too little to cause tumors in the brain, whereas other people claim to get headaches from drinking one bottle of aspartame containing liquid. I even read some horror stories about people dying from aspartame.

I have decided to finish off the rest of the Trident Layers strawberry and citrus gum that I bought, and NOT purchase it again. That's one less unnecessary chemical that I'll be cutting out of my life, though I must admit, the gum was delicious.

[Source: http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Ajinomoto-brands-aspartame-AminoSweet]

Urine Therapy...Wait, what?!

One of the questions people most commonly ask me is, "Why pharmacy?" And to be completely honest, it was not an answer that was easy for me to share for some period in my life. My passion for pharmacy has rooted from my lifelong struggle with psoriasis. Trying all sorts of treatments, from steroids to creams to light therapy and watching my diet, my psoriasis has never quite disappeared. I have devoted endless hours into researching psoriasis and what causes it and ways to alleviate it, that I could practically write a book on it!

I realized in freshman year at Berkeley that my psoriasis was a blessing in disguise. Now, when people ask about psoriasis I have so much to say and I love explaining the disease and possible cures to people. I want to be a pharmacist not only because I love learning about drugs and diseases, but because I love to counsel others, and because I have this burning aspiration to be apart of research to find the cure to psoriasis sometime in the future. So what does psoriasis have to do with Urine therapy anyway, right?

Urine therapy has been used for thousands of years. It's a type of homeopathy where one uses their natural fluids as medicine to heal them self. By drinking sterile urine, one improves their immune system. Now psoriasis is a disease of the immune system, so studies have shown that drinking one's urine or rubbing urine on the affected skin areas have proven to improve psoriasis. Many people are concerned that urine contains a toxic component called urea, but urine contains less than 3% of urea, so drinking it would not be harmful to the body. I was amazed by the information I found when I researched urine therapy. Here is a treatment that has been around for so long, but I just recently found out about it! And ironically enough, urine is not something you'd be prescribed by a doctor, but au naturel.

So this blog wouldn't really be anything without my personal experience. I was brave enough to try urine therapy myself! I took my morning urine and placed it in a bottle and chilled it. After a couple hours and much thought, I took a sip. It tasted horrible as many can imagine. So since it's safe to say that I won't be drinking by urine anymore, I decided to go on to plan B. I stored my urine in a dark place in my room, contrary to the pleas by my family members to throw it away, and applied it to my affected psoriasis patches after a few days. I began to see some improvements after a few times of doing this. Overall, I don't know if I will be able to upkeep the urine therapy for a prolonged time, but I am glad that I gave it a shot!

So for all you brave souls out there, try your urine once!

[Source: http://www.universal-tao.com/article/urine_therapy.html]

Shadowing A Pharmacist: Part 2

Today was another wonderful day at Central Pharmacy. I had the chance to observe Marjan Yermian doing retail pharmacy. She is so lucky because she gets to not only do compounding, but also retail pharmacy!

I learned how to identify drugs through the NDC (National Drug Code) system. I also learned that all patients picking up drugs must go through consult unless they sign a waiver stating that they don't want to. Consult is just when the pharmacist directs the patient on how to take the drugs. I watched as Dr. Yermian explained to the patient what drugs she needed to take at what time and how much of each. I also watched as Dr. Yermian talked to patients on the phone, patiently answering their questions about different drugs. I watched as Marjan and her team of technicians packed drugs to be shipped to patients. Today, I also learned about different ways pharmacists have cheated the system in order to make money. I was shocked by the stories I heard regarding the measures some pharmacists take to make a little extra money, even if it means harming a person.

At the end of the shadowing, I was so sad to leave! Given the little time I had spent with the people who work at Central Pharmacy, I feel so attached to them because they are all so sweet! I wish that I could start working there tomorrow, but I know I have 6 more years to go! I'm looking forward to my first day of work at a pharmacy in the future. This experience has taught me so much, from the different fields, to different drugs, biology, and communication in pharmacy.

Shadowing A Pharmacist

Today I had the wonderful opportunity of shadowing Dr. Marjan Yermian, a pharmacist who works at Central Pharmacy in Santa Monica. Central Pharmacy is a well known compounding pharmacy that has been featured on shows like Oprah!

I arrived at the pharmacy before 10 a.m. and immediately went through the "employees only" door. I was so excited and couldn't wait to see what I would be doing first. I was introduced to the people who were working there, specifically three clerks, around eight technicians, and two pharmacists. I was greeted so warmly by everyone and felt right at home in the first five minutes. Dr. Yermian also took me on a tour of the pharmacy, which included a compounding lab, the retail area, mailing room, and lunchroom, all of which left me speechless.

After the tour, I went back to the compounding lab, where I got to watch Dr. Yermian doing what I hope to do in the future. Today she happened to be doing compounding, which I learned is a field in pharmacy where the pharmacist creates drugs specifically for each patient. I followed Dr. Yermian as she checked the work of the pharmacy technicians, making sure their calculations were correct so they could continue making drugs. She also showed me different sized capsules where drugs are placed, and how some people take veggie capsules. She directed me to the location where creams are mixed and stored. She even showed me how she labels pill bottles and ointments, and where she inputs data on the computer for the creation of new drugs. I noticed that Dr. Yermian worked on many drugs having to do with hormone replacement therapy.

I was fascinated by the compounding room and by all the work that was completed through the teamwork between Dr. Yermian, the head pharmacist, and the three technicians she was overseeing. Dr. Yermian taught me the importance of triple checking everything, because if a technician makes a mistake that isn't caught, the blame goes on the pharmacist. She also talked about multi tasking, communication, and organization, which I realized are three important skills one needs to have to be a successful pharmacist. Luckily with my superhuman multi tasking abilities and great communication skills, not to mention by borderline OCD when it comes to cleanliness, I will someday make a great pharmacist. I also think that compounding can be compared to baking, except instead of creating delicious goods that may not be so healthy, you are creating medicine that is helping people live better lives!

My experience was truly a priceless one that taught me a lot about the field of compounding. I absolutely loved every moment of being in the pharmacy and can't wait to somebody be apart of this field.


[Image from Central Pharmacy]