Hacking away at pneumonia

Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drugs prescribed to treat hypertension are known to produce a dry, hacking cough as a side effect in some cases, which leads many to switch to another medication. As it turns out, however, this drug-induced, persistent cough may provide a benefit that may have some patients thinking twice about switching to other medications that lower blood pressure. According to an analysis of 37 studies, researchers found that patients taking ACE inhibitors were 34 percent less likely to develop pneumonia, which is a significant cause of hospitalization and death among seniors who typically take ACE inhibitors. Older patients who take ACE inhibitors should consult with their physicians before deciding to switch to an alternative.

After leaving the hospital

Upon being discharged from the hospital, heart patients, in particular, are prone to making medication mistakes at home. In fact, one recent study indicates that more than half of patients admitted to hospitals for heart attack or heart failure subsequently make drug errors once they leave the hospital. Even well-educated patients who received special counseling and follow-up phone calls to ensure proper medication dosing had as much trouble following their drug regimens as patients left on their own. The most common mistakes made by patients of all kinds include not taking a prescribed medication, missing a dose, taking an incorrect dose, delaying filling out a prescription, and stopping a medication before indicated. The pharmacist can help avoid these common errors.

Osteoporosis drugs help men, too

While the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis is often thought to be a woman's health problem, it also poses a significant fracture risk for men. Women's lifetime risk of suffering an osteoporotic fracture is about 50 percent; for men, the risk is estimated to be about 25 percent. Fortunately, men can avail themselves of the same class of drugs (bisphosphonates) that women use to prevent the loss of bone mass and derive equal benefit. According to recent research, use of the drug zoledronic acid (Reclast) helped men with osteoporosis significantly reduce their risk of fractures of the spine. The first step toward realizing this benefit requires men to have their bone density tested and evaluated.

Medication cautions for pregnancy-minded women

If you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving, you should know that there are risks associated with taking prescription painkillers. Various factors that influence the risk of birth defects include how much medication a woman takes, at what stage of her pregnancy she takes it and what health conditions she might have. With this in mind, women thinking about getting pregnant should discuss the fact with their prescribing physicians. Taking such prescription opioid painkillers as codeine, hydrocodone or oxycodone (Oxycontin) may increase the risk of birth defects in children of women taking these drugs. Taking these drugs just prior to pregnancy or during pregnancy is linked to a moderate risk of congenital heart defects among newborns.

Potential Z-Pak concern

Azithromycin, which is often sold in a five-day dose known as a Z-Pak, is an antibiotic commonly used to kill bacteria that cause middle-ear infections, strep throat, sinusitis and pneumonia. It is therefore newsworthy that a recent study linked azithromycin with an increased risk of irregular heart rhythms in some patients. Azithromycin is part of the macrolide class of antibiotics, which includes erythromycin and other antibiotics that pose similar risks for those with heart disease risk factors. At the same time, the study found no similar risks associated with other antibiotics that treat many conditions as well as azithromycin, most notably, amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin. It may make sense to discuss these alternatives to azithromycin if you have a heart condition.

Taking medications via microchip

If you aren't a fan of needle injections, you may be interested to learn that drugs may now be delivered by microchip. This new way of delivering medication has already been tested among osteoporosis patients. It involves the use of an implanted microchip that has a wireless receiver, which signals the microchip to release the drug. This method of drug delivery is different from most current drug-delivery systems that slowly release small amounts of the drug. Instead, the microchip releases all the medication at once, much like a needle injection. While there are still some issues to work out, the system holds great future promise for delivering medication to patients who have trouble taking their medications regularly.

Migraine prevention

Medications that prevent migraines from recurring are only used by a small number of the roughly 15 percent of the adult population affected by the painful headaches. According to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Headache Society (AHS), nearly 40 percent of migraine sufferers could benefit from preventive drugs, but less than a third of these individuals take them. New guidelines put forth by the AAN and AHS list several drugs that help stop migraines before they start. These include the anti-seizure drugs divalproex (Depakote), valproate (Depacon) and topiramate (Topamax), in addition to the beta-blockers metoprolol, propranolol and timolol. While all of these drugs have side effects, their benefit must be weighed against any potential downside.

Travel advice

Whether you are going to drive or fly, if you plan to travel with medications, it is best to keep them in the passenger compartment, not the vehicle's trunk or the jet's storage area. According to the U.S. Pharmacopeia, most medications should be kept at temperatures between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit in order to maintain optimal quality and effectiveness. Practically speaking, a wider temperature range between 59 and 86 degrees is also acceptable, but excessive heat should be avoided. It is also prudent to check drug labels for warnings about proper storage. Drugs such as insulin require refrigeration. If there are any questions, ask the pharmacist about any special precautions that should be taken with medications while traveling.

Migraine medication may increase birth-defect risk

Cleft lips and palates occur when the mouth does not fully form, which leads to a split lip or hole in the upper palate. While such oral birth defects are relatively rare in the United States, it has been found that an epilepsy drug used to help prevent migraines can increase the risk of these defects in babies born to mothers who take the medication. According to the FDA, expectant mothers who take the drug topiramate (Topamax) are about 20 times more likely to have infants with cleft lips or cleft palates than women not taking the medication. Women of childbearing age should know that the defects occur during the first three months of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant.

Expanded use of prostrate cancer drug

The FDA recently approved the expanded use of a drug that was initially approved to treat prostate cancer patients whose disease had progressed after treatment with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. Now, Zytiga can also be used to treat men with late-stage, hormone therapy-resistant prostate cancer before they undergo chemotherapy. Zytiga works by decreasing production of the male sex hormone testosterone, which stimulates the growth of prostate tumors. The approval of this expanded use of Zytiga was made under the FDA's priority review program, which provides an accelerated six-month review for medications that may present major advances in treatment or provide a treatment when adequate therapy is not available for the treatment of disease.

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