I have had really bad belly aches and diarrhea -will this go away when my period stops?

My reply:

Yes, it should go away when your period stops. You can also take some ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to help with the diarrhea and bellyache.  Please see the article Why Midol? to learn about using Pamprin and Midol.

Your uterus is contracting, trying to push out the menstrual fluid which can be painful (ibuprofen can help).

During your period, your body makes something called prostoglandins which can cause diarrhea. Ibuprofen lessens the prostoglandins and helps get rid of the diarrhea.

Hope this wasn’t too much info!
Take care and feel better!

So, there is no supporting evidence that cranberries/cranberry juice treats UTIs.  But there are some studies that show cranberries can help prevent UTIs.

Cranberries work by stopping bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall…making it difficult for the bacteria to stick around and start an infection.  Using cranberries to prevent UTIs is still debated, but as they say, “it can’t hurt!”

Studies that showed cranberries can help prevent UTIs used specific products:

1.  300ml (10 oz)/day of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail

2.  500mg/day of Cran-Max capsules

3.  400mg/day of Cranactin capsules

Azo Cranberry is very popular but hasn’t been proven to work.  However, it will most likely work as well as the Cran-Max or Cranactin caps.

If you want a natural product that can prevent and treat UTIs, see Catie’s article D-Mannose for UTI Prevention and Treatment.

If all else fails, use of Bactrim or nitrofurantoin daily can be an option for prevention. 

Do you swear by the power of cranberries?  I would love to hear about it.  Please leave a comment

Well, just recently (as in yesterday, haven’t checked today) you could buy an emergency contraceptive called Nextime on Amazon.com for only $19.99.  That’s a savings of about $30.00! 

Only problem is I couldn’t figure out what ingredients are in Nextime to let you know if it works or not.  It’s not approved by the FDA, so it doesn’t have to be proven to be effective to be sold on the market! 

Nextime appears to be an all-natural/herbal supplement based on the little bit of research I did on the company that makes it, but I cannot say it is for sure without solid evidence! 

With such little details available on the advertised emergency contraceptive, Nextime, I would definitely spend the extra $30.00 or so for the Plan B One-Step or Next Choice, which have been proven to be about 85% effective.  I would not take my chances with a medication that I cannot find any info about!

If anyone has more info on Nextime, please send it our way…we’d love to learn more about it! 

Thanks for checking in, and be sure to grab our free video course on how you can save money on your prescription medications.  There are definitely some ways to save…about 90 of them in this video course!

Why do we need iron anyhoo?  Besides simply to avoid all the above symptoms.  It helps our body carry oxygen to cells.  Now, imagine you do not have enough iron -that means not enough oxygen.  So it is no wonder low iron can cause fatigue!

What causes iron deficiency?  There are three main reasons that people have iron deficiency -increased need for iron, insufficient intake of iron and decreased absorption.  More specifically…

• Teen years -due to increased need during growth phases
• Menstruation
• Pregnancy/Lactation
• Cancer
• Vegan diet
• Malnutrition
• Gastric bypass
• Vitamin C deficiency
• High gastric pH

Enough reasons for ya?

Where do we get iron in our diet? There is heme iron (from meat) and nonheme iron (from plants).  Our bodies absorb heme iron better…so most of our iron comes from meat.  Other options are dried beans, dark leafy greens, dried fruits and cereal.

Iron is still low…where else can I get iron?  There are supplements available OTC.  Some people need IV iron but typically an oral tablet /liquid will be enough for most people. 

All about iron supplements:  Iron comes as ferrous fumarate, glutamate, lactate, succinate and sulfate- all work about the same.  It is more about how much you need to take.  Iron is dosed as elemental iron.   So, to get 65mg elemental iron -you can take 1 tablet of 325mg ferrous sulfate or 2 tablets of 300mg ferrous gluconate.

Slow release iron (like Feosol) is easier on the belly (iron can cause belly aches).  It is also best to take the iron tablet on an empty stomach with some orange juice or soda -it will help the absorption of the iron.  Milk, cheese, tums (dairy stuff) should be avoided within 2 hours of taking the iron supplement because it will decrease the absorption of the iron.

Side effects: belly ache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, dark-coloured stools.  The liquid version can stain the teeth.

It is good to check with your physician first and see if you actually have low iron levels because iron levels can get too high too and that is a whole other issue!

Are you on an iron supplement -what do you think about all this?  Leave us a comment!

Keep it real and remember, as one of my patients so elegantly said, “Excrement happens!”

Just wanted to inform you of the effects oral contraceptives (aka birth control, the pill, etc.) can have on your cholesterol levels.

Check it out below!

The progestin name I was trying to pronounce was norethindrone!

Let’s keep this discussion going…leave a comment below or send me a message at Cate@getpharmacyadvice.com.

Have a great week!

In general, to help prevent vitamin D deficiency, a safe bet is to take 1000-2000 IU/ day of vitamin D for adults and 400IU/day for infants and kids.  Supplements are usually the best deal because it is hard to get enough vitamin D through diet -a glass of milk only has 100IU!  But if you are deteremined to increase vitamin D levels by diet -milk, fish, fortified food, egg yolk and fish liver oil.

Just a note here -vitamin D is available as D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) -both are okay but D3 is more potent. 

When vitamin D levels are way too low, some patients will be started on prescription vitamin D 50,000 IU.  These supplements are usually taken weekly until levels normalize -then they are taken monthly.

The problem here is that physicians start patients on weekly vitamin D 50,000IU capsules and forget to change them to monthly…which can lead to vitamin D toxicity. 

Vitamin D toxicity is rare.  Symptoms consist of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, weakness and kidney problems.  If you have been taking vitamin D 50,000 IU weekly for more than 4 months -give your physician a call and ask them to check on your vitamin D levels.

Are you taking a vitamin D supplement?  We would love to hear about it! Go ahead and leave us a comment :)

Want to know about Vitamin D and Kids?  Read this article.

Want more info on -Boric Acid for Yeast Infections.

Want to learn about how to save some money at the pharmacy?  90 Ways to Save on Your Prescription Drugs -totally free, ya’ll!

Inspired by the many calls I’ve received at work from ladies inquiring about when they should take their birth control pill again after taking the “morning after pill”, I’ve posted the following video:

So, if you haven’t taken Plan B One-Step or Next Choice yet, it’s best to follow the package insert directions that came with your birth control pills instead of taking the “morning after pill” - the birth control pill is more effective!  If you’ve thrown out the package insert, just call your pharmacist and they should be able to help you out.

If you’ve already taken the emergency contraceptive, resume taking your birth control pill as soon as possible and continue to take it daily as you’ve been directed.  Remember, there are no studies showing how levonorgestrel (the hormone in Plan B One-Step and Next Choice) interacts with any of the available oral contraceptives, so you may want to use a back-up contraceptive method for a good 7 days just in case -depends how much of a worrywart you are!

Let me know if you need me to clear things up a little more by leaving a comment below or e-mailing me at Cate@getpharmacyadvice.com. 

Last, but not least, check out our video course on how to save money on your prescription medications.  No worries, it’s free…enjoy!