Patients who keep an EpiPen on hand in case of a severe allergic attack need to know about a potentially dangerous mix-up between the actual pen and a similar looking training pen.
Read Safety ArticleSome medicines come as a nasal spray. While a spray in each nostril is the typical way to take a single dose, there are some exceptions. Some medicines are meant to be given as a single spray into one nostril for each dose. One prime example is calcitonin salmon (Fortical or Micalcin), a medicine used to treat women with osteoporosis (bone thinning) after menopause.
Read Safety ArticleYou may have seen some advertisements for testosterone gel products that men can apply to the skin when they have documented low testosterone (male hormone) levels. Restored testosterone may lead to increases in sexual desire, mood and energy.
Read Safety ArticleA medicine commonly used to treat depression, sertraline (Zoloft), is available as a tablet or a concentrated oral liquid. The oral liquid form is very potent and must first be diluted in a specific beverage to make it easier to swallow. However, many healthcare providers and consumers are unfamiliar with the need to dilute this medicine before use.
Read Safety ArticleIf you take the prescription sleeping pill Lunesta (eszopiclone) or generics, you may need to take a lower dose according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A recent study found that the medicine may still be in the body in high enough amounts the morning after taking it to impair activities that require alertness, including driving.
Read Safety ArticleIf you keep an EpiPen Jr (epinephrine) auto-injector on hand in case a child has a severe allergic reaction, you need to know about the risk of cutting a child while the needle is under the skin if he or she moves during the injection. An EpiPen Jr auto-injector is a disposable automatic injection device filled with 1 dose of epinephrine. When the orange tip is pressed against a child's outer thigh until it "clicks" and then held there for 10 seconds, the dose is automatically delivered. Prompt treatment of severe allergic reactions in the home and community can be lifesaving and has resulted in better survival rates and less long-term effects. Most often, auto-injectors are used successfully without complications. But two children recently sustained cuts on their legs when using the EpiPen Jr.
Read Safety ArticleSeveral mix-ups between the medications INVEGA (paliperidone), which is used to treat schizophrenia, and INTUNIV (guan FACINE ), used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to us.
Read Safety ArticleMore than 30 million—nearly 1 in every 10—Americans have diabetes. To help manage their condition, many people with diabetes use a small, portable glucose meter to measure the amount of sugar (glucose) in their blood. After pricking the skin with a sharp lancet (small needle), one places a drop of blood on a test strip inserted in the glucose meter. The glucose meter then displays the blood sugar level on the screen. People with low or high blood sugar readings need to make quick treatment decisions. If the blood sugar reading is low, the person needs to eat or drink a sugary food or beverage, like candy, glucose tablets, or orange juice. This helps raise the amount of sugar in the blood to normal limits. If the reading is high, the person may need to take more insulin. The extra insulin helps lower the amount of sugar in the blood. If the blood sugar reading is normal, no additional food or medicine is needed. Unfortunately, mistakes have been made when making these treatment decisions due to the way the blood sugar results are displayed on some glucose meter screens.
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