Canadian Pharmacy » Archives for November 2006

Purchasing your prescription drugs from Canada can be safe, reliable, and easy but there are strict guidelines to follow. These are the facts – and could be useful tips – you should know if you are thinking of buying your prescriptions from a Canadian online pharmacy.

• The Canadian drugs can only be for personal use.
• You must have a valid prescription from a licensed U.S. physician.
• The number of Canadian drugs can not exceed a three-month supply.
• If you are looking to purchase drugs from Canada you must affirm, in writing, that it is for your own personal use.
• You will have to provide the name and address of the doctor licensed in the U.S. responsible for your treatment with the drug.
• Canadian drugs can not contain a narcotic or controlled substance.

Canadian drugs – the facts explained.

The drugs you purchase from Canada must be for your own personal use. You may not import for resale. You may not purchase drugs for family, friends, or any other third party. Any importation other than for your own personal use is a violation of drug import regulations.

To do business with a reputable Canadian online pharmacy a valid prescription from your doctor will be required. Buying prescription medications without a valid prescription from a licensed U.S. physician violates government regulations. In Canada, any pharmacy that dispenses prescription drugs without a prescription violates Canadian regulations. You should avoid any Canadian online pharmacies offering to dispense your drugs without a legitimate prescription.

The quantity that you can import is limited to a three-month supply – anything over this may be seen as importation for resale. If your prescription has refills, you may purchase up to three refills, with one refill occurring every three months.

Narcotics and other controlled substances cannot be imported under personal importation regulations. Such items can be held by customs. Exporting narcotics is a violation of Canadian export regulations and any Canadian online pharmacy that offers narcotics for export should be avoided.

What is it?

Cystitis is an inflammation or infection of the urinary bladder. When caused by germs, it’s called a urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIs can be painful and annoying. They can also become a serious health problem if they spread to infect your kidneys.
The drugs most commonly prescribed to fight cystitis are:

• Ciprofloxacin
• Macrodantin

Your urinary system is composed of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. All play a role in removing waste from your body. Your kidneys, a pair of bean-shaped organs in your upper-posterior abdomen, filter waste from your blood. Tubes called ureters carry urine from your kidneys to the bladder, where it is stored until it exits your body through the urethra. A urinary tract infection can begin when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra and then begin to multiply.

What are the signs and symptoms?

• A strong, persistent urge to urinate
• A burning sensation when urinating
• Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
• Blood in the urine
• Passing cloudy or strong-smelling urine
• A feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen
• Low-grade fever

In young children, new episodes of bed-wetting may also be a sign of a UTI.

What are the causes of cystitis?

There are two main types of bladder infections and they are:

• Community-acquired bladder infections. These infections occur when people who aren’t in a medical care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, develop a bladder infection. This condition is common in women between the ages of 30 and 50 but is rare in men of the same age. However, men older than 50 may be at risk of this type of infection because of prostate enlargement, a common condition that can block urine flow in older men.

• Hospital-acquired, or nosocomial, bladder infections. These infections occur in people in a medical care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home. Most often they occur in those who have had a urinary catheter placed through the urethra and into the bladder to collect urine, a common practice done before some surgical procedures, for some diagnostic tests, or as a means of urinary drainage for elderly people or people confined to bed. Nosocomial bladder infections can occur when a temporary or permanent catheter is placed in the bladder of a person who is unable to void spontaneously.

UTIs typically occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract from the outside, usually through the urethra, and begin to multiply. The urinary system is designed to keep out such microscopic invaders. The bladder secretes a protective coating that prevents bacteria from attaching to its wall. Urine also has antibacterial properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, certain factors increase the chances that bacteria will take hold and multiply into a full-blown infection.

Sometimes cystitis is referred to as honeymoon cystitis because this bladder infection commonly occurs in women as a result of sexual intercourse. During sexual activity, bacteria may be introduced into the bladder through the urethra. But even sexually inactive girls and women are susceptible to lower urinary tract infections because the anus, a constant source of bacteria, is so close to the female urethra.
Most cases of cystitis are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli), a species of bacteria commonly found in the rectal area. A new strain of antibiotic-resistant E. coli may be the cause of increasingly hard-to-treat UTIs in women.

Although more rare, other causes of cystitis, or conditions that may mimic bacterial UTIs, include:

• Organisms found in tuberculosis or yeast infection (vaginitis)
• Radiation treatment to the bladder area
• Tumors in the bladder
• Interstitial cystitis
• Certain medications

What are the risk factors?

Risk factors in both men and women include anything that impedes the flow of urine, such as an enlarged prostate or a stone in the bladder. Changes in the immune system, which can occur with conditions such as diabetes, also can increase the risk of UTIs. So can the prolonged use of bladder catheters, which may be needed in people with chronic illnesses or in older adults.

Research funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that a woman’s blood type may play a role in her risk of recurrent infections of the bladder and urinary tract. Bacteria may be able to attach to cells in the urinary tract more easily in those with certain blood factors. However more research is needed to determine whether an association exists and whether it could be useful in identifying people at risk of recurrent infection.

Screening and diagnosis

If you have any symptoms of a bladder infection, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. If your doctor suspects you have a bladder infection, he or she may ask for a urine sample to determine whether bacteria, blood, or pus is in your urine.

Treatment

Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for community-acquired bladder infections. Which drugs are used and for how long depends on your health condition and the bacteria found in your urine test, if such a test is performed. The drugs most commonly recommended for simple UTIs include amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin), sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra) and trimethoprim (Trimpex, Proloprim). Make sure your doctor is aware of any other drugs you’re taking or any allergies you might have.

Usually, symptoms clear up within a few days of treatment. However, you’ll likely need to stay on antibiotics for three days to a week, depending on the severity of your infection. No matter what the length of treatment, take the entire course of antibiotics recommended by your doctor to ensure that the infection is completely eradicated.

Hospital-acquired bladder infections can be a challenge to treat because bacteria found in hospitals are often resistant to the common types of antibiotics used to treat community-acquired bladder infections. For that reason, different types of antibiotics and different treatment approaches may be needed. Currently, researchers are testing whether using catheters pre-treated with antimicrobial products may help reduce the incidence of this type of bladder infection.

How to prevent cystitis

• Drink plenty of liquids, especially water. Cranberry juice may have infection-fighting properties. However, don’t drink cranberry juice if you’re taking the blood-thinning medication warfarin (Coumadin). Possible interactions between cranberry juice and warfarin can lead to bleeding.
• Urinate frequently. Avoid retaining your urine for a long time when you feel the urge to void.
• Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement. Doing so prevents bacteria in the anal region from spreading to the vagina and urethra.
• Take showers rather than tub baths. If you’re susceptible to infections, doing so can help prevent inf
  ections.
• Gently wash the skin around the vagina and anus. Do this daily, but don’t use harsh soaps or wash too vigorously. The delicate skin around these areas can become irritated.
• Empty your bladder as soon as possible after intercourse. Drink a full glass of water to help flush bacteria.
• Avoid using deodorant sprays or feminine products such as douches in the genital area. These products can irritate the urethra.

How does it work?

Alvesco aerosol inhaler contains the active ingredient ciclesonide, which is a type of medicine known as a corticosteroid. Ciclesonide is a synthetic corticosteroid and is used to decrease inflammation in the lungs.
When ciclesonide is inhaled into your lungs it is absorbed into the cells of the lungs and airways. It is here that Alvesco is activated and prevents the release of certain chemicals from the cells. These chemicals are important in the immune system and are usually involved in creating immune and allergic responses that can result in inflammation. Therefore by decreasing the release of these chemicals in the lungs and airways, inflammation is reduced.
Inhaling Alvesco allows it to act directly in the lungs where it is needed most. It also reduces the potential for side effects occurring in other parts of the body, as the amount absorbed into the blood through the lungs is lower than if it is taken by mouth.

How does Alvesco work on asthma?

In asthma, the airways tighten due to inflammation and can also be blocked by mucus. This makes it hard for air to get in and out of your lungs. By preventing the inflammation and excess mucus formation, Alvesco makes it easier to breathe and helps prevent asthma attacks.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease in which sufferers have repeated attacks of difficulty in breathing and coughing. Asthma can be triggered by external agents, such as irritants in the atmosphere which are breathed in, or by internal reactions within the body that have been caused by an external influence. To acquire asthma, people seem to need to have been born with a predisposition to the disease. It may not reveal itself until they have been exposed to some asthma irritants.

What do I need to know about Alvesco?

• This medicine is known as a preventer and it should be taken regularly to prevent asthma attacks. Alvesco should not be used to relieve an asthma attack.
• Do not exceed the dose of this medicine that your doctor has prescribed for you.
• Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine unless your doctor suggests otherwise, as your asthma symptoms are likely to return.
• Use with caution if you have active or inactive tuberculosis infection of the lungs, other lung infections, or severely decreased liver function.
• Alvesco should be used with caution during pregnancy and only if the benefits outweigh any risks to the fetus.

What about side effects?

Because a side effect is listed here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

• Unexpected narrowing of the airways
• Bad taste
• Throat irritation
• Dry mouth or throat
• Hoarseness
• Cough
• Rash
• Eczema

If side effects persist or worsen while taking Alvesco contact your doctor right away.

Famvir targets the DNA of genital herpes to interrupt its life cycle, so outbreaks are shorter, helping you manage them more easily. It is an oral antiviral medication that is used for:

• Treatment of recurrent genital herpes
• Suppression of recurrent genital herpes
• Treatment of recurrent herpes simplex virus infections (genital herpes and cold sores) in HIV-infected patients

What is genital herpes?

The biggest misconception is that genital herpes is a disease associated with promiscuous behavior. Symptoms of genital herpes can first appear a long time after the person has contracted the disease – you may have contracted it from a sexual partner long ago. Your partner may have genital herpes without knowing it – he or she may have passed it on to you without showing signs of the disease.
Genital herpes is most often spread from person to person through sexual contact. It is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus one of the same family of viruses that causes chickenpox, cold sores, and mononucleosis.

Two different types of herpes simplex viruses can cause herpes.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes oral herpes (cold sores or fever blisters) on the face and mouth. Most type 1 genital herpes is caused by unprotected oral sex.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) usually causes genital herpes.

The symptoms of genital herpes may include:

• A rash, bumps, blisters, cuts, or sores in or around the genital area
• Itching, burning, tingling, or swelling in or around the genital area
• Aches or pains in or around the genital area
• Discharge from the penis or vagina
• Burning and/or pain when urinating
• Flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, and swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the groin

It is important to know that physical symptoms do not have to be present to spread genital herpes to another person. Some people are unaware that they have genital herpes because their symptoms are so mild (eg, bump or rash), and they unknowingly spread the virus to others. You can have no signs or symptoms at all but be contagious and spread the herpes virus. This is called asymptomatic viral shedding. It’s also important to know that transmission of the herpes virus can occur in heterosexual and homosexual relationships (both men and women).

How is Famvir prescribed?

It is usually prescribed after the initial outbreak of genital herpes, in one of three ways:

Episodic treatment –

your doctor treats an outbreak of genital herpes as it occurs. You take one 125-mg pill, twice a day, for 5 days.

Suppressive treatment –

if you have frequent or severe outbreaks, you take one 250-mg pill, twice a day, for up to 1 year to suppress the genital herpes virus and help to prevent outbreaks.

Patients with HIV –

Famvir is the only prescription oral antiviral therapy indicated for treating genital or orolabial herpes in people infected with HIV. In patients with herpes simplex and HIV, the dose is 500 mg, twice a day, for 7 days.

What are the most common side effects?

In clinical studies, Famvir’s side effects were reported to be headache, nausea, and diarrhea.