The sinuses are hollow areas in the bones of the face. When the lining is infected, the extra mucus produced causes a stuffy nose, pain in the face and yellow or green discharge. Sinusitis is really common in winter. Most cases are viral.
Shingrix is highly effective against shingles infections, but has meaningful side effects in terms of sore arms and also fever and systemic symptoms that may result in missed work for 2 days or so. In addition, supply is problematic and back ordered. We are now unsure when to expect we will have adequate supply, possibly not till New Year’s.
Generic drugs are equally effective and safe as brand name pharmaceuticals. Prior authorization for expensive brand names is difficult to obtain and hard to justify. If a brand name is desired, the member will be asked to help provide the rationale for the approval process.
Influenza vaccine is now available in our office. We want to get everyone immunized before Thanksgiving.
Hearing aids are essential devices for many older people, but often are not obtained because of the persistently high expense. I recently explored Costco as a source of high-technology major-brand hearing aids at dramatically lower prices.
Contaminated valsartan antihypertensive medication was discovered and is being recalled. No one is likely to have been injured by the NDMA contamination, but we intend to switch everyone to irbesartan, a comparable medication in the same ARB class that has not shown any contamination issues.
Pap smears and HPV co-testing provide effective early detection of cervical cancer in women. Recent guidelines clarify that the frequency of such testing can be spaced out in most circumstances. Remember that Pap smears do not provide protection against uterine or ovarian cancer. Dr. George Papanicolau developed the test named after him.
AIMOVIG is a new monoclonal antibody preventive treatment for chronic and severe episodic migraine that appears to be effective and safe. This is the first new news in a long time in this field.
Opioid drugs, also called narcotics, are critical medications for relieving acute pain but more problematic when occasionally used for chronic pain. We describe new state regulations concerning opioid prescriptions and monitoring and how it affects you and our practice.
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February 2019 M T W T F S S « Nov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Recent Comments
- susan on Medical Marijuana
- Tom Myers on Our Counsel on Ballot Question 1
- Marty Carlock on Premium Hearing Aids at Costco Prices
- Anne Emerson on AIMOVIG for Severe Migraines
- DrKanner on Travel: We Now Offer Yellow Fever Vaccine
79,000 Influenza Deaths in 2017. Opioids Close Behind
Influenza killed almost 80,000 people in the US last year, more than opioid overdoses, more than breast cancer, more than car accidents. The flu vaccine works and is benign. Get your flu shot with us before Thanksgiving!