Author: Pat

Are my prescription meds helping me, hurting me or doing nothing at all?

Posted on August 11, 2021 by - antidepressant not working, Medications list, Medications not working, pain meds not working

If you need steady state medications (dosages that last 24 hours around the clock), to effectively control your condition and you take it half the time or miss doses, guess what? You have caused your own treatment failure. Everything has been going well and then …Bam! You feel like crap and you don’t know why. What has happened? Is your medication helping you, hurting you or just plain not working for you anymore? How many of you have wondered if your medication is hurting you or if it is really helping you? Quite a few, I am sure. You are right to consider those possibilities, because it happens more than you think.

Can your body become used to the medication?

Your body becomes tolerant to the medication and you no longer get the same benefits or results. You may have added another medication that is interfering with the medication. You can be sure that something has changed. But what? That takes some digging. It happens quite a lot in folks that are taking medications for depression, anxiety, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, asthma or COPD.  What is happening? Why is it happening?

Do your regimen correctly

Well, one thing that happens is that folks with chronic health conditions get sloppy when using their regular medications. They do not take it as they are supposed to. Sometimes, it is defiance and sometimes they forget. Did you know that there is a proper way to use mouth and nasal inhalers to get the benefits of the medication? You cannot just squirt all willy-nilly.

Is it the right medication for your needs?

Another thing that happens is the medication is not the right medication for you. You either metabolize it too quickly, too slowly or not at all. This happens a lot with antidepressants, pain medications and antiseizure medications. If you have had a treatment failure with any of these types of medications, I would suggest getting a genetics test. Full discloser – I do offer those tests for $595.00. All I need is an order from your physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner stating a treatment failure or multiple tries with their NPI number and I can order you a test. Contact me if you want more information. 865-684-8771 or pat@EmpoweringHealthOptions.com. Your body may have become tolerant to the medication and you need a change.

What you eat and drink may alter the absorption

A new medication has been introduced that is causing the current medication to have problems. It may even be a food that is causing metabolism problems. A new health condition may be the culprit. Even your own lifestyle decisions may be impacting the medication. Lifestyle factors include your diet, alcohol intake, recreational drug use, physical activity or the lack of physical activity. Even medication overload can be the culprit. Medication overload includes too many medications and too much of a dose. Your chronic health condition has progressed and gotten worse.

Is it the appropriate medication for your needs?

Another thing to consider is – Are you on the appropriate medication to begin with? Do you have an appropriate diagnosis? Remember, it is the practice of medicine and there are not absolutes. We do see mistakes in diagnosing. It is not always the doctor’s fault. Some things act and look like other conditions and diseases. So, it is very important to rule out what can be ruled out as a cause.

Time is of the essence when this information is needed…What is it?

Posted on August 4, 2021 by - Caregiver Information, Information needed, Medications list, Tips and Tricks

Imagine you or someone that you love had an emergency which required a trip to the hospital. When you get there, you will be asked a lot of important questions. One of the most important is a CURRENT Medications List. What are you taking? What strength? How are you taking it? Hopefully, they will also ask you, Why are you taking that?

Why are you taking this medicine?

The “why” is important because sometimes medications are used for off-label or other than their intended indications. For example, Seroquel® (quetiapine) which has indications for Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia, may be used for sleep. Do you have a current medications list? Where is it? How easily can emergency personnel find it? Have a written or hard copy in your wallet that is updated every 6 months or every time your medications change. I would also include your over-the-counter medications as well as supplements and herbal products. Yes, I know. You think that you will remember all of that, but trust me you will not remember everything during a stressful situation. Cortisol will hijack your brain and you will be physiologically unable to recall everything that you are taking for 30 minutes to an hour or longer.

Medication misuse and abuse

Medication misuse and abuse happens all the time and it causes 1 in 5 Emergency department visits. The most commonly misused medications are Opioids (pain medications), Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants (used for tranquilizers, anxiety, sleep) and Stimulants (ADHD medications). These are not the only ones, just the most common.

Misuse

    • Taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else
    • Taking a larger dose than you are supposed to
    • Taking the medicine in a different way than you are supposed to. This might be crushing tablets and then snorting or injecting them.
    • Using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high

Abuse

Prescription drug abuse is the use of a prescription medication in a way not intended by the prescribing doctor. Prescription drug abuse or problematic use includes everything from taking a friend’s prescription painkiller for your backache to snorting or injecting ground-up pills to get high. Drug abuse may become ongoing and compulsive, despite the negative consequences. When will you write out and place your list in your wallet? Write it on your calendar. What gets written down, gets done. Pat

How to prevent fighting amongst family members if you become incapacitated?

Posted on July 28, 2021 by - Uncategorized

What two legal documents do you need?

July 28, 2021

How can you make sure that your business, your financial accounts, your bills are taken care of should you become incapacited for a period of time or for the rest of your life?

The two legal documents that you need are: Power of Attorney Documents

1. Durable Power of Attorney for Finances

  2.  Durable Power of Attorney for Health care

Now, all states are not the same so make sure that the forms are legal in your state.

Stop the fighting before it starts. And, you know that there will be fighting about who is taking care of what and how they are going to handle it. Choose someone who wants to be the durable power of attorney for health care and finances. It may not be the same person.

The reasons may be many for not choosing your spouse or another family member. They may not want to or even be able to be the power of attorney. Finances are just not their expertise. You can’t trust them to do what you want. They piss you off, or whatever the reason. It does not matter; it is your choice.

Plan for end-of-life care

If you do not make a choice or you do not have these powers of attorney, then the courts will decide conservatorship for you. You do not get to have any input or a say and it will take a lot of time, money and stress. Your money. A conservatorship takes a lot of time and a lot more money than getting these taken care of by a lawyer. You can even use one of the prepaid legal plans for your will and durable powers of attorney, if you are concerned about the cost. I would like for you to consider this an investment in you, your wishes and needs to be handled and done as you want them to be handled and done.

Make your wishes known, fill out your living will and then get on with your life.

Check with your bank about what they need to have in place so someone else can-do banking on your behalf using your accounts. If a durable power of attorney is over three years old, some banks will not honor the power of attorney for fear that it may have been revoked or someone else is the current power of attorney. Also, if you have a safety deposit box, make sure you have two or more people on the signature card to access the box. If not, good luck with getting into that box. It will be locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

Pick one to three people that you trust and set them up as your powers of attorney. Ask them first, then make your wishes known. What gets written down gets done. Who is the best person or persons to make medical decisions for you? Who is the best person or persons to handle your finances and bills?

If you have had these in place for over 5 years, do you need to change them or update some information?

Pat

Why a HIPAA release authorization document is so very important

Posted on July 21, 2021 by - Uncategorized

HIPAA A HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) release form.  This HIPAA release form allows you or whoever is designated to have access to medicaland health information.  Medical information comes from hospitals, labs, physicians’ offices, insurance companies, rehab facilities, therapy, pharmacy and anything else to do with medical issues. Those entities cannot disclose any information without a signed HIPAA release.

Medical information for anyone over age 18

Anyone over the age of 18 years old will need a signed HIPAA authorization form in order for someone else to have access to their medical information or to even receive any medical information on them from a medical provider. So, if you do not have a signed HIPAA authorization form, the doctors cannot give you any information on the condition of your loved one.  Insurance companies  or health plans will not give you any information on the status of bills or anything else about the insured. You cannot get medical records or any health information. You will be stuck! Talk about stress and frustration increasing by the minute. It does not matter that you are related. It does not matter what you want or your loved one wants. You must have a HIPAA release form in place. So, get it done and get copies to regular providers, including insurance company. At the very least, have one signed and ready to use. Some of you may be wondering, “why?” It is because of protected health information (PHI) rules that went int effect many years ago.

Medical providers and Healthcare providers

Call the medical providers to see if you need to sign their paperwork or you can provide your own. You may be able to download a generic HIPAA release form online, make sure it is legal in your state. Tennessee https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/hs/HS-2557_revised.pdf **This does NOT work for banking information.**

Covid-19 and our immune response

Posted on November 18, 2020 by - Uncategorized

Is getting Covid-19, like getting pregnant? One time exposure and you either are or are not pregnant.  The answer is, NO! You may be exposed to multiple people that may have Covid-19 in many different settings and many different times. Those folks may or may not have symptoms, but they sure are shedding the contagious particles.  You are taking in those particles and you are becoming infected.

Coronavirus, immune response, overload

We could talk about infectious dose and viral loading, but your eyes would glaze over and mine would too. Think about it like this…You pick up a little bit here and little bit there over multiple days and at some point your immune system will become overburdened. It cannot fight the virus anymore. The immune system calls in reinforcements, but, the reinforcements cannot fight it successfully either.

We don’t know what this outbreak will do

Look, we do not know the long-term effects of this virus and it will continue to change as viruses do. Why do some have Covid toes? Why are blood clots forming? Why are we having inflammation in the heart and resulting heart damage? Why are we having continued joint pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, rapid heartbeat, injury to the kidneys, and other things?  We don’t know the long-term consequences and we don’t know if some of them are permanent.

Do what you can to protect yourself and your loved ones – Check CDC website

    • Wear an effective, approved mask
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
    • Wash your hands with soap and sing the Happy Birthday song twice
    • Stay 6 feet apart
    • Stay outside or have the doors and windows open
    • Stay home if you are sick or have a fever, which is 100.4 degrees F or higher
    • Take personal responsibility for yourself, your loved ones and your community