Medications Review

Active Ingredient: Centrizine

Common Brand Name(s): Zyrtec

Zyrtec is mainly used to treat symptoms of allergies like sneezing, runny nose, itching, tearing and redness of eyes and hives. Zyrtec works as an antihistamine by blocking actions of naturally occurring chemical histamine in the body.

What is Zyrtec used for?

o Zyrtec is used as an antigistamine which blocks the actions of the naturally produced acids in the body. Zyrtec has comparatively lesser side effects than other antihistamines.

o Zyrtec is mainly used to treat allergic ailments such as sneezing, runny nose, itching, tearing and redness of eyes, and hives.

o Apart from the above uses, Zyrtec may be used for some other purposes.

How Do I Use Zyrtec?

o You must follow doctor’s direction for use of Zyrtec. If you have any doubt about use of Zyrtec you must consult your doctor, nurse or a pharmacist. They will be able to guide you the correct way of using Zyrtec.

o Take Zyrtec with adequate quantity of water.

o You can take Zyrtec before meals.

o You should chew the chewable tablets thoroughly, if taking chewable tablets.

o If you are taking Zyrtec in liquid form, use measuring spoon, cup or dropper to ensure correct in take of medicine.

o You can take Zyrtec with or without food.

How should I Store Zyrtec?

You can store Zyrtec at normal room temperature. However, you must ensure that the storing place is free from moisture and away from the heat.

What are the possible Side Effects?

o There are no serious side effects of Zyrtec as such. However, if you experience any allergic reaction like breathing difficulty, closing of throat, swollen lips, tongue, face or hives, stop taking Zyrtec and visit your doctor for immediate medical attention.

o If you experience other side effects which are less serious don’t stop use of Zyrtec. However you must consult your doctor if you develop symptoms like drowsiness, dizziness, and headache or mouth dryness.

o You may notice any other unusual side effects other than those enlisted here. In such case you must consult your doctor who will provide required medical treatment.

What should I do if I miss a dose?

You can take the missed dose immediately after you remember it. However you must keep in mind the time of your next dose. If there is sufficient time gap you can take the missed dose. If your next scheduled dose is nearing then skip the missed dose and take the regular scheduled dose in time. Never double your dose to make up for missed dose.

If you are using Zyrtec on as required basis, take the missed dose if it is need, but you must maintain the prescribed gap before you take next dose.

What should I do if I overdose?

If you suspect the overdose or develop unusual symptoms, you must consult your doctor for immediate medical attention. Exact symptoms of Zyrtec overdose are not known. However Drowsiness is considered as one of the symptoms.

Is Zyrtec Safe?

If you are suffering from liver disorders, you may not be able to use Zyrtec. Your doctor may make dose adjustment to suit you and closely monitor effects of the dose.

If you have allergic reaction to Zyrtec or medicines like Atarax and Vistaril, you must consult your doctor before taking Zyrtec.

There are no proven results available regarding effects of Zyrtec on the unborn baby. However, you must consult your doctor if you are pregnant.

There are no proven results to confirm that Zyrtec passes into breast milk and it may affect the nursing baby. You must consult your doctor before using Zyrtec, if you are breast feeding your baby.

Your doctor may prescribe you lower dose of Zyrtec if you are over 65 years of age. Aged people are likely to experience side effects of Zyrtec.

Zyrtec may cause drowsiness. If you experience this side effect, avoid driving, operating machinery and other hazardous activities.

If you are taking Zyrtec, avoid alcohol. Alcohol may increase drowsiness.

You must tell your doctor that you are taking Zyrtec, before your doctor prescribes you other medicines. Do not use other allergy medicines or cough; Cold medicine without consulting doctor, if you are taking Zyrtec.

Medicines like antidepressants, sedatives, pain relievers, anxiety medicines, muscle relaxants and other antihistamines increase drowsiness or dizziness when taken with Zyrtec. Consult your doctor on use of these medicines when you are taking Zyrtec.

How does Zyrtec interact with other medicines?

If you are taking any of the following medicines, you must inform your doctor regarding this before using Zyrtec. You may require dose adjustment and close monitoring, if you are taking these medicines.

o Antidepressants

o Sedatives

o Medicines for treating anxiety like diazepam, alprazolam, Iorazepam, Restoril, Librium etc.

o Pain relievers

o Muscle relaxants

o Other antihistamines

Never take other allergy or antihistamine medicines without consulting your doctor.

Some other drugs, other than those listed above may have interaction with Zyrtec. You must consult your doctor even before using vitamins, minerals and herbal products.

What other information should I know?

o You should continue use of Zyrtec as per your doctor’s advice till you get complete relief.

o Chew the chewable tablet thoroughly and use measuring spoon, cup or dropper for taking Zyrtec in liquid form.

o Take your Zyrtec on scheduled time and period as directed by your doctor.

o You must consult your doctor if you experience any unusual occurrence of side effect.

There are millions of hair loss sufferers in the world and many don’t bother to do anything about it for many reasons. Some reasons might be that they don’t care about going bald, many can’t afford to buy hair loss treatments, and some just don’t believe hair loss treatments really work at all. There are many hair loss treatments on the market today but I wanted to specifically focus on Rogaine Foam as it is the most popular hair loss treatment as well as I have personal experience with the product. I’ve read plenty of Rogaine Foam reviews but many seem to be tailored on promoting the product or just bashing the product altogether from an unhappy customer. As a fellow hair loss sufferer, I felt providing an honest Rogaine Foam review to be needed to really educate the public so hair loss sufferers can hear both sides of the story before considering using the product.

My Hair Loss Story

Everyone loses hair everyday. In fact it is typical to lose up to 100 hairs per day as they are being replaced by new hairs. However, I believed my hair loss was excessive and it was one of the most depressing experiences of my life at the time. Each time I got my hair ready in the morning or whenever I showered I would see tons of hair in the drain. My confidence was down big time as I constantly worried when I would be fully bald or when people would notice that I was going bald. To make matters worse, my father is bald so I just knew it was just a matter of time before I was bald. The overall experience and anticipation made it a very stressful situation as many people in society base people on looks. I didn’t know where to turn to or if there was even anything I can do to make the balding stop. I have always seen the Rogaine commercials but questioned, “Does Rogaine Foam work and what are the Rogaine Foam side effects?” I did some research on Rogaine and then decided to try the product years ago. I will share my experience with the product later in this article.

I have read through many Rogaine Foam reviews from other users and based with my personal experiences here are the positives, negatives, and some possible side effects of Rogaine Foam.

Rogaine Foam Positives

– Obviously the main positive that everyone using Rogaine Foam hopes for is that it may stop male pattern baldness and regrow your hair back.

– Many users claim it made their hair thicker, fuller, and darker.

– Rogaine Foam is very quick, easy and convenient to apply and use. You can work it into your daily regimen quite easily. Many state its the most convenient and easiest hair loss treatment to use.

– The product is only supposed to regrow hair on the top of the scalp but many users said it regrew hair even on the frontal hair line.

– Most had positive results with just using Rogaine Foam, however, many experienced even greater results when combined with other hair loss treatments. Many used Rogaine Foam for hair growth and used it concurrently with Propecia which is used to stop hair loss.

– Rogaine is the only FDA approved hair loss brand.

Rogaine Foam Negatives

– Some claim that the product doesn’t work and that Rogaine Foam didn’t stop their hair loss nor regrow their hair. First, Rogaine only works for pattern baldness so you have to make sure that your hair loss is due to pattern baldness and not occurring because of a disease, stress, or another reason. Secondly, Rogaine themselves has stated that the product doesn’t work for everyone as it claims that in studies it was effective in 85% of the people. There not many health products that work for every person and I know for sure there isn’t one single hair loss treatment that will work for every single person in the entire world. There are going to be some people where the product just doesn’t work for them. You wont know unless you try it and you must use it for at least 3 to 4 months to really gauge to see if the product is working for you.

– There are possible side effects when taking any product as Rogaine Foam also has but the more common side effects are itching and flaking of the scalp. If you do experience this while taking the product, simply stop taking the product and it will go away.

– Another issue is that when you stop taking the product your hair loss will continue. I am not speaking of just simply missing an application and you will wake up bald the next morning. But if you completely stop taking the product I believe it takes about 2 to 3 months for your hair loss to continue. The simple solution to this if the product is working, do not stop using it.

– Others claim they didn’t like the smell of Rogaine Foam, however, their is a newer unscented Rogaine Foam formula so this shouldn’t be a factor any longer.

– Some people end up using more Rogaine Foam than if they were to use the topical solution. For example, in both products you are supposed to apply two times per day. The topical solution comes with a dropper so you can measure the exact amount that you apply. However, with the foam it states to apply half a cap full two times per day. As a user of Rogaine Foam, since it so easy and convenient to apply it becomes quite easy to make it a habit to not put the foam into the cap and to just directly apply it to the scalp. The people that do this might end up using more than they should, thus depleting the bottle faster and end up spending more money. The easy solution to fix this problem is to actually do as the directions say and apply half a capful.

– Lastly some people state that Rogaine Foam made their hair loss actually increase. This is actually a possibility, however, it is normal. It is very important that you understand this so you wont panic and stop taking whatever hair loss product you decide on. Let me explain really briefly;

Hair growth has 3 cycles which consist of the anagen phase which is the growth phase. The second phase is the categen phase which is also called the transitional phase. It lasts 2 to 4 weeks and during this phase the hair actually stops growing but does not fall out. The 3rd phase is the telogen phase which is also known as the resting phase which lasts 2 to 4 months. During this time the hair still does not grow. Approximately 10 to 15% of the hair on your scalp is in the telogen phase at any one time. After the telogen phase the cycle is complete and the hair goes back into the anagen phase. It is at this time where the hair shaft is forming that the old hair is pushed out and lost.

So when you start taking a product like Rogaine Foam you stimulate the hair follicle to start producing hair. What happens is that many hair follicles that are in the telogen phase then go into the growth phase. When the hair follicle starts growing a new hair it first has to get rid of the old hair which is still attached to the hair follicle. So instead of these hairs falling out gradually at different times, they all fall out together giving you the impression that you are losing more hair. The reality is that the hair that fell out had stopped growing and it was due to fall out anyway. So shedding is a positive sign and means that you are responding well to the treatment and new hair is growing in. And when I say hair falls out it doesnt mean your entire head, it just means the hairs in the telogen phase which is about 10 to 15% of your hair. Many people do not know this and end up stopping the treatment when they should stay on it.

My Personal Experience Using Rogaine Foam

I actually first started taking Rogaine Topical Solution before I used Rogaine Foam. I purchased the product online as I was too embarrassed to buy it in the store. The product started working for me as I noticed less hair falling out and my hair seemed thicker and fuller. However, after about a couple months my scalp actually started to itch and get flaky. I knew it had to be the Rogaine as it was the only new product I was using on my hair. I began to worry as I didn’t want to stop taking the product as my hair loss would continue so I did further research. I read that some people with more sensitive scalps had the same itchy scalp problem that I had, however, when they made the switch to Rogaine Foam the itching and flaking disappeared. So I made the switch to Rogaine Foam and the itchiness and flakiness did exactly that, it disappeared. As far as the hair loss went, I also noticed the same results as the topical solution. My excessive hair loss stopped and my hair was thicker and fuller.

My Recommendation

My experience with the product is a positive one and I still currently use the product. The product has stopped my excessive hair loss which in turn has restored my confidence and ability to just keep on living life without worrying about going bald. I know that with my family history I would have been bald by now if I didn’t use the product. I also feel that Rogaine Foam is really convenient and quick to apply. I just simply added it to my daily regimen of getting ready and it only takes about 20 to 30 seconds to apply.

Based on my personal experience of using the product and reading Rogaine Foam reviews of others I recommend the product to any male experiencing pattern baldness. I hope they have the same positive experience that I am having. The real negative is that it might not work for you, however, if you purchase the 3 or 4 month supply product it is a small price to pay in order to find out if Rogaine Foam will work for you. All you have to do is give it a try and sufficient enough time to see if it is working for you.

Neurontin for Everything

How does a drug company take an unproven, worthless, and potentially dangerous drug like Neurontin, and turn it into a billion dollar blockbuster? Through deceit, lies, and bribery reports New York Times health writer and author Melody Peterson.

Peterson, in her book “Our Daily Meds,” reveals the chicanery, pseudoscience and greed behind the marketing of many of today’s well-known drugs.

The history of one drug in particular, Neurontin, shows just how deceitful, ruthless, and cold-hearted some drug executives can be. The original clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of Neurontin for treating epilepsy were less than impressive.

The studies not only showed that the drug was ineffective, and potentially dangerous, but that in 5-10% of patients it actually increased the frequency and severity of the epileptic seizures.

The FDA found the drug be worthless and had grave concerns over its potential dangers. But eventually they gave in to pressure, and allowed Neurontin to be marketed as a second line drug. This meant that it was to be used only after other epilepsy drugs had first been tried and failed.

No problem- drug executives were determined to make Neurontin into a million dollar blockbusting drug and a little thing like science wasn’t going to stop them. It didn’t matter that legitimate research had proven that Neurontin was ineffective in the 10 conditions it was being promoted for, including attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, mood disorders, migraines, and bi-polar disorder.

Worried the scientific truth may interfere with their plans for establishing Neurontin as a block buster, Pfizer sought to cover-up these studies including the one showing Neurontin was no better than a placebo in reducing diabetic nerve pain- “I think we can limit the potential down sides of the study by delaying the publication for as long a possible…it will be more important to how we write up the study.”

Realizing that new studies would be expensive and most likely negative, they aggressively hatched a plan to ignore science, clinic trials, and morals, and began to market Neurontin for an assortment of chronic illnesses. John Ford a senior marketing executive had this to say at one sales meeting, “Neurontin for pain, Neurontin for monotherapy, Neurontin for bi-polar, Neurontin for everything.” Not to be out done Phil Magistro a senior level sales executive left a voice message for his sales force stating, ” When we get out there, we want to kick some ass. We want to sell Neurontin for on pain. All right? And monotherapy and everything we can talk about. That’s what we want to do.”

And that’s exactly what the sales reps did; they drank the “purple Kool-Aid” and hyped the snake oil for every illness they could think of. And it worked; eventually 90% of the 2.7 billion dollars in Neurontin sales came from off label use- 90% of the prescriptions were for unproven uses.

So how does a drug company take an unproven, potentially dangerous drug and successfully market it to doctors? Easy, deceive then bribe them. The company paid marketing copywriters to write pseudoscientific and of course incredibly favorable articles on the wonders of Neurontin.

Medical Education Services, a ghost writing marketing firm was paid $60,000 to create dozens of fabricated studies on Neurontin. Doctors were then paid $1,000 each to “sign-off” on the article. One in-house memo from this group is revealing- “Draft completed. We just need an author.” This particular piece was targeted at children with attention deficit disorder. Consider the side effects of Neurontin which include:

Sales reps were paying doctors to recommend this drug to 10 year olds. Scary huh? Sales reps found doctors were enthusiastic to attend- meet, greet and treat dinners. Doctors were paid to up to $300 to hear sales pitches for Neurontin while dining at 4 star restaurants. The doctors giving these dinner talks were paid up to $100,000 a year.

And Neurontin sales executives were also happy to pay doctors $750 each to attend all expense paid vacations including one at the posh resort Chateau Élan, located just outside Atlanta. Doctors received continuing education hours while being brainwashed on the wonders of Neurontin in the morning, leaving their afternoons free to lounge by the pool, get their daily spa-treatment, play golf, dine on gourmet meals, and enjoy the nightly entertainment, including free tickets to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Not satisfied with their growing largesse, marketing executives decided to simply pay doctors $350 for every patient they placed on Neurontin. In 2004 the lies and deceit campaign came to end- Pfizer pleaded guilty to criminal fraud in the promotion of Neurontin, and agreed to pay $430 million.

In October 2008 a new lawsuit, brought by the same attorney, alleges that the company’s misdeeds went much further than originally charged. According to newly unsealed court documents, not only did the company and its subsidiaries push Neurontin for unapproved uses-the practice at the center of the first suit, which Pfizer admitted to as part of its settlement-they did so knowing that the drug was ineffective for several of those conditions. Pfizer, according to the documents, engaged in “outright deception of the biomedical community, and suppression of scientific truth”-stalling or stopping the publication of negative study results; manipulating both trial designs and data to make the drug look more effective than it was; and using questionable tactics to enhance the drug’s image and increase its sales. The question is how many other drugs are being marketed with little to no scientific studies to prove them effective? Could Pfizer’s Lyrica, the spitting image of Neurontin (same drug different packaging) be the snake oil? Perhaps, so since the studies for it and fibromyalgia are less than stellar- in spite of the real likelihood that the study was manipulated to yield positive results.