When you want to stay healthy, you need to know about the products you take for various health issues. If you experience diarrhea, one example is Loperamide.

What Is Loperamide?

Loperamide is an oral medication used to control diarrhea. The most common brand name is Imodium. As the product is available over the counter, it does not require a doctor’s prescription. You can find it in any pharmacy, many grocery stores, and online.

What Is Loperamide Used For?

Sudden, uncomplicated diarrhea can be treated with Loperamide. Individuals who experience traveler’s diarrhea can also achieve relief with the product.

In addition to sudden diarrhea, it can be helpful in relieving diarrhea caused by inflammatory bowel disease. Chronic conditions in this category include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease that affect the small intestine and colon.

However, it is not meant to be used for diarrhea from all causes. If you have diarrhea due to salmonella, E. coli, Clostridium difficile infection, or a similar bacterial infection, you should not use Loperamide. Even if the product reduces the diarrhea, dangerous bacteria can remain in your body. If you experience food poisoning, or another source of toxins, consult with your doctor immediately. Do not use an over the counter product.

Loperamide Side Effects

When used correctly to treat simple diarrhea, side effects are usually minor. You may experience abdominal cramping, constipation, nausea, dizziness, or feel tired or drowsy.

While serious side effects are rare, consult with your doctor immediately if you experience fainting or severe dizziness, an irregular or fast heartbeat, a sense of fullness in your stomach, pain, or severe constipation, vomiting, or nausea.

Loperamide Contraindications

If you have a serious medical condition or take any medications, ask your doctor before using this product. It can worsen some medical conditions, and drug interaction can occur.

Loperamide should not be given to children under three years of age.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Loperamide to control diarrhea.

You should also avoid the product if your diarrhea includes bloody stools, or if the diarrhea is accompanied by a fever.

Individuals in any of these categories who experience diarrhea should seek medical advice instead of using an over the counter product.

How Does Loperamide Work?

Although it is an opiate, it only works in your intestinal tract. It decreases the muscle activity in your intestines. When the contractions in your intestines are slowed down, you will have bowel movements that are less watery, and fewer bowel movements.

Is Loperamide Habit-Forming?

Unless you already have an addiction to opiods, you do not need to be concerned about dependency. However, if you experience severe diarrhea, or experience it frequently, you should consult with your health care provider to determine the cause. You may have an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated.

Diarrhea is a fact of life for most people. In most cases, though, it does not occur often and is usually not severe. Most adults and older children can safely use it on an occasional basis. You can be free from diarrhea, and have a comfortable, productive day.

This is one of the substances that caused UFC fighter Jon Jones to fail his drug test. Him and a few other big names were accused of taking performance enhancing drugs around the same time, and this is a recurring theme with UFC fighters.

Letrozole is an FDA-approved prescription medication primarily used to treat breast cancer in women who are postmenopausal. Its off-label uses include female fertility issues, gynecomastia, and endometriosis. The medication decreases the body’s female hormones.

Both of the substances found in Jon Jones’ system were medications for women, the other substance being Hydroxyclomiphene, a fertility medication which has since been banned by the USADA.

Side Effects Of Letrozole

Side effects from this medication can be minor or extremely serious. Consult with your physician immediately if you experience any unusual aches or pains, changes in your heartbeat, vaginal bleeding or discharge, chest pain, or vision changes.

You should also consult with your physician if you experience any symptoms that are unusual for you, even if they are minor.

Breast Cancer Treatment With Letrozole

Letrozole should not be used to treat breast cancer in women who have not completed menopause. It is considered appropriate treatment in certain situations.

For cancer that is hormone receptor positive, it can be used as an early-stage cancer treatment if other treatments have not been effective. It can also be used for advanced cases of cancer that has worsened after antiestrogen treatment, and in cases where the cancer has advanced locally or metastasized.

Is Letrozole Effective?

A number of studies have shown this medication is useful in treating certain types of breast cancer. One study showed it is more effective than Tamoxifen in increasing the amount of time before breast cancer returns, and lowering risks of cancer metastasizing.

Another study showed similar results for postmenopausal women who used this medication for five years, after they had used Tamoxifen for five years.

Letrozole Contraindications And Warnings

Your doctor should be aware of your medical history, as he may want to advise a different treatment if you have certain medical conditions. Examples include cardiovascular issues, blood vessel issues, liver conditions, decreased bone density, and high cholesterol.

As this medication can also cause drug interaction, inform your doctor if you are using any other prescription medications, over the counter products, herbal products, or vitamins.

This medication is absorbed through lungs and skin. For this reason, it should be kept away from pregnant women and children.

Letrozole is a prescription drug. It must be taken according to directions. You must never give your medication to anyone else, nor use another person’s medication. It should only be used when prescribed for you by your own physician.

Letrozole works by decreasing the estrogen produced by your body. It can reverse or slow breast cancer growth. While it is only effective for certain types of breast cancer, and should only be used to treat postmenopausal women, it can help many women live longer, healthier lives.

If you or a loved one has breast cancer, it is something to discuss with your personal physician. If he has not prescribed Letrozole, ask if this product could be right for you.

How Is This Considered a Performance Enhancing Substance?

It is also known to inhibit aromatase, which in turn is supposed to increase the level of testosterone in the body.

With more than 20% of the United States population reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression, it is easy to see why so many people seek help for their mental health concerns with doctors and psychiatrists. Not only do these psychological issues cause problems related to their symptoms, but can eventually manifest as physical problems as well.

Those who suffer from anxiety or depression and do not seek regular help for them are more likely to present perceived physical issues, enter the hospital more often, and see their doctor more often. Just the time off from work alone for these issues can cost employers huge amounts of money.

There is also a large cost to each person’s personal and family life and work life as well, as many can lose healthy relationships due to mental illnesses which are common, easy to diagnose, and very simple to manage.

Indeed, many who do seek treatment find great relief with psychotropic medications which, quite simply, changes the problem where it starts, in the brain and in the nervous system.

How Do They Work?

If we use the example of the most prescribed psychotropic medication in the US, Xanax, which is used for anxiety disorder, the way in which it works is very simple.

Our nervous system is equipped with a signal for each of us to panic or have anxiety. It is our best friend when danger occurs and is the catalyst for telling us to run away when, for example, we find a bear standing behind us.

It’s our instinct to run because we are hardwired to either fight or flee (“fight or flight”) certain situations. It’s our self-preservation instinct which is also, by the way, wired into every animal on the planet.

However, some people simply have had their wires crossed, and exhibit the same “fight or flight” symptoms during an everyday activity. Those who suffer extreme anxiety when leaving their home, entering unfamiliar situations, or being asked to provide a task at work are suffering a panic when they need not, and for some, this can be debilitating.

The psychotropic drug Xanax, interacts directly with the nervous system, causing it to quiet the anxiety. The change is immediate and sufferers can quickly return to a stable level, allowing them to focus on the situation at hand. The drug is fast-acting and leaves the body quickly.

Related: How Long Does Xanax Remain In Your Urine?

Long-lasting Drugs

For some, longer lasting drugs are needed as their symptoms last longer and permeate a person’s mental state. Another example of a very common psychotropic medication are antidepressants, which is the second highest percentage prescribed in the US.

As anyone who has suffered depression can attest to, depression, unlike short-term anxiety, is a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness which is overwhelming and very difficult to control. Those who suffer from the symptoms can find everyday life overwhelming, may find it difficult to get out of bed or enjoy anything in life including their loved ones, work, and may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.

Because depression is believed to be part of a person’s genetic makeup, many who suffer with it are predetermined to do so, and have no way of controlling the onset, much less the symptoms. The most often used psychotropic drugs to treat depression include Zoloft and Celexa, and these work over time and can also take time to be effective.

We are all made to have a certain amount of serotonin in our brains, who’s function in part is to regulate our mood. Those who suffer depression have very low levels of this and an antidepressant increases this amount while also preventing the brain from reabsorbing the additional amount. Reports from those who take antidepressants indicate it takes up to three months for a full effect, and their depression is greatly reduced.

For those who suffer from psychological issues, the advent of psychotropic medication has been nothing short of life changing. Our society has slowly but surely changed some of its long-term held beliefs that mental illness is something of which to be ashamed, as we have witnessed many celebrities, activists, and politicians who have supported the public in being aware of the signs of mental illness and encouraging the public to get help when they need it.

The rise in prescription psychotropic medication use in the last few decades may very well be due to the fact that more people are getting help, not necessarily because there are more people suffering with it, or the common argument that doctors are over-prescribing the medications.

Pharmacies usually find the answer to substance abuse in the replacement of one drug with another. Chemists, of course, see the world through a particular lens, one in which everything is made up of atomic numbers and can be classified according to a periodic table.

Often, however, their focus on life at the molecular level has saved lives and also helped people get their lives back together. An example is the development of a man-made narcotic known as methadone.

What is Methadone?

When a long-time opioid addict decides to seek rehabilitation, he has a long road ahead of him. His goal is not simply to give up a habit, like chewing your pencil; one’s body needs that regular supply of heroin or oxycodone. Detoxification has to take place slowly or every organ could shut down as a result of sudden withdrawal.

Candidates for Treatment

Detox experts recognize candidates for methadone treatment. They are the men and women who have been taking heroin so long they don’t remember their old lives.

These people have not held down a steady job for years, are usually malnourished, can’t go home, and have been living on the street. Having lost everything, such clients can only trade sex for drugs or deal drugs to make money to support their habit; they don’t have any cash otherwise.

Every dime a person makes selling narcotics or sex is poured right back into buying their own supply of opiates. Many such individuals are suffering from the ongoing pain, discomfort, and embarrassment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, including AIDS.

Finding Purpose

As researchers explore treatments for addiction and for AIDS, they give recovering addicts hope. There is a reason to get up each morning; hope that trying to live a drug-free life is not an act in futility. Looking for support from a methadone treatment program could be step one to seeking recovery.

What is Methadone Treatment?

Methadone is also a narcotic, but it works a little bit differently from other painkillers. Although this drug will numb the physical pain of withdrawal from heroin, etc., it does not make a person feel high. He still needs and wants this new drug every day.

What he will not obtain, however, is the reward of feeling like he could climb the face of a five-storey building, outrun cars on Main Street, or stay awake for days finishing creative projects. He might even feel a little bit drowsy after taking methadone.

How to Prevent Danger and Abuse

Running a methadone treatment center or carrying methadone at a pharmacy can be a dangerous choice. Shops and clinics have been held up for their supply of the drug. Security measures such as operating from a locked cubicle, setting a time lock on the supply safe, and similarly keeping cash stored away are aimed at removing the incentive to hold up a methadone supply center and, thus, reducing the danger for pharmacists.

Individuals taking part in methadone treatment will be interviewed prior to being accepted into a program funded by the public through their tax dollars or by running campaigns to raise money to run non-profit centers that support drug addicts seeking rehab.

At first, the user will come to a center regularly for a supply of methadone. He signs a contract and might eventually be entrusted with a take-home supply if he shows willingness to improve and passes drug tests. A slow process of weaning from the drug has begun, but taking methadone is just part of the plan.

Big Picture Treatment

Someone with a drug problem also has to flee the influences which have led to drug abuse. These include stressors like an unhappy marriage. If one has escaped this marriage through drug use, a couple requires counseling or the addict might need to get away from a violent situation.

Participants will have to cut-off so-called friends who encourage or even pressure them to do drugs. Such friends have the power to influence this vulnerable, recovering individual who might throw away months of recovery for another dose of painkillers.

How Long to Invest

Methadone treatment can take 1 year, 18 months, or 2 years even. Experts managing treatment conduct regular therapy and counseling sessions, run drug tests, and encourage their participants to find steady work.

In an ideal world, when a center is adequately funded, professionals visit with their clients regularly to ensure they aren’t dabbling in other drugs. They look for signs of ongoing substance abuse such as dilated pupils, unpredictable moods, or malnutrition. A recovering drug addict might require assistance finding a job and will appear ready for the responsibility if his attitude is positive.

Risks of Methadone

A number of people will not qualify for methadone treatment because of allergies or health conditions. These include respiratory problems and some GI complications. Breathing and digestive problems are among potential side effects of taking methadone but if these are not severe, the benefits outweigh any negatives of receiving a daily dose of this synthetic narcotic.

Ativan is the brand name for a drug called lorazepam, a benzodiazepine that is used to treat conditions like anxiety, depression and panic attacks. People who suffer from serious anxiety have a chemical imbalance in the brain, and lorazepam and other benzodiazepines work to correct that imbalance and calm symptoms such as depression and panic attacks.

Like most benzodiazepines, Ativan can be addictive, especially if you take it for a long period of time. It is advised that doctors only prescribe the medication for a few weeks, in order to help the patient get through particularly difficult episodes of anxiety and depression. It is preferable to find a more long-term solution to treat the condition, but drugs like Ativan can be useful if the symptoms have become unmanageable.

Side Effects of Ativan

As well as the calming effects that Ativan has on the symptoms of anxiety and depression, this medication can have some unwanted side effects. If you take it for too long, you can become addicted, but it is equally dangerous to stop taking Ativan suddenly if your body has built up a tolerance to the active ingredients. Withdrawal symptoms can include nausea, dizziness and even hallucinations.

Medications containing benzodiazepines should not be prescribed to people who have a history of drug abuse, and they should never be mixed with alcohol. Lorazepam should not be given to pregnant women, or children under the age of 18.

If you have been prescribed Ativan for your own anxiety and depression, you should not give or sell your tablets to someone else; benzodiazepines are considered a controlled substance and it is illegal to sell or distribute tablets. It could also be damaging to your own health to get rid of medication that you should be taking.

How Ativan Works to Tackle Anxiety

All benzodiazepines, Ativan included, work by acting on specific cells in the brain which stimulate the production of a chemical called GABA. GABA is a neurotransmitter, responsible for calming activity in nerve cells; while this chemical is produced naturally, people with anxiety issues may need to boost their levels by taking benzodiazepines like Ativan.

How to Take Ativan Safely

Ativan is quite a strong medication and if your doctor has prescribed it for you, you should make sure you follow their instructions carefully. The tablets should be taken whole with water, and you should only take the amount you have been prescribed. There are websites which sell Ativan and other benzodiazepines online, but you should not be tempted to buy these as they may not contain the ingredients you expect and could even be dangerous.

If you are not used to taking Ativan, it can make you feel quite drowsy and can affect your ability to drive or carry out other activities. It is illegal to drive under the influence of benzodiazepines unless you have a prescription, so if you do feel that you can safely get behind the wheel of your car, it is best to carry your prescription on the off-chance you are stopped by the police.

Sometimes you may accidentally miss a dose of Ativan; if this happens, do not be tempted to take double the number of tablets. Simply take your next dose as normal and continue from there; taking more tablets than you have been prescribed could lead to an overdose.

Ativan is an excellent tool for tackling serious episodes of anxiety and depression, but only if you follow the doctor’s instructions and take them safely. If you take them for too long or take too many tablets, benzodiazepines can easily cause more problems than the anxiety you were diagnosed with in the first place.