Antifungal medication cured patient’s asthma symptoms
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY PRESCRIPTIONS AND HOME REMEDIES
King Features Syndicate Q: Several years ago, I developed asthma. If I was late with my inhaler, I would start to wheeze.
Fast-forward to the following story. One day I saw the physician’s assistant at my doctor’s office. I told her that I thought I might have a low-grade thrush infection in my mouth. She prescribed an antifungal oral troche. In less than 24 hours, I was off my steroid inhalers, never to need them again. I have been symptom-free for three years.
A: The underlying causes of asthma can be difficult to diagnose. Many people have breathing difficulties due to an allergic reaction. In some cases, the wheezing can be triggered by a fungal infection (Journal of Asthma, September 2016). Antifungal medication can be helpful in situations like yours.
Other research suggests that some hard-to-treat asthma could be related to achronic bacterial infection in the airways (Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America, August 2016). A placebo-controlled trial found that antibiotic treatment with azithromycin helped patients with persistent asthma (Lancet, Aug. 12, 2017).
Q: I’ve read that the Food and Drug Administration is going to make it harder for people to buy Imodium. This is bad news for people like me, with irritable bowel syndrome (diarrhea).
I have controlled my symptoms for years with one Imodium tablet per day. Without it, I need to be near a bathroom within 20 minutes of MICHELE CONSTANTINI/ PHOTOALTO One reader reported no longer needing a steroid inhaler since taking antifungal medication. eating.
This has been a cheap and easily available drug for IBS-D sufferers. I guess I need to stock up now, before it becomes both expensive and hard to find.
A: Loperamide (Imodium A-D) controls diarrhea by slowing the muscular contractions of the lower digestive tract. The agency wants to limit over-the-counter dosage packs to eight pills, enough to treat acute diarrhea for two days.
Some people have been using high doses of loperamide to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms; others have abused the drug in an effort to get high. It takes such high doses that people may experience irregular heart rhythms or cardiac arrest.
We have heard from many readers who suffer from chronic diarrhea.
They rely on loperamide to be able to work or travel.
Like you, they worry that the new regulations could raise the price and complicate their lives.
Q: I have been taking glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate for knee joint pain. My cholesterol has always been a little over 200.
Since last summer, my cholesterol has jumped to 435. The only thing that has changed is that I take this arthritis supplement daily.
I read on your website that others have had a similar problem. Is there up-to-date information? A: Researchers have attempted to study this phenomenon; they have not identified a problem (BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology, online, Oct. 10, 2012). We can only speculate that certain people may be especially sensitive to glucosamine. Studies might not pick up such individual reactions.
Q: I’ve read that coffee can assist in staving off dementia. Since I am 70 years old and still have most of my mind, this is of interest. However, documentation and experience indicate that caffeine aggravates my leaky bladder. Can I get dementia protection from decaffeinated coffee? A: At least one study has linked higher-than-average caffeine consumption to a lower risk of dementia (Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Dec. 14, 2016).
This was an observational study rather than a controlled clinical trial, though, so we can’t infer a cause-and-effect relationship.
Laboratory research suggests that other ingredients in coffee besides caffeine also may be protective (Neurobiology of Aging, October 2016). Quercetin, a compound that appears to be neuroprotective, is found in apples, onions, capers, tea and red wine, as well as coffee. It also might appear in decaf.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www. peoplespharmacy.com.
Fast-forward to the following story. One day I saw the physician’s assistant at my doctor’s office. I told her that I thought I might have a low-grade thrush infection in my mouth. She prescribed an antifungal oral troche. In less than 24 hours, I was off my steroid inhalers, never to need them again. I have been symptom-free for three years.
A: The underlying causes of asthma can be difficult to diagnose. Many people have breathing difficulties due to an allergic reaction. In some cases, the wheezing can be triggered by a fungal infection (Journal of Asthma, September 2016). Antifungal medication can be helpful in situations like yours.
Other research suggests that some hard-to-treat asthma could be related to achronic bacterial infection in the airways (Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America, August 2016). A placebo-controlled trial found that antibiotic treatment with azithromycin helped patients with persistent asthma (Lancet, Aug. 12, 2017).
Q: I’ve read that the Food and Drug Administration is going to make it harder for people to buy Imodium. This is bad news for people like me, with irritable bowel syndrome (diarrhea).
I have controlled my symptoms for years with one Imodium tablet per day. Without it, I need to be near a bathroom within 20 minutes of MICHELE CONSTANTINI/ PHOTOALTO One reader reported no longer needing a steroid inhaler since taking antifungal medication. eating.
This has been a cheap and easily available drug for IBS-D sufferers. I guess I need to stock up now, before it becomes both expensive and hard to find.
A: Loperamide (Imodium A-D) controls diarrhea by slowing the muscular contractions of the lower digestive tract. The agency wants to limit over-the-counter dosage packs to eight pills, enough to treat acute diarrhea for two days.
Some people have been using high doses of loperamide to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms; others have abused the drug in an effort to get high. It takes such high doses that people may experience irregular heart rhythms or cardiac arrest.
We have heard from many readers who suffer from chronic diarrhea.
They rely on loperamide to be able to work or travel.
Like you, they worry that the new regulations could raise the price and complicate their lives.
Q: I have been taking glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate for knee joint pain. My cholesterol has always been a little over 200.
Since last summer, my cholesterol has jumped to 435. The only thing that has changed is that I take this arthritis supplement daily.
I read on your website that others have had a similar problem. Is there up-to-date information? A: Researchers have attempted to study this phenomenon; they have not identified a problem (BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology, online, Oct. 10, 2012). We can only speculate that certain people may be especially sensitive to glucosamine. Studies might not pick up such individual reactions.
Q: I’ve read that coffee can assist in staving off dementia. Since I am 70 years old and still have most of my mind, this is of interest. However, documentation and experience indicate that caffeine aggravates my leaky bladder. Can I get dementia protection from decaffeinated coffee? A: At least one study has linked higher-than-average caffeine consumption to a lower risk of dementia (Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Dec. 14, 2016).
This was an observational study rather than a controlled clinical trial, though, so we can’t infer a cause-and-effect relationship.
Laboratory research suggests that other ingredients in coffee besides caffeine also may be protective (Neurobiology of Aging, October 2016). Quercetin, a compound that appears to be neuroprotective, is found in apples, onions, capers, tea and red wine, as well as coffee. It also might appear in decaf.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www. peoplespharmacy.com.
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