Category: Blog
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Should I take Dukoral before my trip?
This time of year we start having more people coming to ask about Dukoral, its effectiveness and if it’s worth the cost. Dukoral is a schedule 2 vaccine which means that you don’t need a prescription to buy it, but sometimes that is best because some insurance plans will cover it if you have a…
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Climate Change and Puffers
Have you ever thought about how your medications can contribute to climate change? In this post we are going to focus on how one class of medications that release greenhouse gasses and how we can decrease their impact on our environment. We will explore how one common inhaler can have the equivalent impact of driving…
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Your Burning Questions About Shingles
Many of you will have known someone who has had shingles (or have had it yourself). You probably already know about the pain which can severely affect someones life. Hopefully this will give you some insight into the vaccines available on the market, and help you make a decision on what is best for you.…
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What you need to know about this years Flu Shot
We have been getting a lot of questions about the flu shot this year in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. We compiled some of your great questions and wanted to share them with everyone. Enjoy! Q: I’m on the fence about getting the flu shot. Should I really get it? A: The flu shot…
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What is PrEP?
What is PrEP, should I take PrEP, is PrEP dangerous? What is PrEP PrEP is a medication that is taken daily to prevent HIV. The acronym PrEP comes from Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. This means that people using this medication don’t have HIV and are using this medication to decrease their risk. The brand name of the…
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What is INR Testing?
What is an INR test? INR stands for International Normalized Ratio. It’s a blood test that measures the time it takes for your blood to clot. Who needs the test done? This test is required if you are taking warfarin (or Coumadin) which helps your health care team monitor the effect of the drug. It…
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Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis is a huge issue, and something we hear a lot about in the news. In Waterloo Region there have been 617 overdose related calls in 2019 alone. Opioid addiction also does not just affect the homeless or those on the streets. These are some of the questions that we get asked about…
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Pharmacogenetic Testing
You may have read about pharmacies and other companies who offer pharmacogenetic testing to determine which medications will work best for you. So what does this mean and does it really work? The first step is to understand what happens when we take medications. What happens when we take medications? While some medicines are in…
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Drug allergy vs. intolerance
Medications can sometimes cause negative experiences for some people. But how do you know if these reactions are an allergy or an intolerance to a medication? Knowing the difference is very important for a few reasons. First it helps your health care professional manage the reaction appropriately. Secondly, if it is a true drug allergy,…
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Drug Coverage In Ontario
Drug Coverage in Ontario With the recent announcement from the conservative government that they will be changing the coverage for children and young adults under the age of 25 we thought it was a good time to do a blog on drug costs in Ontario. First of all lets review the different drug plans which…