Can’t Take Meds I Used to Take
I’ve been working out in the yard a good bit lately, as part of my exercise. I’ve made some headway with our yard, but I’ve also come in contact with poison ivy somewhere along the way. I am extremely allergic to it, so I’m broken out over a large part of my upper torso, front and back, on my neck and face, and even in my hair. I have no idea how that happened. We have new cats outside, too, and I may have picked it up cuddling them.
So, I pulled out my trusty Benadryl, in addition to the topical anti-itch meds I always have on hand. Benadryl makes me sleepy, so during the day I’ve always used something like non-drowsy formula Sudafed. When DH went to the store he couldn’t find the exact same Sudafed I was about out of, so he took what appeared to be a similar medicine to the Pharmacist to make sure it was OK for me to take it. He made sure he told her I had Parkinson’s, and she said it would be fine.
I hadn’t even thought about checking for PD drug interactions, so I’m glad hubby did. Particularly since I did take one dose of the 12 hour Sudafed with Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride in it this morning, and I’ve felt yucky all day long today. When I looked on the new box to see how many to take, despite the fact that DH had asked the pharmacist if it was OK, there in fine print, among the list of conditions that made using it unsafe, was – you guessed it — Parkinson’s. The same warning was on my old box of meds, too, and I hadn’t even thought to look. That’s BAD.
So, I called our local Pharmacist to double check, and sure enough, I can’t take it. DH has gone there now to get Chlorotrimiton, which has nothing but an antihistamine. It doesn’t have any decongestant in it. My Zelepar is in the MAO class of drugs, so I have to pay attention to things like that.
As careful as I am to check on drug interactions with prescriptions, it never occurred to me to check out these over the counter meds, as I’ve taken this combination for poison ivy for years. BAD GIRL, BAD GIRL!!
I’ve hopefully learned my lesson, though, and will not let old habits take over again. Cause the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be!!
Spooky….Just started looking into drug interaction and PD meds myself. Everytime the kids got a cold they would be clear in a couple days, when I got the same cold I would be ill for weeks. Finally realised it must be a reaction with the meds so yesterday wifey went to ask what was safe to take as i have another cold…She waited 15 minutes to speak to the pharmacist and they just said take nothing and steam it out…Great!!!
It seems like PD manages to invade every single part of our lives, doesn’t it Ripley. You can use a saline solution squirted in your nose to help unstuff, plus putting a towel over your head over a sink full of hot water. That’s just about it for us, though. I sympathize with you and am not looking forward to dealing with Winter colds, myself.
As much time as I spend researching all my prescription options, it still amazes me that my brain went on automatic, and it didn’t even occur to me to check before using the Sudafed.
IF it’s an allergy reaction, you might check to see if you can take Benadryl and/or Chlorotrimiton, as my pharmacist said these were safe for me.
I am so sorry you had a tangle with Poison Ivy! What a mess!
But how fortunate that you became aware of such a crucial thing as the drug interactions! Perhaps you saved yourself some future grief.
I have had more experience with drug interactions than I want to think about. I am so glad you are on top of it now.
Vicks and Airborne are the two things that get me through cold and flu season. Just a little dab of vicks on the forehead above each eye, and again on the cheek bones below each eye (directly over the main sinus cavities)works like a charm for me.
I just discovered “Airborne” last year – completely natural. The little tablet dissolves in a small cup of H2O in minutes, and tastes kind of like Alka Seltzer. It is supposed to boost the immune system. Not sure how, but it works real good for me. Usually when I get a cold it will last for weeks, but since I started taking that stuff, the colds only seem to last a couple of days.
Our yard has always been full of poison ivy, Marion. There have been years when I couldn’t even walk around out there without getting in a mess. I was beginning to think I was going to escape it this year … then wham! I have read that this year’s crop is particularly irritating.
I’ll second your recommendation about Vicks, Joe. I’ve used it my whole life, and find it very effective for unstopping a stuffy nose, as well as easing the inflammation in swollen glands and a sore throat.
I’ve never heard of Airborne, though. Must be a regional item.