Q. I am to be the mother of the bride twice in the next two months. Both of my daughters decided to get married this summer.
I am in excellent health, but in the past stress has made me quite ill. I am trying to stay focused and relaxed, but I know I will be anxious before the big days. Is there a vitamin I can take to help me get through this crazy time?
A. Two weddings back-to-back sounds like a recipe for stress. While a multi-vitamin might be beneficial for your health, it is not likely to keep you calm.
You might want to ask your doctor about an anti-anxiety agent to help you get through this situation. Short-term use of a drug like Valium (diazepam) or Buspar (buspirone) can ease the tension associated with such big events.
Non-drug approaches include massage, relaxation tapes, exercise or a nice hot bath. The herb valerian has also been used to alleviate stress, though it should not be combined with prescription drugs.
Q. After my dad retired he started a new business and now is working harder than ever. The trouble is that he is often so caught up with what he is doing that he forgets to take his medicines.
He takes Actos and Glucovance for diabetes, furosemide and Norvasc for high blood pressure and Pravachol for cholesterol control. I know he skips pills when he’s busy or when he’s traveling and I worry that his blood pressure and diabetes are not under control. How can he keep track?
A. Plastic pill containers sold in any pharmacy allow for easy organization of a week’s worth of pills. If your dad doesn’t check, though, he could miss doses that are crucial for blood pressure and sugar management.
A simple gadget called Med Reminder is also available. It provides up to six alarms daily to help people remember when to take their pills and is small enough to fit in a pocket. Order information: (877) 257-6337 or online at www.takemedsontime.com.
Q. My insurance company has been pressuring me to get a three-month supply of my prescriptions through the mail. I am concerned since the labels on all the bottles say “keep in a cool dry place.” Leaving them roasting for six hours in a mail truck or inside my mailbox, which probably gets up to 120 degrees in the south Florida sun, doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. What’s your advice?
A. This is a very hot topic. Most medicines are supposed to be stored between 59 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Liquid medicines and some special formulations may require even less temperature variation.
Temperatures over 104 are considered “excessive heat” by official standards (USP). Most mailboxes get a lot warmer than that in the summer. Whether such heat would damage your drugs depends upon which prescriptions you are taking. Ask your physician to check with the manufacturer.
Q. A while ago, a woman asked why her husband had bad breath after he started taking multi-vitamins. You responded that you’d never heard of vitamin-induced halitosis.
I had the same problem. After I started taking Vitamin B complex, I developed terribly bad breath. My family members complained that they could smell it across the room. When I stopped the B complex, the problem disappeared.
A. Thanks for relating your experience. We don’t know why B vitamins would cause bad breath for some, but we’re glad it went away when you stopped taking them.
