N E W S

Vol 14, No. 1        LINCARE is a National Supplier of Home
Spring '00            Oxygen and Respiratory Therapy Services

Working with your Doctor and your Medications

  Prescribing your medicines is you doctor's job, but managing their use is your job. People who take an interest in their treatment are usually better patients and feel more in control of their lung disease.
  The best help from your medicines comes if you, your doctor and your pharmacist work together. Ask questions, then repeat key points of information in your own words. If you are concerned that you will forget something, ask for written information.
  When a new medicine is prescribed, find out what you are taking and why, Here's a reminder of what you need to know:

• Brand and generic name of each medicine

• Condition the drug is supposed to treat.

• Correct dose and timing of each medicine, including the amount of time in between doses

• How often and when you should take your medicine. What could happen if you do not take your medication as prescribed?

• Interactions with food, alcohol or other drugs.

• What side effects your medicine may have and what to do if a side affect occurs.

• How your medicine may affect the use of other medicines you may taking.

  Call your doctor immediately if your lung problem seems to be getting worse or if there is a problem taking the medicine as prescribed. Do not overuse your medicines or wait too long to call your doctor. If you wait your condition could worsen and become dangerous.

  - American Lung Association

Sound waves may one day replace needles in monitoring blood sugar in people with diabetes. Low-frequency ultrasound applied to the skin open pores through which fluid is drawn and tested for glucose, a blood sugar. The device could be available in three to five years.
  Ultrasound could also be used to deliver medicines such as insulin through the skin. Ultimately it may be possible to produce a single device that will monitor blood sugar and provide insulin as needed.

  Another monitoring device, the GlucoWatch, worn like a wristwatch, uses electricity to pull fluid through the skin, then measure the glucose. It is awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval.

  The ultrasound technology, Robert Sherwin, president-elect of the American Diabetes Association say, "seems a more efficient way of extracting glucose, so it's promising" and may be "the next step" in glucose monitoring. The ultrasound device potentially offers a painless and continuous way to measure glucose.

- USA Today,
February 29, 2000

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