Alexander H. Norton

I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with what PEP pills are. While I don’t typically recommend people using the internet to answer questions about medications, what you can do is type into google “white, oval shaped tablet LA75” and see what results show up and find the one that shows the correct description of the tablet you have.

Yes that is fine. Ativan is a very common anti-anxiolytic that can be used prn (as needed). Please be cautious of how often and when you take it as it can cause sedation, as can the mirtazapine. While mirtazapine or Remeron is used for anxiety, it is most commonly used now a days for sleep, or to help patients with low appetite. If you don’t feel that it’s helping with any of those I would definitely suggest talking with your physician about switching medications.

Pregabalin wouldn’t be my first choice for anxiety as it is most commonly used for neuropathy. Taking any medications for anxiety come with the risk of making the anxiety/depression worse. Most medications for anxiety/depression require at least a 6-8 week trial before any change may be noticed. If it has been that long then I would suggest a discussion with your physician about a possible change in medications.

There isn’t a set amount of food that’s necessary to take. Some people don’t require any food to be on their stomach, however if other medications upset your stomach then it’s possible that ibuprofen would too, and even something as little as a few crackers could help ease that discomfort.

The Naloxone in Suboxone has a half life of 5-12 hours and a general rule of thumb is 5 half lives before the medication is cleared from your system. However, naloxones primary use is to block the effects of injected opioids. As I don’t specialize in pain management I don’t have a great answer for you, other than yes, it is safe to take, but since tramadol is metabolized into morphine by your liver, and possibly still having naloxone in your system, you may not notice any of the analgesic effects of the tramadol.

Yes that is fine. Some people don’t have any GI discomfort when taking ibuprofen, while others do. There’s not a set amount of food required, but I would suggest at minimum a few crackers.

Pruritis isn’t typically a side effect seen with statin drugs. More common side effects are leg cramps and muscle pains. It is typically recommended to take any statins at night, as most people are able to sleep through the leg pain. If any of those symptoms are present I’d suggest talking to your physician about a medication change to another statin such as Crestor, or switching away from statins all together and taking Zetia. If you remain on a statin then taking an over the counter supplement such as CoQ10 can help ease those symptoms. As far as the itchiness is concerned, I would give it some more type and see if it subsides, if after a few weeks it hasn’t subsided then I’d recommend a trial period of not taking it and see if it subsides, then restart it. If it comes back then you could be confident knowing that it was the pravastatin causing the itching. For now, while it continues, you could take OTC Zyrtec or Benedryl.

This medication is not typically used on the genital area. It’s more often used for both internal and/or external hemorrhoids around the anus. However, it is a steroid so shouldn’t be causing any tingliness or itchiness. That said, some forms may be mentholated, or have other additives such as witch hazel or camphor, to help the discomfort of the hemorrhoids and any of those could cause tingliness.

A good rule of thumb is to take medication 2 hours prior to things like grapefruit, or 6 hours after. If grapefruit is something that you absolutely can’t eliminate from your diet, then I would suggest talking with your physician about possibly starting on a lower dose and seeing how you tolerate it and then can titrate up to the desired dose.

I’m sorry I don’t know what you mean by “model allergy”, but for seasonal allergies and for allergies due to rapid weather changes I would recommend Zyrtec, which I see you’re already taking. If you don’t feel like it’s working then you could add an OTC nasal spray such as Flonase or nasocort to help with those symptoms. Those can each be used with one spray in each nostril twice a day. You could also take an additional OTC antihistamine like Claritin, Allegra, or Xyzal but would split them up from your cetirizine. For example, if you take cetirizine in the mornings then take the other antihistamine in the evening, or vice versa. Taking two antihistamines for a short period of time is fine, but shouldn’t be needed for longer periods of time.

Only taking Wellbutrin XL for 4 months shouldn’t be enough time for your body to no longer receive effect from it, but if you’re wanting to slowly ween off of it and then restart I would recommend trying to take one table every other day for 2 weeks, then every 2 days for 2 weeks, and then every 3 days for 2 weeks. After that you should be able stop it completely for a couple weeks and then begin taking it again daily. I would definitely advise a discussion with your physician about doing this though, and see if he wouldn’t want to just increase your dose of the medication. It can be safely taken up to 450mg per day, however it lowers the seizure threshold, especially when alcohol is consumed. I’m not suggesting that you drink or not, but being 21 years old and being in college I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the risks of taking Wellbutrin and drinking.

Yes that is perfectly fine. I would suggest alternating then every 3 hours so that you are receiving some type of analgesic every three hours to help with the pain. For example you could take an extra strength Tylenol (500mg) or two regular strength (2x325mg) and then three hours later take 2-3 Advil (ibuprofen). This therapy could be used for the duration of the ear infection.

You are correct that Rabeprazole needs to be taken 30-60 minutes prior to the first food of the day, however a good rule of thumb if you can’t take it prior or if you miss a dose, is to wait 4 hours after your last time you ate. There’s nothing to be anxious about as it’s not going to harm you in anyway to take it after you have eaten, but you just may not get the best effect from the medication. So I would recommend going ahead and taking it as soon as you can and then resume your normal morning schedule the following day.

It’s difficult for me to answer this question without knowing what you were originally taking the Ativan for. Both are used for as needed panic/anxiety attacks, or for sleep. Valium has a much longer half life than Ativan and is typically less preferred than Ativan in the Over-65 patient population. I would definitely recommend a discussion with your physician about this medication change.

I would recommend talking with your physician about why he wants you to take Feburic as opposed to allopurinol. Taking Feburic can put you at higher risk of cardiovascular events as compared to allopurinol, and especially with the cardiac related concerns of increased potassium levels with the K-citrate, I would recommend taking a medication that can lower that risk, as well as being significantly cheaper than Feburic.