WRHI-Medicine Shoppe

Cautions About Cold Medicine and Kids

These days, there are plenty of over-the-counter remedies that promise to ease your child's symptoms. But before you reach for a bottle of children's pain reliever or cold medicine, here are a few things to think about.The first is that while over-the-counter medications can make your child feel better, they don't actually help them get better. And cold remedies make some kids irritable or nervous, which can make it hard for them to sleep. So if your child has a low fever and a drippy nose but seems fine otherwise, there's probably no need to run to the medicine cabinet. In addition, you should never give children under 2 over-the-counter drugs without consulting your doctor first. Also, never give aspirin to kids under 16. It can cause a rare but dangerous condition called Reye's syndrome. And if your child is taking a prescription drug, check with their doctor before giving them an over-the-counter medication.

Robbery at the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy

City Police Investigation Services are currently investigating a robbery that occurred at 1:41 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10 at the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy located at 955 Queen Street East. A lone male entered the pharmacy, produced a note demanding oxycontin and indicating that he was in possession of a gun. The male fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of oxycontin. City Police, with assistance from the OPP Canine Unit, searched the area for the suspect but he was not located. The male is described as being approximately 6 feet tall, 175 to 210 pounds, wearing a red long sleeve shirt, blue jeans and a black baseball hat. If anyone has any information regarding this robbery, please contact City Police at 949-6300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

"The prospect of owning and operating my own pharmacy is something that has excited me since I began my pharmacy career in 2005. With the guidance and tools provided by Medicine Shoppe Canada, I was able to achieve this goal early in my career. The professional pharmacy model allows me to provide my patients with dedicated and personalized service. I have the freedom to make my own decisions on how to meet the needs and expectations of my clients.

Make Us Part of Your Health Care Team.

As Medicine Shoppe Pharmacists, we want you to expect more from our pharmacies. We are 100% focused on your health needs, and dedicated to being an active partner in your health care. We will take the time to welcome you when you visit, listen to your concerns, and answer your questions.

Confidence and Peace of Mind.

As your personal pharmacists, we promise to provide you with the products, services and information you need to care for your family with confidence. The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy experience focuses on prescriptions, medication management, health-related products and a variety of programs and services designed to help you live a healthy life. Our business is all about medicine. Our service is all about you.

Committed to your health. Dedicated to your needs.

Taking an active role in your health is important. And that’s the way it should be. That’s why our independant pharmacist-owners are committed to staying informed about the latest health care products, lifestyle modifications and medication treatment options so that we can help you get the most out of your medications - giving you the tools and resources to make the best decisions for you and your family.

Different Types of Pain Medicine

The formal term for painkillers is analgesics, a word derived from the Greek words an (without) and algia (pain). The three most commonly used types of pain medicine today are the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the paracetamol based drugs and the opioid drugs.
The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) group contains a wide range of different painkillers. Examples of commonly known NSAID painkillers are Aspirin, Diclofenac and Ibuprofen. NSAID pain killers do not only alleviate pain; they will also lower fever and decrease inflammations. They are called non-steroidal in order to discern them from the steroids, since the steroids are also used for their anti-inflammatory capacity. Aspirin was discovered in 1829 when salicylic acid was chemically isolated for the first time, but willow bark containing salicylic acid has been used as a pain killer long before the 19th century. A lot of NSAIDs are available over-the-counter but this does not mean that they are harmless. When misused, even comparatively weak NSAIDs can have severe side effects, including bleeding ulcers and photosensitivity. NSAIDs are generally not recommended during pregnancy.
Paracetamol is also known as acetaminophen. Both words are derived from the chemical name for this painkilling compound: N-acetyl-para-aminophenol and para-acetyl-amino-phenol. Two examples of commonly known brand names under which Paracetamol is marketed are Tylenol and Panadol. Painkillers containing Paracetamol will relieve pain and decrease a fever, but unlike the NSAID painkillers they have no anti-inflammatory properties. One of the advantages of Paracetamol compared to NSAIDs is that Paracetamol painkillers will not affect the blood’s ability to clot. Nor will they damage the kidney or lining of the stomach as long as you stay within the recommended limits and never use too much Paracetamol. High doses of Paracetamol will however be damaging to a wide range of bodily functions. Paracetamol should never be combined with alcohol since the liver will be overloaded with the burden of breaking down both alcohol and Paracetamol, which makes the risk of Paracetamol poisoning higher. If you are healthy, well-nourished and do not drink alcohol, a single 10 gram dose of Paracetamol can cause significant liver damage.
Opioid drugs are very potent painkillers but will come with a sever side effects, even in low concentrations. Morphine is one of the most commonly used opioids in pain killing drugs. An example of a morphine based painkiller is Tramal. Pethidine is another pain killing opiate and can be found in medications such as Alodan and Demerol. Morphine will act directly on the central nervous system and can relieve even sever pains, such as post surgery pains and cancer pains. Morphine is addictive and it is important that it is used with caution. The addiction can be physical as well as physiological. The side effects are also both physical and psychological. Among the physical side effects are constipation and an inhibition of the cough reflex. Psychological side effects include euphoria as well as nightmares, and drowsiness can come hand in hand with insomnia. Morphine was isolated from opium in 1803 by Friedrich Serturner, a German pharmacist. He named it morphium after the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus. Serturner soon discovered its usefulness as a painkiller, but morphine didn’t grow really popular until the hypodermic needle was invented in 1853.

Programs

Medicine Hat College offers academic, career training, and university transfer programs leading to degrees, diplomas, and certificates. The College has 10 bachelor degree options including applied degrees in Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership, Paramedic, and Visual Communications, collaborative degrees in Nursing and Social Work with the University of Calgary, and joint degrees in Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, General Studies, Human Services, and Management with Athabasca University. The College also has over 69 university transfer programs with each option transferring to a specific university. For students wanting to pursue vocational and/or skills training, the College provides 6 apprenticeship opportunities leading to a career in a skilled trade and 6 pre-employment programs aimed at providing students with the skills which will give them an advantage when competing for employment in the skilled trades. Additionally, the College’s “Conservatory of Music and Dance” offer students courses and programs in the performing arts.

Medicine Hat College

Established: 1964 (Originally known as Medicine Hat Junior College; in 1969 the College was incorporated into the Colleges Act of Alberta and the "Junior" was subsequently dropped from the College's name.).

The AMA Vision for Health System Reform

No one said that achieving meaningful health system reform this year was going to be easy. But tackling the tough challenges is something the American Medical Association (AMA) has been doing for 162 years.As the nation’s largest organization representing physicians from every state and nearly every medical specialty—and the patients in their care—we are committed to achieving health system reform this year that:Protects the sacred relationship between patients and their physicians, without interference by insurance companies or the government Provides affordable health insurance for all through a choice of plans and eliminates denials for preexisting conditions Promotes quality, prevention and wellness initiatives Repeals the Medicare physician payment system that harms seniors' access to care Eases the crushing weight of medicalliabilityand insurance company bureaucracy Physicians, patients, policymakers and others have found common ground on real health system improvements. Difficult issues must still be resolved. But it’s time for results, not rhetoric. It's time to shift our focus from arguing about differences to working together to resolve them.
The status quo is unacceptable. America's patients and physicians deserve better. The AMA will press on until a better health system is a reality for all Americans.