Addiction Advice

HCG Diet Basics

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The HCG diet is the new diet craze. Let’s take a look at the basics of an HCG diet.

HCG is an acronym for Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin. This is a hormone that shows up in human pregnancy. It can also be used for non-pregnant women and men as a weight loss tool. The HCG hormone will help curb cravings and tell the body that the fat in the body can be used for metabolism.

HCG diets can be done through a hormone injection or through pills. Whichever you choose, it will be used until your weight loss goal is achieved. The hormone is then used for about a month longer, in what is called a "maintenance cycle".

When in the second stage of the HCG diet, you will have a two week period of being restricted to 600-800 calories a day. After that, you will be on a diet of 1000-1200 calories a day for a week. The diet is a high protein diet, and therefore protein calories do not count toward the daily totals.

For the HCG diet to work long term, it does require a lifestyle shift. During and after the hormone injections, you will need to adhere to a strict diet. For this reason, as well as possible risks with this diet, it is strongly suggested that you be monitored by a medical professional.

The HCG diet can be a very good start to a healthier lifestyle. It can help overweight people shed some much needed weight. It also promotes a very healthy diet, focusing on a high protein, low calorie diet.

HCG diets can be fairly expensive, especially when compared to traditional diets, eating healthy, and exercising. This is a potential negative for many people, who feel they cannot afford it. Also, most insurance companies do not cover the HCG diet.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: Calorie restriction, Health, Weight loss

Depression in the Workplace

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Depression is a difficult and serious problem for many people today. It can haunt anyone: man or woman, child or adult. It does not matter your social status or family history. Depression can hurt anyone.

Depression in the workplace is a huge problem for both the employee and the employer. Near 5% of all short term disability time is used due to depression and related issues. Depression is the cause of over half of all money spent on medical treatments in the United States. Over 10% of people suffering from severe depression die by suicide.

These are staggering statistics. Depression in the workplace is a troubling problem suffered in any and all stations of the workforce. Unfortunately, many times an employee with depression will not let anyone know, or even seek out treatment. Frequently, they are worried that people knowing will effect their job, possible promotions, and responsibilities.

There are many symptoms of depression, and everyone experiences depression differently. Some symptoms are more obvious than others. Thoughts of suicide and death are an obvious sign of depression. Other symptoms are less obvious, such as insomnia, fatigue, or reduced appetite.

Some things that you can do to help keep depression away, and stay healthy at work include pursuing jobs that you enjoy, asking for help with projects when you feel overwhelmed or have too much on your plate, and make sure to take advantage of resources to help through times of stress or trouble.

Depression in the workplace can be a downward spiral. Depression can cause negative impact on work performance. This in turn can cause more depression, as you may feel that you are not working up to par. Being absent from work can put you behind in any projects that you are working on, therefore continuing the spiral. Many symptoms of depression, especially in the workplace, can result in furthering the depression.

If you are experiencing depression, please seek help from a medical professional. Do not feel alone!

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: Depression, Major depressive disorder, Mental Health

How to Spot a Prescription Addict

Sometimes it is difficult to know the signs if your loved one is abusing drugs or alcohol. As time goes on an addict usually reveals themselves just by their actions but there are times when it is hard for even those who are present everyday to see that someone is in too deep. This is especially true of those addicted to pain meds and other prescribed narcotics. It is often harder to detect because there are valid reasons for a person to have controlled narcotics and so an addict may be able to operate within that safety zone for quite some time before their behavior shows through. However there are signs that make it easier to notice.

The first is to look for prescriptions from different pharmacies. Most people go to the same pharmacy and only occasionally go to different pharmacies. They usually only venture to other pharmacies if there is a out of stock for a medication or if there is a significantly cheaper price somewhere else.

With controlled medications those two possibilities are slim and none as prices are usually the same and most pharmacies are well stocked with appropriate and well prescribed controlled narcotics. So when there are bottles from different chains this should raise a red flag.

Also, it is best to be checking the quantity on the bottles. This is important as most people with temporary pain are given a low quantity. Those with massive pain issues may be given significantly more but this does not mean that they are should be going through those pills in less time than prescribed. Just seeing the frequency of their refills should be enough to trigger a signal.

The other thing to watch out for is a change in doctors. Addicts will move their doctors around if they find that their doctor is wise to their abuse. If they suddenly change doctors then you may have a problem on your hands. There is no fool proof way to spot a script addict but these are just a few signs to let you know you may have a problem.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: addiction, Pharmaceutical drug, Pharmacy

Ground Rules for Dealing with an Addict

Drug addiction is one of the hardest things in the world to overcome. Millions and millions of dollars every single day is poured into outreach programs and research on how to help people combat this terrible disease of addiction. If someone you know and love is dealing with drug addiction it’s quite possible that you are having to deal with it too. This is not just their problem. This problem affects everyone.

So the question is how do you handle it? It’s not easy to practice tough love, but it’s also not easy to practice a nurturing behavior as you watch someone you care about destroy their lives. Making some simple rules for yourself can help you deal with the addict in your life.

The first thing you have to do is set ground rules, not only for yourself but for the addict themselves. The number one rule is not to enable. This makes you just as guilty as they are. So when an addict asks for money you must tell them no. It doesn’t matter what they tell you or how little they may be asking for. You must assume they are spending that money on drugs and firmly tell them you will not be giving them any money. If they claim they need money for a flat tire, explain to them you would be happy to help them by paying the tire shop in person or over the phone but there will be no transferring of money between the addict.

If an addict wants to enter your home you must make the simple rule that the addict cannot be clearly on drugs and cannot bring drugs into your home. You should feel very right in asking them to empty their pockets, backpack, or purse if you have to. Having drugs in your home is not only unacceptable to you but is something you could get in real trouble for.
Understand these rules may be met with some resistance by the addict. This may even strain your relationship, but you do not want to be an enabler to them.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: addiction, dealing with addict, Disease, Drug addiction, drugs, Drugs addiction, Health, health care, Pharmacy, Research, Substance abuse

Levodopa/Carbidopa on Parkinson’s Disease

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Parkinson’s disease is among one of the hardest and most debilitating diseases you can be diagnosed with. It cripples the body and puts you in a constant position to feel out of control. If you have been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease you should know that the road from here on out gets much harder but luckily the miracles of modern medicine can do wonders to help control some off the symptoms.

One of the most popular or common medications given to Parkinson’s sufferers is a med called Sinimet. Now, as most doctors and pharmacies give out the generic version you are likely to see something called Levodopa/Carbidopa. Those of course are the two ingredients that make up Sinimet. Levodopa is the single most popular drug prescribed for those afflicted with the disease as it creates something called dopamine. Dopamine is very important in brain function. What it does is it is used to tell the muscles on the body what to do and enables them to do it smoothly. A patient with Parkinson’s disease is suffering from a nerve cell break down. So dopamine is created by Levodopa.

Now Carbidopa, just like you might think, really works in tandem with the dopamine agent. This agent not only helps to up the effect of the dopamine agent that is Levodopa but it also helps take off the side effects of the dopamine agent.

Some of the side effects that a patient taking Sinimet might experience is nausea and vomiting which is a rather common occurrence in most medication. However there are some more serious side effects that you should be aware of. There is the possibility of restlessness and even some confusion. This isn’t to detract from the attractiveness of the medication as it has long been thought to be one of the best drugs to treat the difficult disease of Parkinson’s, but it is important to know the risks involved. And with all medication it is important to have a lengthy talk with your doctor before deciding on any medication.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Health, L-DOPA, Medicine, Neurological Disorders, Parkinson, Parkinson's disease, parkunson didease, Pharmaceutical drug

How to Spot a Phony Prescription

Working in a pharmacy requires skill and a watchful eye. Any mistake made can result in the harm of someone else. As a health care professional the last thing you want to see is your mistake hurting someone. But there is something else you have to watch out for that you may not be on the lookout for and that’s a fake prescription.

There are more than enough addicts hanging around the pharmacy that you should be alert and be scouting every single prescription that comes through your pharmacy. If you don’t it could cost you more than the pills. It could cost you your job.

The first thing you need to forget is what you think a drug addict might look like. There are those that fit the classic Hollywood movie profile but most look just like you and if they came into the pharmacy you wouldn’t know the difference. This is majorly important. You must assume every single prescription carries with it the possibility of being a phony and judge each one accordingly.

One of the first and easiest things to spot on a phony medication order is how much of the directions are spelled out. A doctor may write “tab bid with food” this conveys the order to a pharmacy staff member but if the order were spelled out like “Take One tablet by mouth two times daily with food” is far too spelled out for a pharmacy not to raise a red flag.

Look for excessive quantities too and with no diagnosis on the front. Also look for suspicious order for a patient where they are tight lipped about the injury. A good doctor who is ordering a high quantity of a controlled narcotic and not outwardly justifying it is up to no good and should be trusted.

Also, when taking in a prescription called in over the phone make sure you ask for the doctors DEA number. Most patients don’t know the DEA number of the doctor they are trying to represent. These tips will help you with a phony prescription.

Filed Under: Addiction Advice Tagged With: Drug, Medical prescription, Pharmacy