If you or someone you love is coming off a harmful and debilitating addiction to drugs then the road to recovery is sometimes incredibly painful. However, with the advent of modern medicine there are drugs now that can help you deal with that addiction in a much less painful way. One of the most popular and common drugs is Methadone which is used to treat those coming off a heroin addiction. But before you head to your local pharmacy to get it filled there are a couple of things you want to keep in mind.

First thing is that Methadone is an incredibly expensive drug if you aren’t properly insured. So it is important that you have your insurance in order and you bring your PRESCRIPTION insurance card to the pharmacy. This will help in not having to pay more than you can afford.

This drug is a Schedule II narcotic meaning it is one grade lower than that of heroin itself. This just means that it puts extra regulations on the filling of this drug. One of these regulations is the expiration date. Most regular prescriptions like anti-biotics are good for one year from the original date written on the prescription. A drug like Ambien is only good for six months from the date written. With a drug like Methadone it is only good for 90 days from the date written. It was 7 days, but the law has since changed. So know that if you get a prescription for the drug it is in your best interest to use it sooner than later.

A pharmacy will not give an early refill on this medication. Some drugs a pharmacy will give out a day or two early. This will never be given out a day early. It will be given out only at the appropriate time. If a pharmacy does not have enough supply of the medication in stock you may be forced to either take what they have and forfeit the rest or take your prescription to another pharmacy. There are strict rules for dealing with Methadone.

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.

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.

So why is it that now you have to give them your I.D to buy something that anyone was able to buy in the past? Well, if you can believe it for your own safety. A couple of years ago the lawmakers of Illinois got together and decided to approve the monitoring of all drugs containing pseudoephedrine. Not sure what pseudoephedrine is? Let’s make sure you are aware.

Pseudoephedrine is a drug used to make a more harmful drug called meth-amphetamines. This is a very seriously addictive drug. You might hear news programs where they are talking about crystal meth and if so then they are talking about the same kinds of ingredients that are used in some of the over the counter medicine that you have to go behind a pharmacy for.

So how does this work? Well you give a pharmacy technician your id and they run the drivers license number through the computer and it comes up with whatever pseudoephedrine products you have recently. This is because there is now a limit on the amount you are allowed to purchase. For instance you might by a 24 back of Claritin D but you cannot buy another 24 pack in the same day. All of your purchases are stored in a log and monitored and reviewed by the state. You can choose not have your purchases monitored but then you have to choose not purchase that product.

The manufacturers of these drugs are now coming out with pseudoephedrine free versions of these drugs. You have to make the determination on which drug will work best for you but understand that the law is there in the fight against illegal drugs.