Archive for October, 2016

There’s a chill in the air and now that the weather is turning cold people are starting to get sick. The best way to protect yourself this season is to get your flu shot.

I know you may have some questions, however, so I’m here to answer all your questions about the flu shot.

Q: Who should get the flu shot?

A: Everyone over the age of 6 months! There are also some people who are more likely to get the flu or who might get it more severely than others–these people are “high risk individuals.”

High risk individuals include:

• Children under 5
• Adults over 65
• Pregnant women
• Residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities
• Health care workers
• Patients with certain chronic diseases

High risk individuals should take extra care to get their flu shot each year. 

Q: What does the flu shot protect against?

A: The flu vaccine protects you from getting the flu this year, however its benefits are even greater than just prevention. It is proven that getting the flu shot can help you stay out of the hospital- especially if you have a common chronic disease like heart disease, diabetes, or COPD.

For pregnant women, the flu shot not only protects moms, but also protects babies while they’re growing and after they’re born.

If you do still happen to get the flu, the vaccine will help your body fight it off, resulting in a milder, shorter illness. 

Q: Why are there different types of flu vaccine? Which one is best for me?

A: There are three popular types of the flu shot you may hear about.

• Tri-valent: Protects you against the three most popular strains of the flu.
• Quad-valent: Protects you against four strains of flu- the same three as the tri-valent plus one more.
• High Dose: Approved for adults over 65, the high dose flu vaccine contains four times as much antigen, the part of the flu that teaches the body how to recognize and fight the virus, as the normal tri-valent vaccine.

Depending on your age, chronic disease states, and insurance coverage, a pharmacist or student pharmacist can help you pick which vaccine is right for you.

Q: I got my flu shot last year, do I need one this year?

A: Yes! The flu shot changes each year. Scientists use information from the previous year and other parts of the world to predict which flu viruses will be most popular and make the vaccine accordingly.

Q: How long does it take to work?

A: It takes about two weeks after vaccination to be fully protected. During these two weeks the vaccine is teaching your body how to recognize and fight the flu virus in the future. 

Q: Will it give me the flu?

A: No. The viruses used to make the flu shot have been killed and structures broken apart. This makes the vaccine inactivated, which means it will not give you the flu. 

Q: What type of side effects should I expect?

A: Sometimes after the flu shot your arm may be a little achy, with redness and swelling at the injection site. Because the vaccine is teaching your body how to fight the flu, you could also have a very low fever, but this should go away within two days. 

Q: Will it hurt?

A: This year you can only get the flu vaccine by injection. In past years, a nasal spray has been available, but it was not as effective so it should not be used. The injection should take only a few seconds and only feel like a pinch. Make sure to relax your arm down by your side as it will help the shot hurt less.

Q: Do I have to make an appointment to get one?

A: No! Any certified Pharmacist or Student Pharmacist can administer the flu shot to anyone over the age of 7 without a prescription. You can get your flu shot here at Plain City Druggist whenever you stop by.

If you have additional questions about the flu vaccine, please feel free to talk to the Pharmacist or Student Pharmacist at Plain City Druggist or Happy Druggist today!

References:

DO I NEED A FLU VACCINATION? [INFOGRAPHIC]. West Corporation. https://www.televox.com/do-i-need-a-flu-vaccination-infographic/. Posted on November 28, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2016.

Influenza (Flu). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). Atlanta, Ga. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm. Last Updated October 14, 2016. Accessed October 16, 2016.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will take place on Saturday, October 22 from 10 am to 2 pm. During this yearly event, you can turn in old or no longer used medicines for proper disposal. We know that many of you may have medications that have expired or that you don’t take any more and this is a perfect way to make sure they are destroyed so that no one gets hurt.

To find out more about the Take-Back Day, visit the web site HERE.

To find a disposal location near you, go HERE and put in your zip code or county and city.

In Union County, you can turn in unused and expired medications at these sites:

Union County Sheriff’s Office

221 West 5th Street, Marysville, OH 43040 (Please enter the sally port from the south off of 6th St. Signs will be posted).

Pleasant Valley Fire Department

650 West Main Street, Plain City, OH 43064 (Please enter the rear of the bays).

Richwood Police Department

153 North Franklin Street, Richwood, OH 43344 (Please enter the sally port entrance)

For the nearest locations near Happy Druggist on Karl Road in Columbus, see the flyer below that our student Danae made for us. You can also drop off medications directly at Happy Druggist and we will turn the medications in for you at the closest drop off location.

On Saturday, October 15, there will be a FREE electronic waste and appliance recycling day from 9 am to 1 pm (rain or shine) at Union Recyclers, 15140 US Route 36 East in Marysville.

Items that will be accepted from households, businesses, industries, schools, and the government include: Computers, any and all types of cable and wire, cameras, servers, VCRs, Monitors, DVD Players, all types of cell phones, keyboards and mice, CD and DVD media, battery backup systems, scanners, printers, fax machines, copiers, all stereo equipment, video games, video game systems, all phone equipment, speakers, floppy disks, microwaves, sweepers, and other household electronics.

Televisions will be accepted for a fee of $20 each. There is a $5 Fee for each CRT (cathode ray tubes found in most computer monitors) Monitor.

Freon and Non-Freon appliances including refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, stoves, dishwashers, washers, and dryers will be taken at NO CHARGE.

Aluminum beverage cans will be purchased for 5 cents over the price of the day!

Absolutely NO tires, light bulbs, alkaline batteries or household hazardous waste will be accepted. NO Early Drop Offs!

For more information, call Union Recyclers at 937-642-7283 or visit their web site HERE.

If a business, industry, school, or government office has a large quantity of electronic waste, contact Accurate IT to schedule a pick up date/time. Call 1-888-811-2487 or visit their web site HERE.

This event is being sponsored by the North Central Ohio Solid Waste District, Union Recyclers, Accurate IT, the Union County Commissioners, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce.

To download and print the event flyer, go HERE.

We are so lucky to have two student pharmacists from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy with us for the entire month of October. Both Andrea and Sarah are fourth year students who will graduate in May 2017 and then go on to practice as pharmacists. In a previous posting, we introduced you to Andrea Lee. Today, we’d like to let Sarah introduce herself.

Here is what Sarah has to say about her background:

Hi! My name is Sarah Redmond and I’m one of the fourth year pharmacy students from Ohio State here at Plain City Druggist this month.

I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and came to Ohio for pharmacy school. Like any true Bostonian, I love Dunkin Donuts coffee, Fenway Park, and clam chowda!

I moved to Texas for college and earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in marketing and management from Baylor University. After graduating, I moved back to Boston and worked in fundraising for a symphony orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society.

Through career counseling, I was lucky enough to find pharmacy and can’t believe I will finally be a pharmacist in a few short months. I completed my post baccalaureate pre-pharmacy classes at the University of Pittsburgh while working as a Pharmacy Technician at UPMC Presbyterian-Montefiore Hospitals.

For the past three years,  I’ve loved working at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville and being a part of the Columbus community.

I don’t know which part of the country I’ll be moving to next, but I hope to dive deeper into my interests of inpatient operations and medication safety, and to one day become a Director of Pharmacy.

Please feel free to stop by and say Hi!

We are so lucky to have a student pharmacist at Happy Druggist on Karl Road this month from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy. Danae Rockwell is a fourth year student who will graduate in May 2017 and then go on to practice as a pharmacist. In this posting, we’d like to introduce you to Danae.

Danae is featured in the photo above (on the right) with our other students who are rotating through Plain City Druggist in October, Andrea (on the left) and Sarah (in the middle).

Here is what Danae has to say about herself:

My name is Danae Rockwell and I am a 2017 PharmD candidate from The Ohio State University.

I have had a passion for the pharmacy profession since a very young age when I realized how much I enjoyed serving the community. I also love being knowledgeable, especially when it comes to health and wellness. Knowing how different medications work to help unfold various disease states fascinates me and drives me to be the best pharmacist I can be.

Upon graduation, I would love to be a community pharmacist either in a retail, chain, or independent store (I can’t say for sure which I will choose). I want to be someone people can trust and be the reason why someone would choose my pharmacy over another.

So far during this rotation, I have witnessed many friendships between patients and pharmacists, as well as with staff. I believe patients go to Happy Druggist because they know they are going to be treated as family and that we, as pharmacists, will do everything we can to ensure their quality of health care.

I am so excited to graduate and start my career as Danae Rockwell, PharmD!