Remodeling Your Home? Beware of the Dangers of Lead

Contributed by: Alison Eastwood, Pharm.D. Candidate

KU School of Pharmacy

Text Box: As warmer weather rolls around, many people decide to remodel or renovate their home. Before beginning any project, know the health risks of lead in your home and how to protect your family. What are the health effects of lead? Lead is harmful to adults and can cause many disorders such as high blood pressure, muscle pain, and difficulties during pregnancy. Adults can also suffer from concentration, digestive, and reproductive problems due to lead poisoning. Lead is even more dangerous to children because they are still developing and their growing bodies absorb more lead. Where is lead found? *Paint. Many homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. Paint chips and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly. The federal government has since banned the use of lead-based paint and requires landlords and sellers to disclose known information on lead-based paint before renting or buying pre-1978 housing. *Soil and household dust around the home can pick up lead from the paint.

Text Box: *Drinking water may contain lead if the plumbing contains lead or lead solder. Unfortunately, you cannot see, smell, or taste the lead and boiling your water will not get rid of it. If you think your plumbing might have lead, you can call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. Running the water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking will help decrease the amount of lead. *Lead can also be found in old painted toys, furniture, and lead crystal or lead-glazed porcelain. *Folk remedies such as "azarcon" used to treat upset stomach may contain lead. Planning to renovate a home with lead-based paint? Certain types of renovations can release lead into the air. Before scraping off paint or tearing out walls, the area should be tested for lead-based paint. Do not use a belt-sander, heat gun, or dry scraper to remove lead-based paint. These tools create a large amount of lead dust and fumes, which can remain in the home even after the renovation is finished. Furthermore, the area should be completely

Text Box: sealed off from the rest of the house or the family should be temporarily moved (especially children and pregnant women) until the job is finished and cleaned. What can you do to protect your family? If you think your house contains lead hazards, there are immediate steps to reduce your family's risk. Be aware of peeling or chipping paint and clean up paint chips immediately. Clean your house often, especially floors and windowsills. Make sure your child eats nutritious meals high in iron and calcium because children with good diets absorb less lead. In order to permanently remove lead hazards, you must hire a certified lead contractor. They can remove or enclose the paint with special materials. Remember, just painting over the hazard with regular paint is not enough. For more information talk to your physician, pharmacist, or go online to www.epa.gov/lead.

Splitting the Cost of Prescription Medications

Contributed by: Starla Sweany, Pharm.D. Candidate

KU School of Pharmacy

Text Box: With the rising cost of health care and prescription medications, many Americans are faced with finding ways to reduce their health expenses. The splitting of higher dose tablets is one way in which prescription drug costs can be lowered. Confronted by similar goals of cost reduction, health insurance companies are attempting to find ways to save without becoming too limiting. Several prescription benefit managers (PBM) have begun to require the splitting of certain medications in order to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Some physicians and pharmacists have also teamed up to help patients lower prescription costs by educating them on tablet splitting and the best techniques to safely break tablets. Several medications that are commonly halved include Zocor® (simvastatin), Viagra® (sildenafil), and Zoloft® (sertraline), while many others are quickly becoming popular split medications. How does tablet splitting save money? Many prescription medications are available

Text Box: in higher strength tablets for the same or similar prices as the lower dose tablet. By splitting the tablet in half, patients can get their usual dose for essentially half the cost. Fewer trips to the pharmacy can also save the consumer money because by splitting tablets their prescription would last twice as long. What medications should not be split? Certain medications cannot be split because of special mechanisms by which they release the drug into the body. Medications that are sustained release or enteric coated cannot be broken and are not appropriate for tablet splitting. Examples of these types of medications would include Depakote ERâ (divalproex sodium) and Tegretol XRâ (carbamazepine). Capsules are also excluded from splitting because the contents of the capsule cannot be precisely divided. Tablets that are not scored may make splitting difficult and may increase the chances of uneven fragments. Drugs that have narrow dosage ranges should also not be split. Such medica

Text Box: tions would be Lanoxinâ (digoxin) and Coumadinâ (warfarin). Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about whether a medication falls into one of these categories. Who should not split tablets? Splitting tablets usually lies in the hands of the consumer, therefore being able to understand and perform tablet splitting is critical in order to avoid mistakes. Patients who have a cognitive impairment that limits their ability to comprehend and remember instructions are not good candidates for tablet splitting. Because tablets are often small, patients who have visual impairment or reduced manual dexterity of the hands may have a difficult time handling the pills.

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