Author Archives: Sarah

About Sarah

Dr. Sarah Khan is a graduate of Albany College of Pharmacy and a retail pharmacist. She has close relationships with her patients, and specializes in diabetes management. She's also a proud wife and mother who can't get enough top 40 music!

Slimweight Patches: A New Weight Loss Delivery System

weight loss patchIf you’re looking to avoid taking diet pills maybe a new diet aid that you stick on your skin might be the option for you. Slimweight Patch is claiming to provide excellent weight loss results. Though previously Slimweight patches promoted a patch with hoodia extract, a known stimulant found in many diet pills, the herbal patches appear to be the only product now available on their website. I broke down the patch ingredients to see what benefits and risks each might have towards weight loss success.

Fucus Vesiculosus

Fucus Vesiculosus, also known as bladder wrack, is a brown seaweed that is loaded with iodine. Iodine has an effect on the function of the thyroid which helps control metabolism. Too much iodine or extended duration of use could cause severe increase in thyroid function and eventually shutdown the thyroid.

5HTP

5HTP is used for insomnia, depression, anxiety, migraines and headaches. It reaches the brain and works to increase your supply of serotonin. There is a lot of controversy about the safety of this supplement. There have been reports that it may cause eosinophilia myalgia syndrome which involves severe muscle pain and a high white blood cell count. If you are currently taking an antidepressant like Paxil, or Zoloft you should avoid using Slimweight patch. Using the two in combination could increase your risk of an overproduction of serotonin called serotonin syndrome which could result in seizures.

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Posted on January 16, 2024 by Sarah

What First Time Diet Pills Users Need to Know

The diet pill aisle can be a pretty intimidating place especially for someone who has never taken them before. When diet and exercise have failed or you’ve plateaued for weeks, people look for other options to keep results moving. Here are some helpful tips for those venturing into the world of diet pills for the first time.

Know what your getting yourself into

Diet pills are loaded with caffeine and laxative-like ingredients, so between the two, you’ll be running to the bathroom all day. Diet pill packaging usually will tell you if their products contain caffeine and approximately how many cups of coffee you would need to drink to get the same effect. If you are a caffeine novice like myself jumping from none to the equivalent of 3 cups per day may make you feel jittery, agitated and possibly give you palpitations or increase your blood pressure.

Diet pills may interact with your medications or cause birth defects, which is especially important for women who are within childbearing age. Diet pills like Qnexa, which is looking for approval from the FDA sometime in 2024, will not be recommended for women within child bearing age for this exact reason. It may only help you for a limited amount of time. Diet pills like phentermine are only recommended to be used for up to 12 weeks. Studies have shown that results is not significant enough for someone to continue taking it after 12 weeks. In 2024, Hydroxycut received much criticism because of its effect on liver enzymes and one death was reported due to liver failure. It was recalled and has since been reformulated. Hydroxcut previously contained ephedra but the FDA asked that it be removed from their product when they discovered it caused heart problems and some deaths.

Don’t believe the hype

On most diet pill packaging you will see pictures of toned celebrities and models promoting the success of the product. Let’s be real here: diet pills alone are not going to produce amazing results, which is why they are technically called diet aids. Some products even throw some clinical trial information on the box to make it seem more enticing. Keep in mind that these trials usually only have a small amount of participants and this can skew the results to make their product look better than the placebo. Good luck trying to get a hold of the companies if you have questions. Most are not available by phone or even Internet.

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Posted on January 14, 2024 by Sarah

Managing Your Diabetes With Free iPhone Apps

My life, like many others’, is centered around my iPhone. I can’t imagine my life without it. Web developers realize the increase in smartphone use could be helpful in managing diabetes and there are apps that can help diabetics count carbs and track their blood sugar trends. I reviewed a few of the free apps for the iPhone to see if they could be beneficial for diabetics.

Bant

This is a great starter app but there are definitely some limitations. It logs glucose readings but doesn’t indicate a before meal reading or post-prandial (1 hour post meal). These readings are the best for truly seeing how well the sugar is being controlled or how different foods can affect the blood sugar. It has the ability to upload your information to Twitter (#bant) and there is an online community for support and to share ideas. You can also upload your results to websites like www.healthvault.com so your doctor can see your trends at your next appointment. I think adding a medication reminder to help taking insulin or oral medications would be a useful tool to help people stay on track. Currently this app does not have nutritional information to help with tracking calories and carbohydrates.

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Posted on January 12, 2024 by Sarah

Medication Mix-Up Forces Recall of Excedrin, No Doz, Gas-X and Others

The FDA has announced the recall of yet another batch of over the counter medications. Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. has voluntarily recalled all lots of No Doz and Excedrin with expiration dates of December 20, 2024 and sooner, and Gas-X and Bufferin products with expiration dates of December 20, 2024 and earlier. The reason for the recall is because these bottles may contain tablets from other over the counter products. With different medications possibly being in the same bottle there is a risk of side effects. For example, you purchase Bufferin, which is an aspirin-containing pain reliever, but it has random tablets of No Doz, which is a high-dose caffeine tablet that could make you feel agitated and make it difficult for you to sleep. The recall is precautionary which means not all products may be affected, but Novartis wants to protect the safety of consumers.

If you take any of these products, talk to your pharmacist about an alternative until more is reproduced. The plant that produced the majority of the medications was based out of Lincoln, Nebraska and will slowly start production once plans to prevent contamination from happening again. Check your bottles at home and if you have any of these products you should contact Novartis to return the product to them and receive a refund. contact the Novartis Consumer Relationship Center at 1-888-477-2403 (available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) to get the details.  You can also go to www.novartis-OTC.com to download a form to receive a refund. (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Sarah

High Fructose Corn Syrup in Many Cough and Cold Syrups

High fructose corn syrup, found in sodas, cereals and baked goods, has become a food bad guy for its link to obesity and diabetes but it might not only be food the sticky stuff is lurking in. Some common cough and cold syrups use high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as their sweeteners, the most popular offenders including Vicks, Delsym and Robitussin brands.

Cough and cold syrup makers could use other sweeteners like sucrose but HFCS is inexpensive to manufacture. High fructose corn syrup is a chemically made sugar that primarily contains fructose (fifty-five percent,) glucose (fourty-five percent) and water. The good news is that the companies clearly list HFCS as an inactive ingredient on their labeling, which means it will have no effect on suppressing a cough, for example.

“One teaspoonful of pure HFCS has 3.8 grams of carbohydrates and is about 15 calories,” Mary Hartley, RD, our registered dietician, states, “but 1 teaspoonful of cough syrup is not one-hundred percent HFCS.” The amount HFCS that is in cough syrups compared to the rest of the ingredients is not something that is clearly labeled on their packaging. When I tried to contact a representative from Vick’s about how much of the sweetener was in their product, the rep told me the information was proprietary and legally they may not be allowed to release the information.

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Posted on January 3, 2024 by Sarah

Pfizer Developing Weight Loss Drug that Suppresses Appetite

With Lipitor becoming generic, Pfizer pharmaceuticals has decided to venture into the realm of weight loss medicine. Currently the only approved weight loss drugs that are available by prescription are Xenical and stimulants like phentermine, Adderall or Ritalin. Utilizing a different pathway, Pfizer hopes to control a patient’s appetite as opposed to stimulating the body’s functions to possibly control the market once more.

The new drug currently called OAP-189 is an appetite suppressant and mimics the body’s hormones that signal when someone feels full. Like adopotide, this currently is a drug injected into the subcutaneous fat in the skin. More research will need to be conducted to see if an oral option could still provide the same results. The most common side effect right now appears to be nausea and the researchers are hoping that by purifying the compound it will more closely mimic the body’s natural hormones that control hunger thereby minimizing side effects.

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Posted on December 22, 2023 by Sarah

Lipitor Now Available as Generic Atorvastatin

The prayers of many who have high cholesterol have been answered: Lipitor has finally gone generic. Atorvastatin may be here but Lipitor’s maker Pfizer is not going quietly into the night- they would like to keep their 100 million dollar weekly sales in tact. So here’s what you should know if you want to jump on the number one’s statin band wagon.

Lipitor is a cholesterol lowering drug called a statin that mainly works on the LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol. As far as potency, Lipitor is more potent than simvastatin (Zocor) but not as potent as Crestor for reducing LDL after the first dose is taken. Here’s some downsides to statin, including an increase in liver enzymes. Elevated liver enzymes could affect liver function and cause myopathy or muscle pain. If this occurs stop taking the statin and call your doctor. The most dangerous and rare side effect is called rhabodomyolysis. This causes the breakdown of muscle and can eventually lead to kidney failure, but overall, statins are a great drug to lower LDL and help prevent heart disease and heart attacks.

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Posted on December 12, 2023 by Sarah

Meals to Live: Healthy Frozen Entrees for Diabetics

The frozen food aisle can be a forbidden realm for anyone on a diet or participating in a healthy lifestyle. Meals to Live frozen entrees want to change that perception with meals targeted specifically at diabetics who lead an active lifestyle and may not always have time to cook a fresh meal.

Based out of Dallas, Texas, Meals to Live boasts a team of nutrition experts and chefs that help to tailor their frozen entrees to provide nutritional value while still having a fulfilling taste. Currently there are eight frozen flavors available ranging from a White Chicken Burrito, to Turkey Meatballs to a Spinach Omelet as a breakfast option. They also market a pixie-stick like powder called Glucose Quick Sticks. They come in Sour Apple and Watermelon flavor and can be used to prevent low sugar episodes.

Meals to Live is currently available at over 1,100 stores with local retailers like Walgreens, Meijer and Kroger in twelve states. Their website has a store locator option to find one nearest to you. If you would like to request this product in your area there is a form available to give to your local retailer. Amazon.com also sells the Meals to Live products on their website.

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Posted on December 1, 2023 by Sarah

The DASH Diet is an Ideal Choice for Diabetics

The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, can be used for patients with high blood pressure and is often recommended for diabetics because of the potential to lower their blood pressure. The diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure in as little as two weeks. Diabetics usually have blood pressure issues and are more prone to complications such as kidney disease. Diabetics are usually put on a blood pressure lowering drug called an ACE inhibitor that has protective properties for the kidneys.

The DASH diet consists of lowering sodium intake to less than 2400 mg per day, eating fresh fruits and vegetables and carbohydrate sources coming from whole grains. It also includes proteins coming from lean meats, fish and chicken, and moderate amounts of fats such as olive oil and nuts. The DASH diet has been endorsed by the American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Mayo Clinic. It also was used to form the new dietary guidelines. (more…)

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Sarah

You Can Reverse Your Type 2 Diabetes

On November 8th’s episode of the Biggest Loser, Ramon Medeiros received some very encouraging news. At the beginning of the season he was told that he was a diabetic and he was completely unaware. Look ahead to week eight at the Biggest Loser Ranch when he was told by Dr. H that not only had he reversed his diabetes but also that his high blood pressure was gone. Like Ramon, you can reverse your diabetes – and here’s how.

Before we talk about the how we need to talk about the why. Why did you develop type 2 diabetes? There are numerous factors that can bring in on, including genetics, eating an unhealthy diet, and leading a sedentary lifestyle, but the biggest reason people develop type 2 diabetes is because they become overweight or obese. As people’s weight increases their pancreas cannot keep up with the insulin production to reduce the body’s blood sugar. Your body is also less sensitive to the insulin it is still producing which is known as insulin resistance. Type 1 diabetics’ pancreases do not produce insulin so unfortunately reversing diabetes in these patients is not yet possible.

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Posted on November 28, 2023 by Sarah

Diabetic Meal Replacements: Good Choice or Gimmick?

The life of a diabetic can’t be easy. Tons of doctors appointments, meetings with nutritionists and getting poked with needles cannot be much fun. Plus, there is so much information to learn especially about nutrition and changing your lifestyle to better manage your blood sugar. Diabetes is such an all encompassing disease that there are tons of products marketed specifically for this group of people. The American Diabetes Association estimates that medical expenses are 2.3 times more for diabetics than for non-diabetics, which includes special food products just for diabetics. I spoke with Mary Hartley, RD, MPH to find out if popular products like Glucerna and Boost are useful tools for diabetics or simply a sales ploy.

Mary Hartley, a registered dietian from New York City and newest edition to the Diets In Review team, thinks these products are great for monitoring nutrients. “The consumer knows exactly how much he’s getting in terms of carbohydrate, fiber, fat, protein and anything else that is measured and these products are formulated to minimize spikes in blood sugar,” Mary says. Excellent point and a great start for newly diagnosed patients or diabetics that lead an active lifestyle and want to throw a shake or bar in their gym bag. I recommend having a small snack on hand at all times to help avoid low blood sugar. Mary adds that this is another perk as these products are extremely portable and convenient.

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Posted on November 23, 2023 by Sarah