Tonya L. Breaux-Shropshire, PhD, DNP, FNP, MPH- Blood Pressure Medication Taking: Splitting the Dose or Not. One of my Facebook friends had an interesting question she asked" "For those on nefedipine xr 60 mg..do you take one (30 mg) pill in the morning and one at night or do you take them both at the same time..also, how long did it take for you to see an improvement with this med?" I told her "It's best to take it how it's prescribed (i.e., depends on how your doctor wrote the prescription). It makes a difference." She said, "He had me on one pill a day ..but at my follow up..he said to go up to 60 mgs...I've been taking both ( 30 mg) tablets at once, but my mom said…

Tonya L. Breaux-Shropshire, PhD, DNP, FNP, MPH- Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI's) are medications that are commonly prescribed by health care providers. They are used to treat gastric or acid reflux also known as GERD. Two of the most common types of PPIs prescribed are Protonix (Pantoprazole) and Omeprazole. Long-term use of PPI's might cause vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause anemia. Therefore, ask your doctor or health care provider if you are at risk for anemia and if you need to supplement with B12. A simple blood test called a complete blood count can be useful to determine if you are B12 deficient. Vitamin B12 Deficiency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVc5Ho8dod0

by Tonya L. Breaux-Shropshire, PhD, DNP, FNP, MPH- Ever wondered how to tell if you have obstructive sleep apnea? I must admit, during my postdoctoral training in 2011 was my first encounter with a patient diagnosed with sleep apnea. Don't get me wrong, I had learned about the condition during my education at the university. Yet, in practice, I had never encountered a patient with it, and I could not tell if I had it. https://youtu.be/ntYVhRpnT0c Some experts think that the obesity epidemic has increased the number of people suffering from this disease. However, alcohol, smoking, sleeping pills, and hypothyroidism could also put you at risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in men between the age of 50 and 60. Your health care professional can…

Today I read on Facebook that a Facebook friend was considering stopping her blood pressure medication on her own. She is reaching out to her Facebook friends to find out if anybody has stopped their medications on their own. She wants to find out if others considered stopping their medications. She also wants to know what happened to them when they stopped their medications. She said that she was having side effects from her medication and she was fed up. Apparently, she thinks that her medication is causing her to shake and startle and it's disturbing her sleep. The Facebook friend is also having panic attacks and she has needed anxiety medication to get her through the night and prevent her from going to the emergency room. She said her…