By GUILLERMO} LAM - A. patient who we’il cali Victor Strong, in his 30’s, complained of a painful sensation whenever he passed urine. He visited his family. doctor, who after a series of tests, diagnosed the problem as a urinary tract infection. The doctor prescribed some anti-biotics which Victor was to take under stringent directions for two weeks. Five days later Victor started feeling much better. The symptons were gone. No more pain. He said to himself, ‘‘I’m cured. I don’t need them any more.”’ He stopped taking them. _ That was.his first mistake. Rather than discarding the remaining prescription © Victor decided to keep them _as a stand by. That was mistake. Two. years later Victor » his second woke up one morning and when he went to. the bath- room that. familiar . Struck him, only it was much worse. — He remembered where. he kept the anti-biotics so he retrieved them and started to treat himself. But things got worse. He decided to finish the pills he hoarded, hopis:3 the pain will g0 away. tt didn’t. FAILED To HEED _ Victor’s misfortunes were ‘he failed to heed his physician’s advice to com- plete the course of. medica- tion, and that he didn’t have someone like Pharmacist Shirley Prudeén, of Lions Gate Hospital, to advise him. - Miss Pruden, 23, who is presently heading a cam- paign collecting out-dated and, unused medications from homes, would have told Victor that the anti-biotics were out-dated and chances were they had decomposed into a different chemical ‘substance, which could be damaging to the kidneys. When Victor revisited his doctor that is what he learned. The doctor told him > cme eres, @cam colege harmful — pain. _ posed... when he stopped taking the pills in the first place the organisms were practically destroyed, but the few which survived appar- ently became lodged in the. urinary tract. The old ills were. ineffective; even af certain medication: when not destroyed in ‘early’ stages. The relapse of the same in- _ fection ( difficult to eradicate, ~Search has shown. would -be- - DESTRUCTIVE | What worsened things was that the pills” ae decom- . damaging. | into | substance which had started to. destroy the: tissues of 7 Victor’s kidneys. Victor’s case history is one example* of the destructive force of out- dated prescrip- drugs which are accumulated in homes, a common practice Pruden wants to discourage. As part of hercampaignthe recent UBC pharmacy grad- uate has been in close contact with both Community | nurses as well as home care — nurses, who frequently have - access to patients in private homes and can stress the hazards of self treatment and using old prescriptions. — During her meetings with the nurses Pruden explains how drugs work, what they _do, and points out their side effects which patients might have, if any.. FLUID ACCUMULATES One. example, Said Pruden, is explaining how CAPILANO COLLEGE IS YOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE. YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT ‘ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6. DURING COMMUNITY DAY Tour the campus ~~ VISIT BETWEEN Visit classes “(by arrangement) -- Discuss your learning plans 10: 00 A.M. AND 10:00 P.M. AT. 2055 PURCELL WAY, NORTH VANCOUVER 986-1911. fresh , batch of the same antibiotics - would probably have been: . just as useless since bacteria. ‘usually become immune to a more Fe ‘PHARMACIST Shirley Pruden...with her out-dated. Xv wares, collected from pharmacy depots [Rex Weyler photo} diuretics work. These pills, / AUTOMATIC | [ TRANSMISSION \ \TUNE-UP S SPECIAL] $25.00 : ~ plus parts LUBRICATION OIL CHANGE & FILTER _ suffering from diseases such commonly known .as fluid as hypertension, pills, are used by patients blood pressure. -or high it back vo ane ee ee page 11 - March 23, 1977 - North Shore News. Some of these patients have edema, which is fluid accumulation in tissues, for example near the ankles. The diuretic pilis are prescribed to reduce the amount of salt and water being reabsorbed in the kidneys. “Reabsorption of sodium, a form of salt, would cause water to be drawn along with into the body’s tissues,”” o Pruden : added, The. accumulation of fluid . near ankles would exert unnecessary pressure against the circulation in that area ‘‘so the heart has to pump that much harder.’’ This: of course, adds to the burden which patients with high blood pressure already face. With the help of the pills fluid accumulation no longer occurs because excess water is excreted,’’ she added. PHARMACISTS HELP riome care head nurse Mrs. Agnes Moorehead said the meetings with Pruden 649. Keep us up to date with the new drugs on the market, and she explains to us what. _they do. The pharmacists at Lions Gate are fantastic. 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