Conditions (A-Z)

Hay fever

Hay fever is a very common condition in New Zealand. Hay fever is most common in the spring and summer months although for some hay fever can be a year round problem. Hay fever is mostly caused by pollen that is released in higher amounts in the spring to summer time. In New Zealand the traditional hay fever season is from October through to January.

The best way to treat hayfever is to take an oral antihistamine. These are tablets that have an active ingredient that stops the body producing histamine when it comes into contact with a hayfever trigger. Histamine is a natural chemical in the body and causes us to get itchy eyes, itchy throats, runny noses, skin rashes and congestion. There are two types of antihistamines. The most common are the non-sedating type. These include Zyrtec, Telfast and Claratyne. Zyrtec, Telfast and Claratyne will not make you drowsy. You can also get sedating antihistamines. The most common are Polaramine and Phenergan. These are effective antihistamines and have the benefit of helping you sleep if your symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your sleeping.

If you do not want to take tablets for your hay fever then you can also use products like eye drops, nasal sprays and topical creams. Livistin is an example of a great topical anti-histamine that works fast, lasts a long time and you just use it by putting a few sprays in your nose or some drops in your eyes. Flixonase is another product that has protective effect for the runny nose symptoms of hayfever. You need to take Flixonase every day and it will dampen your body’s reaction to the nasal symptoms of hay fever.

Allergies

Allergies are something that many of us suffer from at some time in our life. [..continued..]

Bites

The best remedy is protection. Choose from a range of repellants to protect yourself from sandfly and mosquito bites.

If you are bitten then you can use a topical cream to take away the redness and itch. You can use a mild steroid cream like Egoderm 1% or Egoderm 0.5% or a non steroid cream like Eurax or Paraderm Plus depending on your preference. Paraderm Plus is especially effective if the skin has been broken as it has an antiseptic property

If you have been bitten all over then an oral antihistamine like Zyrtec, Claratine or Telfast will be effective.

Cold sores are an annoying problem that seem to catch us when we least want them or when we are run down. They can also pop up with over exposure to the sun. Cold sores are usually localised to the lip area.

Cold sores are managed by applying a cold sore cream like Zovirax directly to the affected area up to 5 times per day for the duration of the infection. It is important that you start applying the cream as soon as you feel the cold sore coming on. There are now cold sore patches called Compeed that have become popular. Compeed patches can assist you mask the appearance of your cold sore as well as contain the same active ingredient that is in Zovirax to reduce the severity and duration of your cold sore attack.

For those that suffer from regular cold sores we recommend supplementing with Lysine. Lysine can reduce the occurrence of cold sores and reduce the severity of cold sores when they occur.

For those that get cold sores from sun exposure we recommend Sunsense Lip balm.

If you are suffering from recurrent severe cold sores then visit your doctor to discuss alternate treatment options to assist you manage this condition.

Dry eyes are caused by a number of reasons and are easy to treat using lubricating eye drops and gel for dry eyes. For instant relief use Refresh Plus – either the single use drops or the bottle. If you suffer from dry eyes infrequently the single use drops are best as they keep the longest. Once you open the bottle you will need to discard it after 30 days.

If you have ongoing dry eyes then use a long acting product like Viscotears or Genteal can give you relief over a day.

Dry eyes can be a side effect of medication so if you are suffering from dry eyes and are taking medicine discuss this with your doctor next time you visit.

Difflam Anti inflammatory Oral Care
Fast relief for sore throats and mouths

Difflam products come in many different forms to suit everyones needs for relief from sore throats, mouth ulcers, inflammation due to recent oral surgery - dental procedures, pharyngitis just to name a few. Difflam have Throat Sprays, Solutions/Gargles, Lozenges, Mouth Gels

Mouth ulcers are a very common condition and can be very painful. Mouth ulcers often occur without warning and appear quickly. Mouth ulcers usually go away without treatment but it make sense to try and manage them to reduce the pain associated with them.

The general treatment for mouth ulcers is to use a topical treatment to take away the pain. Many mouth ulcer treatments also include an antiseptic to help reduce the chance of getting an infected mouth ulcer.

There are a number of products that we recommend and include Bonjela, Difflam mouth ulcer gel, Medigel and Kenalog in Orabase. If the pain is severe don’t forget to take some Panadol or Nurofen.

Mouth ulcers can be a sign that you are run down and are often stress related. Supplementation with multivitamin like Centrum can assist with reducing the severity of your mouth ulcers and reduce the number of times that you experience mouth ulcers. See your doctor if your mouth ulcer is particularly large, if your mouth ulcer is not painful, if you have many mouth ulcers or your mouth ulcers last longer than 3-4 weeks.

Either get your Doctor to fax the prescription to us on 09 419 9264 or you can post it to us directly at:
PO Box 36-625 Northcote, Auckland 0748.

Please make sure you have your daytime phone number on there and your delivery address.
For further information - click here to find out How getting a prescription from Pharmacy Direct works.

Nicorette Icy Mint Gum

♦  Dual coating provides freshness and lasting mint flavour to mask the bitter taste of nicotine

♦ Proven to improve teeth whiteness

♦ Will make your journey more enjoyable and help you stick with your quitting routine

Skin infections

Skin infections can be fungal, viral or bacterial in origin.

The viral infections that we see the most are shingles and cold sores.

Shingles is a very painful condition and is usually diagnosed by the doctor. You may be given a prescription for some anti-viral tablets. If you think that you have shingles it is important to see a doctor immediately so that you can start taking oral medicine immediately. The longer you leave it the less chance the medicine will be effective.

If you suffer from post herpetic neuralgia – pain after the shingles attack has gone - then there is a very effective topical ointment called Zostrix HP. Zostrix HP’s active ingredient comes from chilli peppers. Zostrix is rubbed on the affected area and cleverly overloads the pain nerves and stops them working temporarily. You would normally also take pain relief like Panadol and Nurofen to help with the pain.

Cold sores are usually localised to the lip area. They are managed by applying a cold sore cream like Zovirax directly to the affected area up to 5 times per day for the duration of the infection. There are now cold sore patches called Compeed that are popular. For those that suffer from regular cold sores we recommend supplementing with Lysine. Lysine is found in the natural health section of the pharmacy and can reduce the occurrence of cold sores and reduce the severity of cold sores when they occur. If you are suffering from recurrent severe cold sores then visit your doctor to discuss alternate treatment options to assist you manage this condition.

Thrush is a fungal infection that affects the vagina, the mouth or the gastro-intestinal tract. It is caused by an overgrowth of candida and is treated by topical and/or oral anti-fungal medication. Thrush is often caused by a course of antibiotics which disturbs the natural balance of normal microbial flora - the “good bugs” that exists on our body.

If Thrush becomes an ongoing problem or is persistent then we recommend you visit your doctor to rule out other issues that cause Thrush like diabetes. It is also important to treat your partner if you are suffering from recurrent vaginal thrush as your partner may not be symptomatic but may be re-infecting you.

Vaginal Thrush is treated with a course of pessaries or cream with an applicator such as Canestan. You can also treat it orally with a new treatment called DiflucanCanestan as the Diflucan can take a few days to work and the topical treatment can relieve the immediate discomfort of a vaginal thrush infection.

Oral Thrush is treated with an oral antifungal such as Daktarin Oral Gel or Nilstat Oral drops. Both are effective and assist resolving oral thrush. Oral thrush symptoms include sore throat, white plaques or angry read patches on your tongue and throat. It is common after a dose of antibiotics.

Cystitis

A bladder infection or cystitis is a common infection caused by bacteria that travel up your urethra into your bladder. They are more common in women because of the shorter urethra. Cystitis can be very painful and can become an ongoing issue for many women.

You will know when you have cystitis or a bladder infection because you will experience burning when passing urine, you will feel like passing urine more often and then only in small amounts, you many feel unwell with fever and chills. Occasionally you will find blood in the urine and it may be smelly.

Mild cases of Cystitis or bladder infections can go away without treatment. You should increase your intake of fluids, rest and take some pain relief. If you have a bladder infection you should avoid sex and using tampons.

You can get relatively fast relief from a bladder infection or cystitis by taking a urinary alkaliniser like Ural or a combination product like Cranclense that includes both a urinary alkaliniser as well as cranberry extract.Urinary alkalinisers will change the acidity in your bladder which will treat the stinging sensation when passing urine.

For those who have regular issues with cystitis or bladder infections then take a cranberry supplement like Cran Plus as it has been shown to assist with the prevention of infections.

Bladder infections or cystitis can become serious if they are not treated. If you find that your symptoms do not stop after a day, if you start to experience nausea and vomiting or diarrhoea, if you experience lower back pain or stomach pain, if you find blood in your urine or have an unusual vaginal discharge or you are pregnant then you should visit a doctor immediately.