 Daily digest It seems there's a pill for everything these days, writes Niall Hunt , but are they always necessary? |
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Clinical Positive results from a small 90-subject vaccine trial have suggested that an experimental immunisation against norovirus could provide protection against the winter vomiting bug. |
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Aminosalicylates such as mesalazine, sulphasalazine, olsalazine and balsalazide are commonly used. They are available as tablets, enemas or suppositories. Topical therapy is preferably used for distal disease. Foam preparation and suppositories are useful where patients have difficulty retaining liquid enemas |
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Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome include pain, constipation or diarrhoea. Osmotic laxatives such as macrogols are the preferred option for constipation, while loperamide may relieve diarrhoea. ... |
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Dyspepsia (also known as indigestion) is very common, and is the term used to describe a collection of symptoms including heartburn, burping and bloating. It may be due to an underlying condition,... |
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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition that increases in prevalence with age. The enlarged prostate compresses the urethra and produces bladder outflow obstruction and lower urinary... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: Dyspepsia The H2 antagonists (ranitidine, famotidine, nizatidine, cimetidine) are used to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers, and to prevent the symptoms of... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: Ulcerative colitis Drugs in this class include balsalazide, mesalazine, olsalazine and sulfasalazine. They are available as tablets, enemas or suppositories.... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: Dyspepsia Proton pump inhibitors (lansoprazole, omeprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole) are used short-term to treat duodenal and gastric... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: COPD The mucolytics carbocisteine, erdosteine and mecysteine may be used by patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a chronic... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: Lipid regulation Bile acid sequestrant (colesevelam, colestipol, cholestyramine) are used to regulate cholesterol levels. Dosage regimen * Bile acid... |
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Drugs in this class are used for: Irritable bowel syndrome Drugs in this class include alverine, mebeverine, peppermint oil and the antimuscarinics - dicycloverine, hyoscine and propantheline.... |
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Antacids and alginates should be taken after eating. However, they should not be taken immediately prior to lying down because there is a risk of disrupting the alginate layer. Antacid-alginates can... |
 Diverticula are common and mostly asymptomatic but can develop into more serious conditions causing pain, rectal bleeding, hospitalisation and death. |
 Practical Approach A customer asks to see the pharmacist in private and says that he believes he has an anal fissure. How could you confirm his self-diagnosis and what treatment could you offer? |
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Constipation is distressing and easily treatable, but many patients suffer in silence, too embarrassed to seek advice; around 5 to 30 per cent of the population are constipated at any one time, though only a fraction ask for help. |
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Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a condition that pharmacists cannot afford to underestimate. While it’s easily dismissed as common and treatable, its prevalence is staggering. |
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A training evening is organised on the pharmacist’s role in dyspepsia treatment. How can you help people with symptoms and could you spot the ‘alarm signals’ that require urgent referral to a doctor? |
 Kathy Oxtoby explores this £100m market ranging from indigestion to irritable bowel syndrome |
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Although IBD can occur at any age, the number of young people with inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract has risen substantially since the start of the 1990s. |
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The loss of 300,000 shoppers in the last year is one reason the upper GI market (indigestion and stomach upset) is continuing its year-on-year marginal decline, according to figures provided for C+D by data analyst Kantar Worldpanel. |
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Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder, though its cause is unknown. Up to one in five people in the UK develop IBS at some stage in their life, with women,... |
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Mr Romanes has seen an increase in sales since his pharmacies began a minor ailments scheme (MAS), part of the Scottish pharmacy contract. He says the mix of products available means pharmacists can... |
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The top line trend in the overall GI market at the moment is that sales are broadly down across the subcategories, as financial issues are getting more embedded and markets are slowing down. A... |
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Boost your share of the lower GI market by linking sales to growing service opportunities, suggests Chris Chapman You could think the lower gastrointestinal (GI) market is going down the pan... |
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1. “For those who need help with constipation, a dietary top-up with good quality fibre supplement is highly recommended. Ideally, look for a brand registered with the Vegan Society, one... |