Q. Why do prescription drugs cost so much?

A. Prescription drugs have many costs attached to producing them. For instance the research and development sometimes takes years before any money is made and the drug may not even make it to the public. The manufacturer also has many sales people going to doctors to explain and promote the new drugs. Sometimes the raw materials used in making the drugs are very costly. Allthis adds up to make some medications costly.

Q. Someone told me vitamins are a waste - that most of them are excreted. Is this true?

A. The body will take and use vitamins that it does not have enough of. If you eat right all the time you should be getting all the vitamins you need, but who eats right anymore?? However if your body has abnormalities that make you lose vitamins, you have a deficiency and vitamins are needed. The vitamins the body does not need are either excreted (these are the water soluble vitamins) or stored in the fatty tissues of the body (fat soluble vitamins. Too much of that fat soluble vitamins may also be a problem due to the fact they remain in the system. These are vitamins A,D, AND E.

Q. I was cleaning out a drawer and came across some old pain pills from when I had a tooth pulled. There is an expiration date on the bottle, but does that really mean anything? AND if the drug was ok for me to take before, could I use it again now if I had the need? What about other drugs?

A. All drugs have an expiration date on them because of the stability of the drug. Some drugs lose their potency over time and do not work as well. Other drugs break down into components that could possibly make you sick. So as a general rule dispose of expired drugs at the expiration date in a proper manner so that no one else will get them as well. If you have leftover medications for example pain medications, that are still in date it is ok to use them. Medications that should not be taken at a later date would be antibiotics (for infections) these should have been finished the first time. It would be best to call the pharmacist in these instances anyhow.

Q. I take a number of prescription medicines everyday. Can I take all of my pills at the same time? What about vitamins? I heard Calcium dilutes some medications. Is that true?

A. Some medications should not be taken together. If you are on many medications it would be best to call your Pharmacist to set up a time schedule for the medications to be taken at certain times. Vitamins, calcium and iron can interfere with medications and should be taken at least one hour before or one hour after other medications. This also goes for antacids, which blocks absorption of medications.