A Few Reminders on How to Manage Your Medications and Stay Safe This Holiday Season

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner. This is a time for family gatherings and parties with friends—which usually means indulging in food and libations. The holidays can be a tempting time for those with chronic disease states such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, to break from dieting or counting carbs for the occasion, and holiday travel may throw off routines. Some may be unaware of how their choices of foods or drinks could possibly affect their medications. Holiday shopping can also break the bank, leaving less money for important medications. This article provides a guide for managing chronic disease states and managing to afford life-saving medications while still enjoying the holidays.

Understand How Certain Foods May Affect Your Respective Disease States

A lot of starchy foods are staple holiday dishes, which can lead to high blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. Turkey is typically the main focus for the holidays, which is great for those with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Ham, however, may also be on the menu, and can raise blood pressure.

Alcohol can raise blood pressure as well, and either raise or lower blood sugar depending on the amount or type. Alcohol also causes lactic acid levels in the blood to increase in those who take metformin for diabetes.

Here are some more facts about alcohol: it is a depressant in and of itself and can counteract the benefits of antidepressant medications while also increasing side effects such as drowsiness, and possibly impairing judgment and coordination.

The same concept applies to those with chronic pain: pain medications and muscle relaxers such as cyclobenzaprine are already sedating, so when combined with alcohol, you will feel even more drowsy. Sedation also occurs if you are taking diphenhydramine pills or liquid (over-the-counter Benadryl) to relieve your cold or flu symptoms. Furthermore, some pain medications may contain acetaminophen (APAP, or over-the-counter Tylenol), which when combined with alcohol may cause liver damage.

Even over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen and naproxen (over-the-counter Motrin IB and Aleve, respectively), and blood thinners interact with alcohol, and the combination can increase the risk of bleeding and stomach ulcers.

Have a Plan in Place

So, with all of this in mind . . . have a plan in place.

Make sure you eat as close to your usual times as possible, even if you have to eat a small snack before a late dinner. Do not skip meals to save up for the biggest one, as that can throw off blood sugar levels even further.

Offer to bring a healthy dish to a holiday gathering that everyone can enjoy, such as veggies and greens, and continue to monitor your carbohydrate intake. If you plan on indulging in dessert later, cut back on other carbs with the meal, such as bread or potatoes. If you are on mealtime insulin such as NovoLog, Humalog, or Apidra, you can also talk to your physician about adjusting the amount of units injected to account for that pecan pie. You should also test your blood sugar more frequently for tighter control.

Remember, if you do choose to have a drink or two at a holiday gathering, make sure you have a plan for an alternate ride home.

While there are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays while maintaining your health, it is best to keep these tips in mind:

• Moderation is key
• Try not to overindulge or skip meals
• If you have diabetes, continue to follow the plate method, and limit alcohol intake

If you are on antidepressant or antianxiety medications, an occasional drink is OK, but be sure to talk to your doctor about it first. Do not stop taking your medications just to have a few drinks, as this will make your depression and anxiety worse.

Although alcohol in moderation is fine in some people, you should stay away from alcohol in the following situations:

• If you are prone to alcohol abuse
• If you are taking sedating medications such as antianxiety meds, pain meds, muscle relaxers, or antihistamines like Benadryl
• If you are taking Tylenol or any pain medication containing APAP
• If you had a liver transplant or have liver disease
• If you are on a blood-thinner
• If you are taking metformin

Overindulgence Can Also Apply to Holiday Shopping

We all enjoy shopping for our loved ones, but don’t forget to include the cost of your medications in the holiday mix. Staying healthy and keeping up with your respective drug therapies is more important than buying all the latest and greatest toys and clothes for your grandchildren. To help with savings, you may find lower medication costs by using RxSaver.

As a side note, do not forget to get your flu shot, since the holiday season also overlaps with flu season. You can get the flu shot from your local pharmacist at little to no charge.