Q:
Dear ER Doc,
In the past, I have given my teenage daughter medications that were prescribed to me. Some of these were pain pills when she had a sprain, other times, antibiotics. When is it okay to give my medications to someone else?
Marley, Witchita Kansas
A:
Dear Marley,
In a word, NEVER! This is a very dangerous practice, indeed. When you treat another person with pills prescribed to you, you can cause an allergic reaction, unexpected side effects, and possibly even worsen the condition you are trying to help.
Also, prescription drug abuse  among teenagers is a very serious problem, and what you are doing could be opening the door to that. Teenagers are much more likely to abuse prescription drugs than illegal ones, possibly because they think it is completely safe. I strongly encourage you to keep your medications out of the hands of other people, especially kids. You should also dispose of medications when you are not taking them anymore. Vist this site for more information about prescription drug abuse among teenagers .
Happy Holidays!
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I’d like to extend my best wishes to you and yours and thank you for visiting and interacting with Your ER Doc this year.
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I also want to thank some of the other medical and health blogs that have been so supportive of me as I launched the site. No doubt some of these will be familiar to many of you, however; perhaps you will discover something new at these terrific blogs:
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Scalpel Or Sword  and ER Stories – thanks for being the top two referring sites for Your Er Doc.
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Nurse K– as everyone knows – rocks the medical blogsphere house.
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The Med Blog Groupie   has shown a lot of love and it is appreciated!
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10 out of 10  and 20 out of 10  – have both been a “10†for me. Thanks guys and thanks White Coat and Shadowfax too!
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Also I want to thank Cary Byrd at eDrug Search  , Help My Hurt  and the my Emergency Medicine Blog  as well.
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And of course, perhaps the two most popular physician blogs out there – the venerable Grunt Doc and Dr. Pho – better known as Kevin MD  who have both made mention of Your ER Doc this year.
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There are a number of other great blogs on the Your ER Blog Roll too and I appreciate every one of them.
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So again – have a joyous (and safe)  holiday and we’ll look forward to seeing you back often at Your ER Doc in 2009!
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Q:
Is it too late to get the flu shot?
A: The CDC says no! The activity of flu at this time in the US is not that bad, but it’s definitely starting to ramp up. Looks like the vaccine so far is a good match with the viruses that are being isolated, although it’s pretty early to say for sure. CDC has an awesome web site with flu activity, recommendations, etc. Check it out. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/
Read more about the flu season  here.
Q:
Hi Dr Evans! I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and love it!
I could really use your opinion of something, For the past 3 months I’ve been suffering from a constant  dizziness, swaying and imbalance  paired with brain fog, neck pain, facial/jaw pain, my head feels completely full, and feels like my heartbeat is beating in my head.
I’m also tired all the time despite 9-10 hours of sleep a night, I wake up and I feel like I need to  go back to sleep. I realize these symptoms are very common and boring…  but they have all been constant for 3 months and I have no idea why! I am  not anxious or stressed – no heart palpitations or anything like that. CT  head & amp; sinus was clear, chest xray clear, bloodwork clear, cultures clear,  ears and hearing  looked fine said ent and now i’m awaiting an MRI because an  ER doc suspected M.S !Â
My ENT said its probably allergies but my sinuses  are completely clear and I have never had allergies to anything. I have  however recently noticed a good amount of black mold all over the bathroom  ceilings and corners of the walls. I whipped out the bleach and  went to town a couple days ago but symptoms are still here so I doubt that  was the problem. My family is very worried and so am I, I’m only 22 and have been healthy up until now. Does M.S. seem likely? I know  it’s  impossible to diagnose someone online but wanted your opinion.
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Thank you in advance!!
Ms. N
A:
Wow, you’ve got a lot going on. I think you should go back to your
primary physician. I also think you need your house inspected by a
professional because of the mold. As you said, it is impossible to give
you a definite diagnosis in this forum, but your primary doctor should be
your point person on this. If MS is a consideration, you should also see
a neurologist. When patients have a complex array of symptoms, it can
take time, and multiple visits to get to the bottom of it.
Good luck!
I picked up a chart recently and it was a middle aged man with a laceration on his hand. I noticed that under allergies, he had written “cocaine.”
I asked him what happens with it, and he said, “It’s the strangest thing doc. Every time I use cocaine, I break out in handcuffs.”
