Irritable bowel syndrome is another gastrointestinal disorder. Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a problem that affects mainly the bowel, which is also called the large intestine. The bowel is the part of the digestive system that makes and stores stool. The word syndrome means a group of symptoms. IBS is a syndrome because it can cause several symptoms. For example, IBS causes cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Two medications that are used to treat irritable bowel syndrome are: 1.) laxatives and 2.) antispasmodics. Oral laxatives are medicines taken by mouth to encourage bowel movements to relieve constipation, which is a common symptom of IBS. Side effects include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, cramping, gas, and increased thirst. A contraindication of any laxative is dehydration. Advice to the patient and the patient's family would include education about proper diet, rest and exercise. If symptoms persist more than 10 days, a doctor should be consulted. Laxatives should not be taken while operating machinery or driving a car.

Prostatitis is a gastrourinary disorder that affects the prostate. The term prostatitis is applied to a series of disorders, ranging from acute bacterial infection to chronic pain syndromes, in which the prostate gland is inflamed. Patients present with a variety of symptoms, including urinary obstruction, fever, myalgias, decreased libido or impotence, painful ejaculation and low-back and perineal pain. Acute bacterial prostatitis is treated with antibiotics such as flouroquinolones and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The side effects of these two types of prostate medication are similar. They include: diarrhea, dizziness, headache, nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting. Sometimes surgery is required if the prostate is damaged or badly infected. Contraindications of flouruquinolones are they are not recommended for children under 12. Contraindications for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole include patients with liver or kidney disease and chronic alcoholics. Patient and patient's family should be advised of the seriousness of the condition. All medication should be completed regardless if the condition gets better.

Acute epididymitis is another gastrourinary disorder. Acute epididymitis is an inflammatory process generally caused by either sexually transmitted organisms or gram-negative bacteria. Typical symptoms include swelling, pain, fever, and scrotal hyperemia. At times, these occur concomitantly with acute cystitis, acute urethritis, or acute prostatitis episodes. Complications from epididymitis include chronic pain, infertility, epididymo-orchitis, abscess formation, and rarely, testicular infarction. The etiology of acute epididymitis is often a sexually transmitted pathogen in sexually active males due to gonorrhea or chlamydia and other organisms that cause urethritis or cystitis. Two medications that are used to treat acute epididymitis. Epididymitis is generally treated with 4 to 6 weeks of oral antibiotics. Hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics may be needed for severe infections. Two medications used to treat acute epididymitis are: Ceftriaxone and Doxycycline. The side effects for Ceftriaxone are upset stomach, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Hypersensitivity is a contraindication for Ceftriaxone. The side effects for Doxycycline are difficulty breathing, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, headache, blurred vision, confusion, loss of apetite and clay colored stools. Contraindications include hepatic disfunction and hypersensitivy. Advice for patients with acute epididymitis is bedrest. It is important that the patient gets sufficient...

A pillow can be placed between the legs to ease any pain and all sexual activity should subside for at least 4-6 weeks. All medication should be taken regardless if the condition gets better. If condition worsens, a doctor should be consulted. This condition does not go away quickly. Symptoms can last up to 12 weeks and can be reoccurring.
There are alternative treatments for GU and GI disorders. Some of the herbal treatments include Ginkgo Balboa, Ginseng, Huperzine A, and Ma Huang. Eating a proper diet that includes various fruits and vegetables is also recommended for the prevention of GU and GI disorders. Avoid diets that are high in fats, calories, grease, and other unhealthy substances.

Part #4

You are asked by a friend to look into obtaining medications for them? You are aware that your friend need crucial medication for their heart problem. You are also aware that they do not take their medication as ordered due to lack of money, transportation etc. What advice would you give them? How might you help them obtain the necessary resources? In general what would you tell them about taking medication.

In this case, I would explain the seriousness of my friend's heart condition and the importance of taking the proper, prescribed medications. I would first tell my friend that he/she should consult a doctor. The doctor will diagnose the heart problem and prescribe the needed medicine. Once he/she had the medicine, then I would discuss the importance of the medicine to the heart. Without the medicine, he/she would probably be in a lot of pain and could possible die. The heart medicine has to be a top priority in his/her life regardless of his/her socioeconomic conditions.

I would explain to my friend that there are governmental programs that could help him/her obtain the needed medication. One of these programs is www.needymeds.com.This site is not an actual organization that offers assistance with the medication payments, it offers a list of organization that can help those who need assistance with paying for medications based on their particular situation. It list several organizations that are available to help my friend get the medication that he/she needs for his/her heart. Another really good site for medication assistance is www.rxassist.org.Patient assistance programs are run by pharmaceutical companies to provide free medications to people who cannot afford to buy their medicine. RxAssist offers a comprehensive database of these patient assistance programs, as well as practical tools, news, and articles so that health care professionals and patients can find the information they need. All in one place. Through these two sites, my friend may be able to find assistance that delivers the medication to him/her through the mail. If he/she does not have a car, there may be a mail order service for medications available on one of these two sites. All in all, I can always offer to go and pick my friend up and drive him/her to the pharmacy to get the medication when needed. I would make sure that my friend had the medication that he/she needed, even if I had to drive him/her to pick it up.

Lastly, I would stress the importance of taking the medication as prescribed. It is very important that he/she follows the directions on the medication label and follows all of the orders given to him/her by the doctor.

As a friend, I can play a huge roll in this situation. I would not want to lose my friend to a heart problem, so I would do whatever steps necessary to assure that my friend has the medication he/she needs and takes it as prescribed.