Eczema

We had our second baby in March, a daughter, so it's been awhile since I've managed to find time to write a new post.

Thought I'd restart by doing something short and sharp on eczema. Eczema is a type of chronic dermatitis that usually affects people with a family history of eczema, asthma and/or hayfever. The main signs include dry, red and itchy skin and it can vary in severity from mild redness or itching to weeping and infected blisters.

Eczema  is very common, especially in babies, but 50% of babies grow out of it by the time they are two years old, and 85% by the time they are five.

The main rules for looking after eczema are:

1. Moisturise

Keeping skin nice and moist helps to decrease itching and dryness. Moisturisers should be applied liberally at least twice a day, including after bathing. There are literally hundreds of different moisturisers available, but perfumed products should be avoided. Our pharmacists at Berwick Pharmacy can assist you in choosing the right one.

2. Avoid soap

Soap can be very drying on the skin so it is better to use specially formulated soap substitutes, available from Berwick Pharmacy. Try not to have the water too hot in the shower or bath as this can increase dryness and itchiness.

3. Medications if needed

The most common medication used to treat eczema are corticosteroid creams. These vary in potency, with some available from Berwick Pharmacy over-the-counter whilst others require a prescription from your doctor. Chat to our pharmacists to discuss your options.

Other medications such as oral antihistamines, other skin preparations or even immunosuppressants may also be useful. Speak to your pharmacist or doctor about these.

If the skin becomes infected (look for crusts which are often yellow and weeping of the area), see your doctor as your may need a course of antibiotics.

4. Avoid triggers

If you are able to identify triggers that make your eczema worse, it makes sense to avoid these. Some triggers include stress, cat and/or dog hair, overheating (either from showers or baths, ducted heating or electric blankets) or chemicals (wear gloves if handling chemicals or detergents). It's often better to wear cotton clothing and to try and limit clothes with synthetic fabrics or wool which can be scratchy against the skin.

5. Try to avoid scratching

This can be super difficult, but it may be useful to try and relieve itching by using cool compresses or covering the skin. Ensure you keep your nails short and you may even need to wear cotton gloves while you are sleeping.

So if you or someone in your family has eczema, pop into Berwick Pharmacy to speak to our pharmacists and pick up your free Self Care Card.

References and further reading

Eczema and Dermatitis Self Care Card, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, published February 2011

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) Fact Sheet, Better Health Channel, published June 2012 (accessed online 4 July 2012)
Knowing Your Child's Eczema, Royal Children's Hospital website
Eczema Association of Australasia Inc website

Generic medicines - are they really the same?

When you go to your Terry White Chemists Berwick or your local pharmacy to get a prescription dispensed, you may be asked whether you would prefer the generic medicine. You may be someone who says yes. You may be part of the community who prefers to stick to the brand prescribed by your doctor. Or you may be in the group that doesn't really understand what generics are all about so say no, just to be safe.

Hopefully, this post will clear up some of the confusion.

Active ingredients VS brand names

Medicines are marketed under two different names - the brand name and the active ingredient name. The active ingredient name is the chemical compound that actually makes it work. For example, paracetamol is an active ingredient name, but Panadol is a brand name. In Australia (and generally around the world), the active ingredient is always known by the same name. So you could be in a pharmacy in England and ask for paracetamol and still get the same thing (although for some reason, paracetamol is known as acetaminophen in the USA!).

There may be, however, many different brand names for the same active ingredient, just like there are many different brands of milk in the supermarket fridge. Companies use different brands as part of their marketing strategy and to try and make it easier for you to remember their product. Each brand will be produced by a different company, but if you look at the packaging, they will all tell you the active ingredient and the dose or amount inside the medication.

So why are there so many different brands?

Basically, medications are invented and developed by pharmaceutical companies. They spend many years on research and development and invest literally millions of dollars to invent each new medication. Then they have to put the medicine through a stringent clinical trials process, which means giving the medicine to volunteer patients. This is not only to show that their medicine works, but also to make sure it is safe.

Pharmaceutical companies are granted a patent on new medications. This patent means that for a number of years, no other company is allowed to manufacture and sell that medication with that particular active ingredient. During this time, only the one original brand is available and this allows the pharmaceutical company to recoup back some of the money spent inventing, researching and developing the medication. This encourages pharmaceutical companies to continue to try and invent new medications.

Once the patent expires, however, other companies can develop their own version of the medication, called generics. These generic brands will have the same active ingredient as the original brand, but will be marketed under a different brand name with different packaging.

So what's the difference?

You can feel confident that if the pharmacist offers you a generic brand of medication, it will have the exact same active ingredient in the exact same dose as the original brand. So for most people, the only difference will be that you can save a few dollars at the cash register (this differs from medication to medication, but often the original brands will have a slight additional cost to them). Since the active ingredient is the same, it will work the same way in your body as the original.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't use a generic medication?
If you have any allergies or intolerances, it's important to ask your pharmacist about the inactive ingredients inside your medication. These may be things like preservatives or gluten which can differ from brand to brand, despite the active ingredient being the same.

Some people also like to stick to the same brand to avoid confusion. You don't want to accidentally take two different brands of the same medication because you didn't realise they were the same. If you do decide to use generic medications, your pharmacist can help make sure you understand about the active ingredients and also ensure that you stick to the same generic brand to make things easier.

Your doctor may also prefer that you stick to the one brand and you can ask them to discuss this with you.

Finally...
So you should rest assured that when our pharmacists at Terry White Chemists Berwick offer you a generic brand medication, it will have the same ingredient, in the same dose, and will work the same way as your original medication. Get to know your medications and the active ingredients and you may just be able to save a little money on the way. And make sure you ask your pharmacists if you have any questions related to your medicines - it's what we are there for.

References and further reading

• NPS website