Save Money! Shop Local!

We are in the midst of the busiest shopping season of year and Echo Pharmacy has a tip to help you save money and help your community at the same time! It's simple! Just shop local!

There is a misconception that larger chain stores always have lower prices than the smaller locally owned stores and that the chains generate more local revenue. However, study after study has shown this is not the case!

Big chains say that building their stores will generate local jobs and bring additional revenue into the community. The reality is that chains will often clone existing buildings which means there will be no need for the local planning such as architects and engineers. Also, the materials are ordered in bulk from their suppliers rather than through local suppliers. In contrast, a local business will hire architects, accountants, engineers, sign makers, contractors and so many more local businesses which will keep the money right in the community.  Does the chain bring more sales revenue to your community? Not according to an extensive study conducted at Iowa State University. It concluded that sales simply shift dollars away from existing local merchants.

How about choice and selection of products? Once again, local businesses are more likely to purchase inventory from local retailers which keeps the local economy strong. The small business owner is more in tune with the wants and needs of the people in it's community and will be able to stock their stores appropriately. Big chains have few buyers tasked with buying merchandise for all of their stores. The selection will not be made with the specific community in mind. For example, think of the big department stores in Florida that stock wool sweaters starting in October, but no shorts. This does not fill the local need! 

Buy from a local business and their profit will go right back into your community. With the big chains, the profits are exported to the corporate headquarters and away from your community. Over the past twenty year, sales of the largest 500 corporations grew 700% while they became disemployers meaning that they fire more people than they hire. Our economy pushes forward because of the employment provided by small businesses.

Get to know your local shop owners this season. You may be surprised by the selection you find in their stores as well as the competitive prices. At Echo Pharmacy, prescriptions are often less expensive than at the big chains. Plus, we get to know you and offer personalized care. We are active in the community and work hard to make this area a great place to live and work. Come on in. We'd love to meet you!

Are You at Risk for Diabetes?

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and a great opportunity to discuss the risk factors of the disease.  Diabetes affects 26 million Americans with an estimated 79 million American adults aged 20 years or older having prediabetes, which puts them at high risk for developing the disease. With these numbers, you can see the importance of knowing the risk factors!

Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90 -95% of all diagnosed cases. The risk factors include:

• Family history of type 2 diabetes
• Being overweight
• Aged 45 or older
• Being physically active less than 3X/week
• Having given birth to a baby that weighed over 9 pounds
• Had gestational diabetes

So now that you know the risk factors, what can you do about it? With type 2 diabetes being associated with obesity, physical activity and a healthy diet are important. The Center for Disease Control has created the National Diabetes Prevention Program which is an evidence based lifestyle change program for preventing type 2 diabetes. Participating in the program can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half!

The pharmacists and staff at Echo Pharmacy are here to help and provide support. We have a Certified Diabetes Educator on staff who can provide comprehensive individual assistance with glucometers, strips, lancets, insulin, syringes, medications, diet and exercise. Come in and see us or give us a call at 631-642-8175 to learn how we can help!

Common Questions to Ask the Pharmacist

When your child is sick, you probably have a list of questions for the doctor to help you provide the best care. Do you also have a list of questions for the pharmacist? 

Pharmacists can provide a wealth of information to help you care for your child. Be sure to inform the pharmacist of any pertinent information such as allergies and current medications. This will help the pharmacist protect against possible interactions.  Common questions for the pharmacist are:

• Does the medication need to be refrigerated?

• Should the medication be given with food?

• Can the pills be cut in half or crushed and mixed into foods?

• Will herbal remedies or over the counter medicines affect the prescription?

• Are there any special precautions to be taken such as avoiding sunlight?

• What should I do if a dose is skipped?

• Is there a best time of day to give the medicine?

• Are there any foods to be avoided while taking the medicine?

• What are the possible side effects and what can be done to relieve them?

• When should I contact the doctor if I do not see improvement?

The pharmacists at Echo Pharmacy are always happy to answer questions and provide support. Our staff receives continuing education to ensure we are always up to date with drug therapy.  At our hometown pharmacy, our staff is always available and will treat you with respect and privacy. Come down and get to know us!

Our Certified Diabetes Educator is Here to Help!

Echo Pharmacy is not your typical pharmacy. We are proud to offer a hometown feel and do all that we can to support our patients. To that end, we have a Certified Diabetes Educator on staff to help manage your diabetes most effectively.

A certified diabetes educator has extensive knowledge and experience in diabetes management, pre-diabetes, and diabetes prevention. By having a certified diabetes educator on staff, Echo Pharmacy provides education and support to those affected by diabetes and helps the patient manage their condition. 

Our certified diabetes educator can help devise individualized behavioral and treatment goals. Exercise routines and nutrition plans can be discussed. Choices can be made about which blood glucose meters to utilize and the patient can be educated on the best way to test. 

Echo Pharmacy's certified diabetes educator is on hand to answer all questions. Patients will find the support they need to feel confident in the choices they make. 

If you have any questions about diabetes, diabetes management, or our certified diabetes educator, please call us at 631-642-8175.

What Items Belong In a First Aid Kit?

Summer is a time for relaxation, family fun, and oh yeah, cuts, bruises, burns and more. The downside of many fun summer activities is the increased likelihood of hurts and boo boos. Being prepared to care for minor injuries at home or on the run can remove some of the worry and stress from both patient and caregiver.

Echo Pharmacy has compiled a list of items to keep in a home first aid kit, as suggested by the Red Cross. Kits should be prepared for the home, car, and outings. Various cases can be utilized depending upon the use of the kit. For example, if preparing a kit to take boating, a waterproof case would be recommended. The kit should contain personal items such as prescription medications, allergy alerts, and emergency contact numbers. Check the kit regularly and replace any past expiration date items.

The kit should include: 

• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
• 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets
• 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
• 1 blanket (space blanket)
• 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
• Scissors
• 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
• 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
• 2 triangular bandages
• Tweezers
• First aid instruction booklet

All first aid kit items can be found at Echo Pharmacy. Our knowledgeable staff will be happy to help you choose the items appropriate for your personal kit!

Stop the Itch with Proucts from Echo Pharmacy!

It must be gardening time. The community may be beautified, but it's come at the expense of those who live in it. Not only has there been an increase in suffering from allergies, but poison ivy, sumac, and oak has spread as well.

With a long season of outdoor fun and work ahead, we thought it would be helpful to share some information from WebMD regarding the irritating plants you may encounter.

• Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are plants containing the oil urushiol. Contact with this oil can cause an allergic reaction resulting in a skin rash. 

• Indirect contact with the oil, such as clothing, pet fur, sporting gear, gardening tools, etc that have come in contact with the oil,  can also cause the reaction.

• The usual symptoms of the rash are itchy skin, red streaks or general redness where the plant touched the skin; small bumps or hives; blisters filled with fluid which may leak.

• Surprisingly, the rash is NOT contagious because once it appears the urushiol will have been absorbed or washed off. The rash can take from 5 hours to 15 days to appear after having contact with the plant.

• Most rashes can be treated at home by washing the area with water immediately after contact with the plant. Wet compresses and cool baths can help to relieve the symptoms along with antihistamines and calamine lotion. Prescription corticosteroid pills, creams, ointments, or shots may be needed for moderate to severe cases.

Your best best is to prevent the rash in the first place! Learn how to identify the plants and steer clear. If you can not avoid being near the plants, wear long pants, long sleeves, vinyl gloves, and use barrier creams or lotions.

Echo Pharmacy is your hometown compounding pharmacy and we are here to help you! If you have questions regarding allergy or rash medications, please ask. The staff at Echo Pharmacy are knowledgeable and compassionate and want to help relieve your suffering!

Are You Feeling the Pressure? Be Sure to Monitor Your Blood Pressure!

Did you know that one of three adults in America have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension? With such a large percentage of the population affected by hypertension, it is important to know some basic information. In honor of National Blood Pressure Awareness Education Month, Echo Pharmacy would like to share some facts with you.

Blood pressure is a term most people have heard before, but what exactly is it? Blood pressure is the force of blood on the walls of your blood vessels as your blood flows through them. Blood pressure has two numbers, systolic and diastolic. Systolic pressure is the force on the blood vessel walls when the heart beats and pumps blood out of the heart. Diastolic pressure is the force that occurs when the heart relaxes in between beats.

Why is it important to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis? One scary fact about high blood pressure is that it can damage your body for years before symptoms develop! High blood pressure can damage the arteries, heart, brain, and kidneys. The good news is that high blood pressure can be controlled with treatment and life style changes.

Monitoring your blood pressure, having the correct medications prescribed, and taking the medication correctly are important steps in staying healthy. The pharmacists at Echo Pharmacy will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the medications, cost of medications, side effects, and dosage. Blood pressure monitors and accessories are also available.

The Benefits of Compounding Medications for People with Autism

Autism presents a multitude of challenges for those who have been diagnosed as well as those who care for them. One challenge of particular concern is the ability to administer medication when needed. People with autism are often sensitive to certain textures, colors, and tastes. In addition, many follow strict dietary guidelines.

Echo Pharmacy has solutions which have proven to ease the administration of medication to people with autism. Unlike most pharmacy's, Echo Pharmacy has the ability to compound medications to the specific need of the patient. Medications can be made into topical creams which are absorbed into the skin and then absorbed into the bloodstream. This is an ideal solution for a person who can not swallow a pill or refuses to do so. To address the dietary concerns, Echo Pharmacy can make the medications sugar free, dye free, preservative free, and gluten free. Flavoring may also be used to tailor the medication to the patient's taste. 

At Echo Pharmacy, we work closely with doctors and the patient's family to ensure therapeutic effects are reached.  In some instances, we can combine medications to enhance compliance.  We always work to provide solutions to meet individual needs.

Daily life is filled with enough challenges. Let us help make one part of the day easier! Come into Echo Pharmacy and speak with one of our pharmacist's to learn more about compounding medications for a person with autism.

What Is a Compounding Pharmacy?

Before the mass production of medications as we know it today, compounding medicine was a daily activity in pharmacies.

Pharmaceutical compounding has ancient roots. Hunter-gatherer societies had some knowledge of the medicinal properties of animals, plants, fungus and bacteria as well as inorganic materials in their environment.

Ancient civilizations used compounding for religion, grooming, keeping the healthy well and treating the ill. These ancient compounders produced the first oils from plants and animals. They discovered poisons and their antidotes. They made ointments for the wounded as well as perfumes for customers.

Pharmacists continued to compound most prescriptions until the early 1950ʼs, when most of the dispensed drugs came directly from large pharmaceutical companies. The science and practice of compounding gradually disappeared. Most pharmacists were no longer trained to compound medications. However, the specialized needs of patients could not be addressed by mass-produced medications.

Here at Echo Pharmacy we believe that pharmacy compounding is an art. A compounding pharmacist takes the base ingredients of a medication, usually in a powder form, and mixes it to make a medications at the appropriate dose and strength for the patient. The compounder, then, has the ability- for animals or humans- to turn that compound into a cream, liquid, lotion, injection, suppository, lollipop, troche, lozenge or pill in any flavor under the sun!

Compounding medications is experiencing a resurgence of popularity. Itʼs applications are endless! At Echo Pharmacy, we continue to step back in time. We are very excited to be able to serve the unique needs of people. We continue to dedicate ourselves to practice the old- fashioned philosophy of maintaining personal relationships with our customers by listening, caring and helping!