OTC/Prescripton & Treating Drug Dependence-Chapters 15 & 18

This module hit close to home for me. After reading about Anti heartburn medications and doing some research into them, it made me more aware of what I have been going through for over 15 years. At first, it was just heartburn. That has now turned into GERD. I have switched primary physicians and my first question when I saw him this past week was about my GERD and the medications I have been on. To my surprise, he had told me that if my medication keeps the heartburn away, there would be no reason for me to have a scope done or that I should be worried about esophageal cancer. Whew! I will be staying on top of it though and keeping an eye on my symptoms.

I also learned a bit more about the misuse of antibiotics and the harm it can do. Researching it for a response to another student, I became aware of "superbugs". You are always told by a doctor that antibiotics won't work for such and such sickness. Now I have a better understanding as to why they say this. Those little "buggers" are pretty scary! This webpage is a great reference for learning a bit more about superbugs. http://floridamedicalmalpracticelaws.com/statistics-on-superbug-antibiotic-resistant-infections/

One thing I will be referring to in the future is the Herbal Options chart listed on page 446 in our text. Medications can be great for some things, but I think I may be willing to give good old natural ingredients a try in the future. My children are still on the younger side. If I can keep some medications out of their systems for a while, that would be a good thing to me.

This class has been very informational for me. I enjoyed the subject matter and the way the class was broken down. I feel that we were given ample amount of time to complete the modules. What really impressed me was the feedback from the instructor. With being an online class, you could easily feel like you are just a number and never hear anything about your performance. I appreciated getting an email or a reply to one of my posts from the instructor. I knew she was really reading what I had posted and gave me very helpful hints. I would recommend this class to anyone who may be interested in taking it.

The most difficult thing about this class, for me, was remembering to get my butt online and take a look around and read up on posts. I kept my book out on top of my laptop so every time I walked by it was a reminder that I needed to find some time to get my work done.

It is amazing at how fast the semester flew by. I look forward to graduation on May 10th and I will be able to look back on my experience here with very fond memories! Thank you for everything!!