Web Content
Summary
The small sampling below represents my extensive experience writing short form content for online resources such as ehow.com, travel.com, and more. Because of the age of some of these articles (all written under my former last name, McClinton), some are hard to find or the links are no longer available.
How Long Does Lexapro Stay in Your System?
Lexapro (escitalopram) is a medication used to treat various forms of anxiety and depression-related disorders. It is available by prescription only and has a generic equivalent. It has a relatively long half-life compared to other drugs in its class.
Half-life
The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the peak level of the medication available in the bloodstream to be reduced to half its original strength. The level continues to decrease by half until it is no longer detectable in the blood as long as no additional doses are taken. Lexapro's Half-life Lexapro's half-life is 27 to 32 hours. If you took a single dose of 20 mg, within 27 to 32 hours that original dose would be halved to 10 mg, then 27 to 32 hours later to 5 mg, and so on until it is out of your bloodstream.
Time Frame
Based on Lexapro's half-life, it would take roughly 4.5 to 5 days for Lexapro to be at undetectable levels in your bloodstream.
Considerations
Withdrawal from Lexapro can lead to increased side effects thought to be related to its half-life. As the level of Lexapro decreases, the brain and central nervous system try to compensate, resulting in increased side effects.
Warning
Lexapro has an FDA black-box warning for suicidal behavior among adolescents. While this type of side effect can occur at any time during treatment, it is more likely to occur with increases or decreases in the dose or if the dose is stopped abruptly.
Link: https://healthfully.com/long-lexapro-stay-system-5669242.html
What causes tiny hemorrhages of blood vessels in the skin?
Capillaritis, also referred to as pigmented purpura, is a common skin condition in which tiny blood vessels just underneath the skin burst or hemorrhage, causing the appearance of tiny red dots on the skin's surface. The broken blood vessels may sometimes have a speckled appearance or be grouped together. It typically takes a few days to weeks for them to dissipate.
Causes
Sometimes a reaction to food or certain medications can cause an outbreak of capillaritis. Use of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, has been linked to the development of the condition. Excessive exercise has been known to cause capillaritis as well. The only symptoms are the appearance of red dots and sometimes itching associated with them. In many individual cases, the cause is not known.
Schamberg Disease
According to dermnetnz.com, Schamberg's disease, a skin disease that affects pigment, is the most common cause of capillaritis. It is characterized by brownish-red patches, flush against the skin, with more of a speckled appearance. These patches may appear on any part of the body, though more commonly on the legs.
Exercise-induced Capillaritis
As mentioned, exercise may cause capillaritis. The capillaritis develops mainly in the ankles or lower legs after exercise that is strenuous or of long duration. Golfers may develop this condition, as can basketball players or long-distance runners, and instances increase in 3 frequency during warm weather. The spots fade to brown within a few days until they disappear.
Prevention/Solution
Unfortunately, there are no cures for capillaritis. The best course of action is to try to identify what the cause of your capillaritis is and go from there. For example, dermatologychannel.net advises that if outbreaks seem to correlate with a medication, food or particular method of exercise, avoid those triggers.
Temporary Relief
You may get some minor relief from any itching by using topical treatments. For lower leg capillaritis, compression stockings may help lessen the severity. Laser surgery is not believed to have any effect on capillaritis.
Link: https://www.ehow.co.uk/about_5707923_causes-hemorrhages-blood-vessels-skin_.html
What Type of Surgeon Does Gallbladder Surgery?
The surgery to remove a gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy and is largely done laparoscopically. A laparoscopic surgery is less invasive because it involves making only three small incisions in the abdomen.
Common Surgery
Cholecystectomies are the most common surgery performed in the United States and are performed by a general surgeon.
Misconceptions
Because the gallbladder is considered an organ of the digestive tract, most people assume removal is under the charge of a gastroenterologist, a digestive specialist, however this is not the case.
Gastroenterologist
The role of the gastroenterologist is to conduct clinical assessments and perform various tests to diagnosis gallbladder disease.
Diagnosis Confirmation
Once the disease is confirmed, the patient gets referred to a general surgeon for removal.
General Surgeons
General surgeons are specially trained for these types of surgery and know what to do if a complication arises. They are able to convert a laparoscopic surgery to an open surgery if there are complications.
Link: https://healthfully.com/type-surgeon-gallbladder-surgery-5661284.html