MisterPharmacist

MisterPharmacist Your Toronto Pharmacist. Helping you make friends with your medicines!

09/10/2026

Seborrheic dermatitis around the nose really said: “Let me make the most visible part of your face flaky and red.”

Rude.

Here’s why it happens:

Seborrheic dermatitis commonly shows up in oilier areas of the skin and the sides of the nose are prime real estate.

One of the main contributors is a yeast called Malassezia, which naturally lives on the skin. The issue is that some people’s skin reacts to it with inflammation.

That’s when you get the fun little combo of:

redness
flaking
itching
irritation
greasy scale
and the classic “why does my nose look angry?” situation

So from a pharmacist perspective, this is why I use an antifungal cream around the nose.

The antifungal helps target the yeast component that can contribute to the flare.

And yes, sometimes that means using a vaginal antifungal cream because antifungals can have multiple uses and never waste a good cream.

Then I use hydrocortisone 1% short-term if the redness and irritation are really acting up.

That’s the “calm down, ma’am” cream.

Not a forever face cream.
Not an everyday skincare step.
Just short-term help for inflammation when needed.

And then I cover it with a high-quality tinted moisturizer because while we’re treating the flare, we still may need to cover up the crime scene.

The goal is simple:

treat the yeast
calm the inflammation
protect the skin barrier
and make the nose look like it did not just start a fight

Avoid getting products near your eyes, don’t use steroid creams long-term on your face, and if it keeps coming back, spreading, burning, or getting worse, talk to your pharmacist or doctor.

Save this for the next time your nose decides to exfoliate without consent.

09/08/2026

Stop following internet advice- get a real healthcare professional you can trust!

09/06/2026

Sometimes I need to step away too.

Away from the counter, the calls, and the constant “quick question” that is never actually quick.

Give me open water, fresh air, and a little speed on an Ontario lake, and I feel like myself again.

This is my reset before summer slips away.

Off duty. Still MisterPharmacist.

09/06/2026

Sometimes the best prescription is a little speed, fresh air, and an Ontario lake.

No phones. No pharmacy counter. No “quick question” that turns into 20 minutes.

Just water, horsepower, and one last taste of summer.

Off duty. Still MisterPharmacist.

09/04/2026

This inhaler trick makes perfect sense… until you realize it doesn’t actually work.

For years, people have been told to drop their inhaler canister into water.

If it sinks, there’s medication left.

If it floats, it’s empty.

Easy enough.

Except your inhaler wasn’t designed to be a pool toy.

Different inhalers use different canisters, propellants, weights, and designs. That means how high or low a canister floats does NOT reliably tell you how many usable doses remain.

And some manufacturers specifically tell you not to put the canister in water.

So how ARE you supposed to know when your inhaler is running out?

First, check for a dose counter.

If your inhaler has one, use it. That little number is much more useful than anything a glass of water is going to tell you.

No dose counter?

Check how many doses your inhaler contains when new.

Then keep track of your puffs.

If your inhaler contains 200 doses and you take 4 puffs every day, you have roughly 50 days of medication.

For rescue inhalers, it gets trickier because you may use 2 puffs today and none for the next week.

That’s why I recommend keeping track of your use and having a replacement available before you think you’re completely out.

And here’s something many people don’t realize:

Don’t judge your inhaler by whether it still sprays.

Something coming out of the mouthpiece does NOT necessarily mean you’re still receiving the expected medication dose.

So yes, I dropped a bunch of inhaler canisters into water.

But I did it to make one point:

Your asthma medication is too important to measure by whether it sinks or swims.

Use the dose counter. Track your doses. And if you’re not sure, bring the inhaler to your pharmacist.

Follow Alex Mihaila, R.Ph., MBA | Medication Safety Pharmacist for medication advice that makes sense outside the pharmacy too.

Like kids in a candy store i guess:)
09/01/2026

Like kids in a candy store i guess:)

04/25/2026

Unpopular opinion: just because it’s sold online doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Over 350,000 supplements just got recalled.
Not because the ingredients were bad…
But because the packaging could literally put a child at risk of serious injury or dð.

Let that sink in.

These weren’t random, sketchy products.
They were prenatal vitamins. Bariatric supplements. Even a “kids” coffee alternative.
Sold in real stores. Sold online.

And still… something as basic as safe packaging was missed.

Here’s the problem no one wants to say out loud:
You’re being asked to trust products you’ve never seen, from brands you don’t actually know, sourced from places you can’t verify.

And when it comes to supplements?
That’s a risk.

Because supplements aren’t just “wellness.”
They’re potent.
They affect your body.
And in some cases—like iron—too much can be disastrous .

So before you click “add to cart” because of a cute brand, good marketing, or a viral recommendation… ask:

→ Do I know where this comes from?
→ Do I trust how this is made?
→ Would I feel safe giving this to my family?

Because convenience should never come before safety.

Save this as your reminder: not everything sold online deserves your trust.

04/21/2026

Most people think minoxidil was created for hair loss.

It wasn’t.

It was originally used to treat severe high blood pressure…
until patients started growing hair as a side effect.

And not just a little—enough that researchers couldn’t ignore it.

So they didn’t.

They turned the side effect into the product.

Now it’s one of the most widely used treatments for hair loss.

This is one of my favorite reminders that in medicine,
what you don’t expect can end up changing everything.

What’s another drug you’ve always wondered about? 👇

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