The statistical analysis results of [2013 National Safe Drug Use Month and Drug Safety Network Knowledge Competition] published by China Food and Drug Administration show that, Ninety percent of the Chinese people lack understanding of how to use drugs safely and rationally. The problems with an error rate of more than 50% in the competition are concentrated in the following eight aspects, covering the following aspects: drug safety for infants, drug use during pregnancy, drug taboos and adverse reactions, drug storage and usage, etc.
51.07% of netizens lacked understanding of the careful use of antibiotics such as chloramphenicol in newborns.
Chloramphenicol is mainly inactivated by liver metabolism. As newborns, Especially in premature infants, Poor excretion capacity, Excessive doses can cause drugs to accumulate in the body, Cause fatal toxic reaction-[grey baby syndrome]: within the first 24 hours, it is manifested as vomiting, refusal to eat milk, irregular and accelerated breathing, abdominal swelling, purple lips, and after 24 hours, the muscles of the child are weak, the skin turns gray, and the body temperature decreases. Therefore, more caution should be exercised when administering drugs to the newborn.
50.32% of netizens did not know whether pregnant mothers could use antibiotics.
Careful medication during pregnancy is very correct, However, it cannot be generalized. Arbitrary abuse of antibiotics or resolute use of antibiotics may endanger the safety of pregnant mothers and fetuses. The correct approach is to choose safe antibiotics for pregnancy under the guidance of doctors. Penicillins and cephalosporins are relatively safe for fetuses and can be used according to doctor’s advice, but allergic reactions must still be paid close attention. Stay away from antibiotics that can cause harm to pregnant mothers and their fetuses, such as streptomycin, which can cause fetal hearing loss and deafness, tetracycline, which can cause fetal malformation, and prohibit the use of these types of antibiotics during pregnancy.
58.88% of netizens did not understand that alcohol would have a great impact on taking drugs.
Not all medicines require prohibition of alcohol, However, the following drugs must be forbidden when taking: All cephalosporins, Bupropion, valium sleeping pills for treating depression or quitting smoking, tretinoin for treating acne, duloxetine for treating depression, metronidazole for antibacterial drugs, etc. On the wine table, don’t advise people who have taken cephalosporins, metronidazole and other drugs to drink. Alcohol will produce disulfiram reaction with these antibiotics, causing dizziness and nausea in mild cases, shock and even death in severe cases! Sleeping pills (diazepam) are also drugs that are forbidden to be taken together with alcoholic beverages. Taking them together can easily aggravate drowsiness and lethargy, and may seriously cause respiratory depression and even death.
51.31% of netizens think it is safe and effective to take metformin to lose weight.
Metformin is a hypoglycemic drug, Lowering blood sugar does have the effect of losing weight at the same time. However, Weight loss drugs are aimed at patients with pathological obesity. Normal people should not use drugs to control their weight just for the sake of being thin. Normal people taking metformin in excess may lead to lactic acidosis, mild cases may suffer from fatigue, nausea, dizziness and other symptoms, and severe cases may suffer from consciousness disorder and deep coma. Because it may cause serious side effects, metformin is a prescription drug and should be used according to the doctor’s advice to avoid causing additional harm to the body.
50.43% of netizens did not know when to take the medicine.
Taking medicine before going to bed refers to taking it 15-30 minutes before going to bed. Such as sleeping pills, After taking effect for 30 minutes, it can promote people to sleep quickly. It is important to pay attention to taking medicine before going to bed and doing some activities after taking it. And then stay in bed, If you stay in bed immediately after taking the medicine, Drugs may stay in the esophagus, Causing esophageal ulcer. And 50.27% of netizens do not know the meaning of [taking], mistakenly think that [taking] is to take medicine at every meal. If taking medicine according to this understanding of [taking], it is easy to cause overdose. In fact, [taking] refers to taking the dosage of a day once. In addition, taking medicine on an empty stomach refers to taking it in the morning or 1 hour before meals or 2 hours after meals. Pre-meal clothing refers to 30 minutes before meal. Taking after meals refers to taking it 30 minutes after meals. Generally, drugs that stimulate gastrointestinal tract are recommended to be taken after meals. Because taking it on an empty stomach will aggravate the irritation to gastrointestinal tract, For example, ibuprofen can reduce the irritation to gastrointestinal tract after meals. Some drugs can quickly enter intestinal tract when taken on an empty stomach. Maintain a high concentration, The effect of the drug is well exerted, For example, some astringent antidiarrheal drugs (such as montmorillonite powder), drugs to protect gastric mucosa (such as sucralfate), These drugs can be taken 30 minutes before meals. The absorption of iron has a clear circadian rhythm, so it is more useful to take it at 7 p.m. than at 7 a.m. The body’s blood calcium level is the lowest between midnight and early morning, so taking calcium tablets after dinner can fully absorb and utilize calcium.
50.39% of netizens think that the validity period of nitroglycerin will not change after it is opened.
For angina pectoris attack life-saving nitroglycerin, because it is easy to deliquesce, once opened, the validity period is no longer 1 year or 2 years, but only 3-6 months, more than the time need to buy standby. There are also eye drops, eye drops to sterile requirements are high, 30 days is not used up the best to abandon.
50.94% of netizens think that taking milk does not affect the drug effect.
Some drugs (such as ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, etc.) should not be taken with milk or dairy products. Otherwise, it will combine with calcium ions in milk or dairy products, affecting drug absorption. In addition, there are many drugs that can act with tannins in tea to produce insoluble precipitates, which make the drugs unable to play a role. Therefore, it is not appropriate to take tea when taking the medicine. Therefore, to be on the safe side, taking the medicine with warm boiled water is the best choice.
50.83% of netizens did not know that over-the-counter drugs were also divided into two categories: A and B
OTC drugs are divided into Class a and Class B according to their safety. The [OTC] logo on the packaging box of Class a OTC drugs has a red background color and can only be retail in social pharmacies and hospital pharmacies with < < Drug Business License > > and equipped with licensed pharmacists or pharmaceutical professionals above pharmacists. The background color of the [OTC] logo on the packaging box of Class B OTC drugs is green. In addition to social pharmacies and hospital pharmacies, it can also be retailed in approved ordinary commercial enterprises and hotels. Therefore, Class B OTC drugs are safer, and it is recommended to use Class B OTC drugs in daily self-medication.
Author: Ji Lianmei
This article is taken from the book “Ji Lianmei Talk: Chinese Should Use Drugs This Way”, which is reprinted by the author’s authorized clove garden.