How much do you know about your medication?

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

I'm kinda bored from studying so I thought I'll just post something here for all of you here to think about. (Sorry if my english is bad)

How much do you understand about your medication?

Stuff like:
Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics?
What drugs can you not take together? What food can you not take with certain medication?
Do you know the name of the drug you are taking? (Not the brand name, the chemical name.)
Do you know certain drugs can mess with your blood tests?
What do the different cough/flu/cold medication do? Why are there so many?
Same drug but different price, why?
Why must I take some drugs after food?
Traditional medication? Would they affect the drugs I'm taking?
Does insulin damage my kidneys?
Etc etc etc etc....

When we get sick, we sometimes take medication to make us feel better. But I think it's better if we understood what we're taking so we don't panic if well...something happens.

Eg. Hypothetical situation. Patient is taking Rifampicin and his pee turns red. If no one told you, you might panic but it's actually normal.
Eg. Getting insane stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea after taking clarithromycin...it's because the patient forgot to take it with food.

Something like that...So discuss your thoughts or what you know or don't know about your medication. I would like to hear your concerns. Maybe it can help me when I have to counsel patients or something. I'm just an idiot student. Don't know if this is the right place to post this. ^_^"

[MegaTurkey]

I know the answers to most of those questions. What course are you on?

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

MegaTurkey

I know the answers to most of those questions. What course are you on?

Eh...I'm majoring in Pharmacy. ^_^"

Since you know some answers, why don't you share? biggrin

It would be good to share some of your thoughts. Because the pharmacy system in different countries are different so maybe we might give different sort of advice?

[MegaTurkey]

Ok, well considering I have a particular interest in Influenza Type A pandemics of the 20th Century...

Quote:

What do the different cough/flu/cold medication do? Why are there so many?

Ideally, you could obtain the wondrous anti-viral "Tamiflu" on prescription - a neuraminidase inhibitor, which stops the cleaving of terminal sialic acid residues by progeny virions.

As well as this, you'd use various over-the-counter analgesics such as paracetamol, possibly coupled with a decongestant, such as phenylephrine (already mixed in there with certain cold and flu brands.)

A quick question: would the caffeine be included just to perk the patient up? Or is there another specific pharmacological reason for its addition to many cold and flu drugs?

And I'd guess there are so many options for over the counter analgesia simply because we're living in a capitalist world... smile

[Arthemis_Pink]

I think I can answer one or some of your questions since i had nursing pharmacology as a subject in college two years ago

[Arthemis_Pink]

Magi_Axi_Ruin

Stuff like:
Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics?

I forgot the specific explanation for this one, but This is what I understood regarding this question's answer.

You have to complete the entire course of Antibiotics unless you want the bacteria that caused you to be sick to become antibiotic-resistant.

It's also to ensure the effectiveness of the drug. Let's say you took clariththromycin for your sore throat. The doctor prescribes it fora week. On the third day, you don't feel the symptoms of sore throat. So do you stop taking the meds? No. You continue, because you want to make sure that the bacteria present in your body is killed.

If you DID stop, it's like the antibiotic you took just slapped, punched or kicked the bacteria. The bacteria will "know" the drug that slapped, punched or kicked it. The next time you take that drug, it won't be effective anymore since the bacteria is resistant to it, thereby requiring you to take a higher generation of antibiotic

[Arthemis_Pink]

You can't drink milk after taking iron supplements biggrin

I try to know the generic names of the drug. Branded drugs are more expensive than the generic ones, so in case I don't have enough cash to afford branded ones, i opt for the generic.

Cough/cold/flu meds. . .some of them are broad spectrum antibiotics. While there are others that are Robert specific as to which type of bacteria they'll kill.

Same drug but different price. I think it's because of the brand.

Some drugs can upset the stomach thats why you need to take food first.

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

MegaTurkey

Ok, well considering I have a particular interest in Influenza Type A pandemics of the 20th Century...

Ideally, you could obtain the wondrous anti-viral "Tamiflu" on prescription - a neuraminidase inhibitor, which stops the cleaving of terminal sialic acid residues by progeny virions.

As well as this, you'd use various over-the-counter analgesics such as paracetamol, possibly coupled with a decongestant, such as phenylephrine (already mixed in there with certain cold and flu brands.)

A quick question: would the caffeine be included just to perk the patient up? Or is there another specific pharmacological reason for its addition to many cold and flu drugs?

And I'd guess there are so many options for over the counter analgesia simply because we're living in a capitalist world... smile

Yeah, ideally anti-viral is used. But they are pretty expensive and I think they are only used if the flu/cold etc is serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. (At least that's how it is in my country)

I think caffeine is included to perk the patient up because usually the illness makes the patient feel like crap.

Ah, here, we only have a one option for over the counter analgesic. There's only paracetamol/acetominophen. I still remember the American customers asking ask why we put Ibuprofen behind the counter. "Does it make you high or something?" was one of the questions asked.

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

Arthemis_Pink

Magi_Axi_Ruin

Stuff like:
Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics?

I forgot the specific explanation for this one, but This is what I understood regarding this question's answer.

You have to complete the entire course of Antibiotics unless you want the bacteria that caused you to be sick to become antibiotic-resistant.

It's also to ensure the effectiveness of the drug. Let's say you took clariththromycin for your sore throat. The doctor prescribes it fora week. On the third day, you don't feel the symptoms of sore throat. So do you stop taking the meds? No. You continue, because you want to make sure that the bacteria present in your body is killed.

If you DID stop, it's like the antibiotic you took just slapped, punched or kicked the bacteria. The bacteria will "know" the drug that slapped, punched or kicked it. The next time you take that drug, it won't be effective anymore since the bacteria is resistant to it, thereby requiring you to take a higher generation of antibiotic

^_^" That's a rather interesting way to explain it.

[MegaTurkey]

Cough/cold/flu meds shouldn't be antibiotics... and if you're talking pneumonia, you don't necessarily treat with broad spectrum antibiotics. :/


And the stomach upset caused by NSAIDS (such as aspirin or ibuprofen) are due to the inhibition of COX-1 (cyclo-oxygenase) - thereby inhibiting prostaglandin production, leading to the irritation of gastric mucosa.

[MegaTurkey]

Yeah, Tamiflu's damn good stuff, you don't get your hands on that unless you really need it! Most of it's stockpiled anyway during a pandemic situation, for obvious reasons.

[Arthemis_Pink]

MegaTurkey

Cough/cold/flu meds shouldn't be antibiotics... and if you're talking pneumonia, you don't necessarily treat with broad spectrum antibiotics. :/


And the stomach upset caused by NSAIDS (such as aspirin or ibuprofen) are due to the inhibition of COX-1 (cyclo-oxygenase) - thereby inhibiting prostaglandin production, leading to the irritation of gastric mucosa.

Oops. Sorry. I was referring to the cough meds.

[Arthemis_Pink]

MegaTurkey

and if you're talking pneumonia, you don't necessarily treat with broad spectrum antibiotics. :/

.

My bad. Sorry sweatdrop

[MegaTurkey]

Oh that's fine. Hey, it's pretty sweet finding you two from the healthcare professions on here. smile
I'm a medstudent from the UK. How are you guys finding your courses?


Also, anyone know the mechanism by which clarithromycin causes its various GI problems?
I understand its mechanism of action through the disruption of 50s bacterial ribosomes and hence protein synthesis, but I'm not quite sure on how it interacts with the GI tract...

[iPYGG]

Magi_Axi_Ruin

MegaTurkey

I know the answers to most of those questions. What course are you on?

Eh...I'm majoring in Pharmacy. ^_^"

Since you know some answers, why don't you share? biggrin

It would be good to share some of your thoughts. Because the pharmacy system in different countries are different so maybe we might give different sort of advice?

Where do you study (what country)?