How much do you know about your medication?

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

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.

Usually, you shouldn't need to treat your average cough and cold/flu with antibiotics but if you get a secondary bacterial infection then...it's time to get antibiotics.

iPYGG

Eh...I'm studying in Singapore.

I was hoping we could get some lay people here so I know what their concerns. Apparently, I fail at understanding what lay people think and how to explain stuff to them

My courses aren't that hard but it's a pain to memorise all the drug effects, names, interactions etc etc.

Not too sure why clarithromycin causes GI irritation but I always thought it's because it's slightly acidic or it has something to do with its lactone ring structure or something.

[iPYGG]

Cool! I'm studying pharmacy in the US, though I'm questioning my career choice.

I feel like all I've done so far is memorization (and I'm a pretty bad student to boot sweatdrop )

So far haven't covered antibiotics yet but doing a bit of research, perhaps clarithromycin causes its GI problems due to the circulation which the macrolides exhibit. Not sure because like I said haven't been taught that yet.

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

iPYGG

Cool! I'm studying pharmacy in the US, though I'm questioning my career choice.

I feel like all I've done so far is memorization (and I'm a pretty bad student to boot sweatdrop )

So far haven't covered antibiotics yet but doing a bit of research, perhaps clarithromycin causes its GI problems due to the circulation which the macrolides exhibit. Not sure because like I said haven't been taught that yet.

Haha...why do you question your career choice? :p
(In my country, pharmacists are so lacking that we are almost always guaranteed a job)

It's a lot of memory work...:<

Any lay people here...

[Own x Yourself]

I tend to research medications as they're prescribed to me, being a "lay person". For instance, I hadn't known before getting it that the antibiotic I was given for Lyme Disease could cause skin irritation in direct sunlight, but once I looked that up I knew to be a bit careful outside for the two weeks I took it.

Since I was in therapy and was looking into psychiatric drugs a lot a couple years ago, I know a bit more about those than antibiotics and drugs of that nature. I did take classes on anatomy/physiology that included small segments on drugs in college, but nothing intentisve at all - I'll still try to answer your questions though.

Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics? >> If you stop early, you risk having the 'stronger' bacteria still living, and they will reproduce to create a resistant form of the bacteria (which is what happened with MRSA, correct? and resistant strains of Tuberculosis).
What drugs can you not take together? What food can you not take with certain medication? >> Most things can't be taken in conjuction with MAOIs, most anti-anxiety meds (eg, benzos) dangerous when taken with alcohol because it can depress breathing.
Do you know the name of the drug you are taking? (Not the brand name, the chemical name.) >> Not taking anything now, but every time I get one I learn the chemical name, and usually refer to it as that instead of the brand name. For instance, when I was prescribed "Ativan" I referred to it as lorazepam because that...made more sense.
Do you know certain drugs can mess with your blood tests? >> That makes sense that they would.
What do the different cough/flu/cold medication do? Why are there so many? >> I've actually been told to never take antibiotics for a cold, which makes sense as a cold is a virus. Wouldn't it just potentially cause a yeast infection? But usually symtom-relievers can be bought OTC, generally pain killers (like ibuprofen), decongestants (eg phenylephrine) and cough suppresants (such as the drug abused for "robotripping", I believe; Dextromethorphan).
Same drug but different price, why? >> Different brand/not the generic? I get generic acetaminophen as it's cheaper than Tylenol, and generic ibuprofen as it's cheaper than the...non-generic, whose name escapes me. xD
Why must I take some drugs after food? >> Well I know NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation, I would assume it's similar for other drugs.
Traditional medication? Would they affect the drugs I'm taking? >> "Traditional" as in "herbal"? I've been told that things like St John's Wort has interactions with drugs like SSRIs, but I've also heard that that's not true.
Does insulin damage my kidneys? >> I...hmm. I'd imagine too much is bad for them, since they filter the blood?

[MegaTurkey]

So how long are your courses guys? It's 6 years of med school for me! Assuming I don't have to resit anything... :S

[iPYGG]

MegaTurkey

So how long are your courses guys? It's 6 years of med school for me! Assuming I don't have to resit anything... :S

Whoa, that's a crazy long time. Is that just med school or is residency included?

It's a 6 year program for me too, straight out of high school.

@Magi,

I'm wondering if I have the work ethic to finish sweatdrop I always wanted to go into the health professions but I didn't realize how much memorization it entails. There are other ways to help me; I guess I'm just lacking the confidence in my ability to adequately counsel patients. It depends here for me. Along the east coast, there's a lot of oversaturation for pharmacists so I'm not sure where I'll end up. I also want to do some kind of international work but it's a bit harder to get reciprocity for pharmacy abroad.

[MegaTurkey]

iPYGG

MegaTurkey

So how long are your courses guys? It's 6 years of med school for me! Assuming I don't have to resit anything... :S

Whoa, that's a crazy long time. Is that just med school or is residency included?

It's a 6 year program for me too, straight out of high school.

@Magi,

I'm wondering if I have the work ethic to finish sweatdrop I always wanted to go into the health professions but I didn't realize how much memorization it entails. There are other ways to help me; I guess I'm just lacking the confidence in my ability to adequately counsel patients. It depends here for me. Along the east coast, there's a lot of oversaturation for pharmacists so I'm not sure where I'll end up. I also want to do some kind of international work but it's a bit harder to get reciprocity for pharmacy abroad.

That's just medschool, straight out of secondary school (high school) - I believe that in the US, medicine isn't offered at an undergraduate level is it?

Our residency is called our "foundation years" - that's the two years after we graduate.

You've just got to persevere I guess...I know the feeling, you show up from being the top of the class and you feel like you're the bottom of the year! Last year everyone was getting 90% or above in secondary school, now we all struggle to get 50%, no one even dreams of achieving anything above 70%! :S Just remember, you got in, so your university clearly thinks you have made the cut - there's no reason why you shouldn't graduate!

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

Own x Yourself

I tend to research medications as they're prescribed to me, being a "lay person". For instance, I hadn't known before getting it that the antibiotic I was given for Lyme Disease could cause skin irritation in direct sunlight, but once I looked that up I knew to be a bit careful outside for the two weeks I took it. It's a good habit to research on what you're taking. Most people don't do that.

Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics? >> If you stop early, you risk having the 'stronger' bacteria still living, and they will reproduce to create a resistant form of the bacteria (which is what happened with MRSA, correct? and resistant strains of Tuberculosis). Yep...that's basically it.
What drugs can you not take together? What food can you not take with certain medication? >> Most things can't be taken in conjuction with MAOIs, most anti-anxiety meds (eg, benzos) dangerous when taken with alcohol because it can depress breathing.That's what I learnt too. Unfortunately, that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Why must I take some drugs after food? >> Well I know NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation, I would assume it's similar for other drugs.There are many drugs that are safe to take without food and some that you MUST take before food. e.g. Omeprazole. :p
Traditional medication? Would they affect the drugs I'm taking? >> "Traditional" as in "herbal"? I've been told that things like St John's Wort has interactions with drugs like SSRIs, but I've also heard that that's not true. Well, yeah. Traditional medicine is mainly herbal medicine, I guess. Stuff like ginseng, ginkgo, fermented garlic and so on. Umm...I don't think St John's Wort has interactions with SSRIs. What I heard is that if you're severely depressed and you took St John's Wort, it would escalate to suicidal tendencies
Does insulin damage my kidneys? >> I...hmm. I'd imagine too much is bad for them, since they filter the blood? Actually, it doesn't. smile It's a common misconception because by the time T2DM people go on insulin, their kidneys are already damaged. At least, that's the case in Singapore. Asian patients hate self-injection. Not sure what it's like on the Western side.

(my course is a 4 year course + 12 month pre-registration period and then we work.)

Chinese saying: "When the ship reaches the harbour, the path would be straight." Everything will work out eventually. biggrin Just work hard and try your best. I'm also not confident whether I can counsel people properly because I'm usually clumsy with words. As we live, we learn, I suppose. Might as well just focus on improving what our weak points are instead of whining about the weak points.

So, interesting question: Do you know any medicines they may cause suicidal tendencies?

[Aquatic_blue]

I haven't taken any medical classes, but I'm sure I could answer more than 5 of those questions. I usually like to know about medications I buy over the counter and why certain medications say you need to do this before you take it or don't do that while you're taking it. I wish everyone knew that kind of stuff so they knew what they were taking and/or buying.

[Own x Yourself]

Magi_Axi_Ruin

Own x Yourself

I tend to research medications as they're prescribed to me, being a "lay person". For instance, I hadn't known before getting it that the antibiotic I was given for Lyme Disease could cause skin irritation in direct sunlight, but once I looked that up I knew to be a bit careful outside for the two weeks I took it. It's a good habit to research on what you're taking. Most people don't do that.

Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics? >> If you stop early, you risk having the 'stronger' bacteria still living, and they will reproduce to create a resistant form of the bacteria (which is what happened with MRSA, correct? and resistant strains of Tuberculosis). Yep...that's basically it.
What drugs can you not take together? What food can you not take with certain medication? >> Most things can't be taken in conjuction with MAOIs, most anti-anxiety meds (eg, benzos) dangerous when taken with alcohol because it can depress breathing.That's what I learnt too. Unfortunately, that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Why must I take some drugs after food? >> Well I know NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation, I would assume it's similar for other drugs.There are many drugs that are safe to take without food and some that you MUST take before food. e.g. Omeprazole. :p I know some drugs are safe to take without food, obviously, but you asked about ones that must be taken AFTER food. =/
Traditional medication? Would they affect the drugs I'm taking? >> "Traditional" as in "herbal"? I've been told that things like St John's Wort has interactions with drugs like SSRIs, but I've also heard that that's not true. Well, yeah. Traditional medicine is mainly herbal medicine, I guess. Stuff like ginseng, ginkgo, fermented garlic and so on. Umm...I don't think St John's Wort has interactions with SSRIs. What I heard is that if you're severely depressed and you took St John's Wort, it would escalate to suicidal tendencies
Does insulin damage my kidneys? >> I...hmm. I'd imagine too much is bad for them, since they filter the blood? Actually, it doesn't. smile It's a common misconception because by the time T2DM people go on insulin, their kidneys are already damaged. At least, that's the case in Singapore. Asian patients hate self-injection. Not sure what it's like on the Western side.

(my course is a 4 year course + 12 month pre-registration period and then we work.)

Chinese saying: "When the ship reaches the harbour, the path would be straight." Everything will work out eventually. biggrin Just work hard and try your best. I'm also not confident whether I can counsel people properly because I'm usually clumsy with words. As we live, we learn, I suppose. Might as well just focus on improving what our weak points are instead of whining about the weak points.

So, interesting question: Do you know any medicines they may cause suicidal tendencies?

Work hard and try my best at what? xD I'm not a pharmaceutical or a nursing program student, I'm a massage therapist with a light interest in certain psychiatric drugs.

Yes, most SSRIs carry a "black box warning", and usually the suicidal tendencies are especially common in younger people. Also things that aren't SSRIs would include a smoking-cessation med (Chantix) and a drug prescribed for gastric issues (Reglan).

[MegaTurkey]

I think she was referring to the other person on the forum - the student from the US.

Just out of interest, where do you source your info? It's not wikipedia is it? Because when you come down to specific little details such as those encountered when researching anatomy, physiology or pharmacokinetics/dynamics, you often find information that's wrong or just part of the truth. That being said, it is really good most of the time to get a grasp of the overall picture, then to follow it up with research from more reputable sources.

Own x Yourself

Magi_Axi_Ruin

Own x Yourself

I tend to research medications as they're prescribed to me, being a "lay person". For instance, I hadn't known before getting it that the antibiotic I was given for Lyme Disease could cause skin irritation in direct sunlight, but once I looked that up I knew to be a bit careful outside for the two weeks I took it. It's a good habit to research on what you're taking. Most people don't do that.

Do you know why you have to complete your entire course of antibiotics? >> If you stop early, you risk having the 'stronger' bacteria still living, and they will reproduce to create a resistant form of the bacteria (which is what happened with MRSA, correct? and resistant strains of Tuberculosis). Yep...that's basically it.
What drugs can you not take together? What food can you not take with certain medication? >> Most things can't be taken in conjuction with MAOIs, most anti-anxiety meds (eg, benzos) dangerous when taken with alcohol because it can depress breathing.That's what I learnt too. Unfortunately, that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Why must I take some drugs after food? >> Well I know NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation, I would assume it's similar for other drugs.There are many drugs that are safe to take without food and some that you MUST take before food. e.g. Omeprazole. :p I know some drugs are safe to take without food, obviously, but you asked about ones that must be taken AFTER food. =/
Traditional medication? Would they affect the drugs I'm taking? >> "Traditional" as in "herbal"? I've been told that things like St John's Wort has interactions with drugs like SSRIs, but I've also heard that that's not true. Well, yeah. Traditional medicine is mainly herbal medicine, I guess. Stuff like ginseng, ginkgo, fermented garlic and so on. Umm...I don't think St John's Wort has interactions with SSRIs. What I heard is that if you're severely depressed and you took St John's Wort, it would escalate to suicidal tendencies
Does insulin damage my kidneys? >> I...hmm. I'd imagine too much is bad for them, since they filter the blood? Actually, it doesn't. smile It's a common misconception because by the time T2DM people go on insulin, their kidneys are already damaged. At least, that's the case in Singapore. Asian patients hate self-injection. Not sure what it's like on the Western side.

(my course is a 4 year course + 12 month pre-registration period and then we work.)

Chinese saying: "When the ship reaches the harbour, the path would be straight." Everything will work out eventually. biggrin Just work hard and try your best. I'm also not confident whether I can counsel people properly because I'm usually clumsy with words. As we live, we learn, I suppose. Might as well just focus on improving what our weak points are instead of whining about the weak points.

So, interesting question: Do you know any medicines they may cause suicidal tendencies?

Work hard and try my best at what? xD I'm not a pharmaceutical or a nursing program student, I'm a massage therapist with a light interest in certain psychiatric drugs.

Yes, most SSRIs carry a "black box warning", and usually the suicidal tendencies are especially common in younger people. Also things that aren't SSRIs would include a smoking-cessation med (Chantix) and a drug prescribed for gastric issues (Reglan).

[Own x Yourself]

MegaTurkey

I think she was referring to the other person on the forum - the student from the US.

Just out of interest, where do you source your info? It's not wikipedia is it? Because when you come down to specific little details such as those encountered when researching anatomy, physiology or pharmacokinetics/dynamics, you often find information that's wrong or just part of the truth. That being said, it is really good most of the time to get a grasp of the overall picture, then to follow it up with research from more reputable sources.

Ah, makes sense.

Yes, I know that wikipedia is always touted as a bad source of information, and honestly I don't really use it frequently/seek it out above other sources. I generally use this place. If it's a drug I'm actually taking (or a friend/sibling is), then I use multiple sources, especially for looking up potential side effects.

And exactly as you said, Wikipedia (and other similar sites) are good for getting an idea of what you're looking at, followed up by research on other more reputable places. So what exactly was your point? I'm not a doctor and I rarely take medication, and for lay people our most up-to-date resources are almost inevitably going to be online (just like for most medstudents using PubMed as well, actually).

EDIT: My 'source' for some of my info of general drug interactions/uses and anatomy/physiology, though, come from school.

[MegaTurkey]

Own x Yourself

Ah, makes sense.

Yes, I know that wikipedia is always touted as a bad source of information, and honestly I don't really use it frequently/seek it out above other sources. I generally use this place. If it's a drug I'm actually taking (or a friend/sibling is), then I use multiple sources, especially for looking up potential side effects.

And exactly as you said, Wikipedia (and other similar sites) are good for getting an idea of what you're looking at, followed up by research on other more reputable places. So what exactly was your point? I'm not a doctor and I rarely take medication, and for lay people our most up-to-date resources are almost inevitably going to be online (just like for most medstudents using PubMed as well, actually).

EDIT: My 'source' for some of my info of general drug interactions/uses and anatomy/physiology, though, come from school.

I was curious to see where you were sourcing your information from. I just wanted to build up a picture of where people tend to look for answers. It's a good thing that, with the internet, patients are more informed and on the whole, much more proactive in managing their treatment. But I'm sure you can appreciate the challenges the medical profession sometimes faces with this - the opportunity for misinformation and bias to cloud a patient's decision, possibly to the extent of having a detrimental impact on their health.

An example of this is, to a certain degree, your misconception of the mechanisms behind the adverse effects of drugs on the GI tract. "Stomach irritation" is a very vague term. It can be caused by so many different things and manifest with so many different symptoms. NSAIDS inhibit prostaglandin production though COX1 interference. Whereas erythromycin is a motilin agonist. They both cause GI disturbances, but they do this by two entirely different mechanisms - and hence have some different defining symptoms. It's like saying a chair and a leopard are the same simply because they both have four legs.

I assumed that wikipedia (or any alternative website similar in principle) is most people's primary source of information on the internet. It would be a lie if I said I haven't used it myself, even when trying to get some work done!

Oh, we don't use "pubmed" so much over here - the UK (and quite a few other countries') physicians tend to refer to the "British National Formulary" (BNF) as their primary go to guide in clinical practice, which isn't freely available on the internet. And when it comes to academic research, we are encouraged to use "medline" rather than "pubmed" which is apparently a more tightly regulated search engine within pubmed.

"2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid" or "(RS)-2-(4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl)propanoic acid" is the IUPAC chemical name of the common analgesic drug whose generic name is: "ibuprofen." It'll be the generic names of drugs you'll be recognising, not their chemical ones, unless of course you're involved in drug design and synthesis.

[Magi_Axi_Ruin]

MegaTurkey

I usually use BNF or MIMS for drug interactions and such. But other times, I'll make use of my lecture notes.

Eh...seems like my questions are a bit no-brainer...Shall think of something for people to discuss...

[Nilla]

I don't take medication. Nothing for flu or cold. Now that I think about it, I didn't even catch a cold this year. Not that I miss it. If I do take anything, it's an occasional aspirin and that's it and even that's a rare thing. Unless I got a major headache.