Understanding your medicines

Hello dear readers, it is my belief that you have all made use of medicines at some point in your different lives. Along with this belief is the knowledge that you've perhaps come across words like OTC, POM, side effects, contraindications, adverse effects etc.

Allow me guide you through the maze of medicinal lexicon to the light that is a basic understanding of medicines.

ALL DRUGS ARE POISONS, BUT SOME DRUGS ARE MORE POISONOUS THAN OTHERS

This is not a statement designed to induce fear but an illustration of the dose-poison relationship that is possible with all drug use. Without any cognizance of or adherence to prescribed doses, the chances of having mild-severe toxic results to even the commonest drugs are increased. Some drugs need to be taken in the strictest quantities as very small doses are enough to cause significant reactions.

DRUG INDICATIONS: This is what a drug is used for or prescribed for. This is the medical condition or disease for which this drug was designed and/or found to be suitable for. 

CONTRAINDICATIONS: These are physiological/medical conditions under which this drug should not be used even if the indication(s) for the drug is (are) present in that individual. For e.g. some analgesics (pain killers) should not be used by patients with active stomach ulceration or a history of ulceration. Therefore an ulcer is the contraindication to that drug’s indication-pain, and an alternative medicine will be used.

WHAT ARE SIDE EFFECTS: These are other effects a drug may produce separate from the expected effect or drug indication. A side effect may be quite welcome to some and rather unwelcome to some. For example, drowsiness as a side effect of an analgesic for an accident victim in the ward would be a welcome relief to the patient and an unwelcome effect in a factory worker who has returned to work after a minor accident. However some side effects such as itching, nausea and vomiting are generally unpleasant in all circumstances. Anyone who finds them appealing may say so J.

QUESTIONS PATIENTS SHOULD ASK: It is inane to ask your pharmacist if a drug has side effects. The answer is YES. What you should ask is: what side effects should you look out for? The answer to this question doesn't necessarily require a textbook listing of all possible side effects but a mention of any effects that can alarm you especially if unprecedented or any effects that require some kind of caution/change in your daily activities e.g. driving and operating heavy machinery while taking drugs with sedative side effects. (Imagine if a bulldozer driver falls asleep at the wheel and you are parked just across the road from him J. 

However side-effects are not always a given. Not everyone will experience all/any of the side effects of a drug.

-What is the name of this medicine: This is another question to ask. This information is important for reference purposes if seeing another prescriber and you have lost/thrown away your old medicine packaging and especially when complaining about side effects you might have experienced. Better still, always go to the hospital with your last medicines in tow to help your prescriber pick what's best for you now and help your pharmacist to monitor your compliance.

ADVERSE EFFECTS: These are noxious and unintended effects that a drug may produce at normal pharmacological (i.e prescribed) doses. This term does not refer to effects that a drug may produce if abused. These effects range from mild/common effects like nausea to rare/severe effects like Steven Johnson’s syndrome. Allergies 

ALL ADVERSE EFFECTS ARE SIDE EFFECTS BUT NOT ALL SIDE EFFECTS ARE ADVERSE EFFECTS.

O.T.Cs: Over The Counter medicines. These refer to all drugs that can be sold without prescriptions. This list does not include antibiotics.

P.O.Ms: Prescription Only Medicines. These are drugs that should be sold/dispensed only when u present prescriber-issued prescription or in some cases under advisement by your pharmacist. Examples include anti-hypertensives, antidiabetics, antibiotics etc.

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