. The instructions and doctor’s orders of drugs purchased at ordinary times are very clear, but people often make medication mistakes, ranging from affecting the treatment effect to life-threatening. Dr. Michael negret, President of the California pharmaceutical foundation, identified the “top 10 medication misunderstandings”, which is worthy of attention.
1. Taking over-the-counter drugs without looking at the label
many people think that over-the-counter drugs will not hurt the body. In fact, this is a very serious misunderstanding. Countless people have serious health problems due to excessive use of over-the-counter drugs (such as painkillers), excessive use of laxatives or antacids, different drug reactions, etc. Carefully read the drug instructions before taking medicine.
2. People who have a bad stomach and always take sedatives
a large-scale survey found that people who take prescription benzodiazepines (diazepam, alprazolam and triazolam) to help sleep have a 50% higher rate of heartburn at night than the general population. Other studies have found that these prescription anti anxiety drugs can lead to relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, gastroesophageal reflux and heartburn.
3. Diarrhea with fever take antidiarrheal drugs first
when diarrhea with fever, do not abuse antidiarrheal drugs. These symptoms indicate an infection in the body and should be treated as soon as possible.
4. No cardiovascular risk. Take aspirin
. Not everyone is suitable to take aspirin every day, because the drug may cause gastric bleeding. Doctors only recommend it to people at high risk of heart disease and stroke.
5. Sudden withdrawal of anti anxiety drugs
if you take anti anxiety drugs for a long time, you can’t stop the drugs suddenly. It is best to discuss with the doctor how to gradually reduce the drug dose until it is stopped. Otherwise, it is easy to cause severe complications such as fainting.
6. One antibiotic solves all problems
many antibiotics have specific infections that they specialize in. The wrong antibiotics are not only ineffective, but also produce drug resistance. Antibiotics should be used up for a course of treatment.
7. Abuse of antipsychotics
a study published in the Journal of clinical psychiatry found that most patients taking antipsychotics did not have serious mental diseases such as schizophrenia, but only mild depression and anxiety. The latter can actually be treated with safer and cheaper drugs.
8. Fasting calcium supplement
calcium is easy to form calcium carbonate. The stomach needs a lot of hydrochloric acid to decompose calcium carbonate. Therefore, it is not suitable to supplement calcium on an empty stomach. It is best to take calcium after meals or snacks.
9. Eczema drugs stopped without authorization
a study found that about 65% of parents stopped after 3 days of eczema drugs for their children. If you want a complete cure, you’d better take medicine according to the course of treatment.
10. Self diagnosis of fungal infection
many women have vulvar pruritus, think it is a fungal infection and use their own drugs. The result did not stop itching, but made vaginitis more difficult to treat. A survey found that only 1 / 3 of women who felt that they had fungal vaginitis judged correctly. Therefore, to make a correct diagnosis, you need to see a doctor first.