Drugs are chemicals, each one composed of molecules. For the most part, molecules composing drugs are not the kinds that occur naturally in the body. They intrude into the body’s community of molecules and have a chemical influence on the way the body functions. According to medical records, many drugs influence the brain. They alter the thoughts, the sensations, the feelings, and the behavior. And this brings us to a serious consideration. Since some drugs can influence the user’s mental activities, a person trusts part of his very personality to a drug, and many drugs sold over the counter are more powerful than we realize.
Drugstores handle two kinds of medicines: "over-the-counter drugs" and prescription drugs. The former are supposedly harmless preparations available to anyone. The latter, more profound in their effects, are dispensed only on a doctor’s prescription.
Medical experts have put together a set each of do’s and don’ts in the safe use of drugs:
Do:
1) Find out as much as you can about a drug before you take it. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for the trade and generic names of the drug, and for clear information, in writing if possible, about its composition, mode of administration, dose schedule, intended effects, and possible adverse/side effects and interactions.
2) Make sure the label on the prescription bottle (or box) is clear and legible.
3) Inform your doctor of all the prescription and over-the-counter drugs you are taking. Before surgery, make sure the surgeon and anaesthetist (or the dentist if you are having oral surgery) are aware of the medications you are taking.
4) Keep a written record of your drug allergies and adverse drug reactions (keep similar records for each member of the family). Let your doctor know about these and any other allergies you or a family member may have.
5) Take medicines exactly as directed:
– take the exact amount prescribed (to measure liquid medicines accurately, use a standard graduated spoon or glass, available at your pharmacy);
– follow the prescribed dosage schedule; if you can’t, consult your doctor;
– if you are taking several medicines, devise a system to help you to remember when to take them;
– follow any dietary instructions your doctor gives you when prescribing;
– unless a drug causes an adverse reaction, take it as prescribed; if it does cause a bad reaction, stop taking it and consult your doctor immediately.
Don’t:
1) Mix drugs and alcohol unless your doctor tells you that it’s all right to do so.
2) Take drugs you don’t really need. Try to avoid over-the-counter medicines when you are on a prescription drug.
3) Take any drugs when pregnant or nursing a child. Let your doctor know if you are trying to become pregnant, and when you do become pregnant inform him right away of all the medications you have been taking. If you must take medications during pregnancy, keep a written record of them; include names, doses, dates taken and reasons for taking them.
4) Take a drug prescribed for someone else.
5) Give someone else a drug prescribed for you.
6) Resume taking a prescribed drug after a period of disuse.
7) Hoard medicines. Always check expiry dates on medicine labels and discard outdated or leftover medicines, preferably by flushing them down the toilet.
8) Keep different medicines in closely resembling packages. If necessary, ask the pharmacist to give you a more distinctive container for one of them.
9) Transfer medicines from one container to another unless the second container is clearly and accurately labeled.
10) Store different medicines in the same container.
11) Take a drug from an unlabeled container or without first reading the label.
12) Take medicines in the dark.
13) Keep medicine bottles on your bedside table, unless you are bedridden or may need quick access to a drug (such as nitroglycerine tablets) at night.
14) Store drugs in the bathroom cabinet. Keep them in a safety cabinet, away from bright lights and sources of heat and humidity.
15) Keep medicines where children can see or reach them.
Doctors say that the body has marvelous ways of regulating its own activities. It can adjust to new circumstances, responding to stress and emergencies. It has built-in safeguards. Even pain, unpleasant as it is, is a danger signal the body uses to call attention to something wrong.
Often the reason for resorting to drugs is impatience with the body’s system of safeguards and warning signals, as physicians suggest. People want to do what they want to do even though it taxes them beyond their body’s ability to perform. So they tamper with the body’s controls and balances by taking a drug to force the issue: A sleeping pill will put you to sleep; a pain pill will stifle pain; a tranquilizer will produce a "so-what" attitude; and a pep pill or a drink of coffee will stimulate the mind. But you pay a price for the results – too high a price!
Before deciding on taking any drug, refer to these do’s and don’ts. They will protect you from any possible misuse.