Smartados Pharmacy

03/09/2025

👉The prevalence of kidney disease is increasing at an alarming rate and research us needed to ascertain the reasons.

👉Kidney diseases increase the chances of having heart diseases, heart attacks and strokes. Kidney failure would lead to a frequent dialysis (filtering of the blood) several times a week and sometimes, a kidney transplant.

👉To keep the kidney healthy,
- keep blood pressure below 140/90mmHg
- stay on the target cholesterol level
- consume less salt
- consume more fruits and vegetables
- stay active
- take medications only as directed

👉The risk for kidney diseases increases if you have diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, family history of kidney diseases, kidney infection and physical injury.

👉To prevent kidney diseases,
- Get tested regularly. You may test your blood or your urine. The presence of protein in your urine may show the start of kidney disease. Consult your healthcare provider for periodic tests.
- Find it early, treat it early. Early detection saves lives.
- Lose weight if you are obese or overweight
- Get active
- Quit smoking
- Take medications as directed. Consult your medical doctor or pharmacist before taking any medication, including herbal remedies.
- Consultant a dietitian for kidney-healthy eating plan if you have a kidney disease.

30/08/2025

Smartados Pharmacy and De-zaki Pharmacy organized a free medical screening for diabetes and hypertension at Afigh Okpo Abasi Town Hall, Idung Ani UsoEkong, Eket on August 29, 2025.

A total of 69 participants were screened, out of which 44 were females.

The average age of the participants (in years) was 47±16, while the average weight was 59.7±10.9.

The fasting blood glucose levels (in mmol/L) ranged from 2.6 to 19.1, averaging 6.8±2.2, the systolic blood pressure (in mmHg) averaged 132±25 (with a range of 89 to 209) while the mean diastolic blood pressure (in mmHg) was 73±14 (range = 40 to 127).

We defined normal blood pressure as systolic blood pressure

27/08/2025

👉Another name for vitamin C is Ascorbic Acid.

👉Vitamin C drops contains 100mg of vitamin C in 1ml of the drops. Vitamin C syrup contains 100mg of citamin C in 5mls of the syrup. Vitamin C tablet contains 100mg of vitamin C in 1 tablet.

👉What it means is that you will get the same effect from 1ml of vitamin C drops, 5mls of vitamin C syrup and 1 tablet of vitamin C tablets.

👉If your 6 month old child is prescribed 0.4ml of vitamin C drops once daily, that means the child is getting 40mg of vitamin C per day. That is equivalent to 2mls of vitamin C syrup and 0.4 tablets of vitamin C tablets.

👉It's difficult to get 0.4 tablets out of 1 tablet of vitamin C but very easy to get 2mls from vitamin C syrup. Hence, your child can take either 0.4mls of the drops once a day or 2mls of the syrup once a day.

👉Remember, your pharmacist is there to guide you always.

26/08/2025

Multiple factors can cause blood sugar levels to shoot up even when you are on medications, and many of these factors have nothing to do with food:

👉Dehydration - Dehydration leads to more concentrated blood which apparently increases your blood sugar levels though the total amount of sugar in the blood remains the same. High sugar concentration in the blood leads to increased urination and more dehydration. Hence, adequate water intake is required to obtain accurate blood sugar results. Rehydrate your body to dilute the sugar in your blood if you are dehydrated.

👉Dawn Phenomenon - Usually occurs between 4 a.m and 8 a.m. The body produces cortisol and growth hormones early in the morning which causes the liver to produce more sugar, providing the energy required to wake up. The spike in the blood sugar triggers the body to produce insulin to control the glucose, but in people with diabetes, insulin deficiency means the blood sugar levels will be high upon waking up. This is called dawn phenomenon.

👉Somogyi Effect - Also known as rebound hyperglycemia, this occurs when low blood sugar levels at night cause the body to produce much glucose in the morning to compensate. This usually affect people with diabetes who are on insulin. The dawn phenomenon can also cause Somogyi Effect.

👉Medications - Corticosteroids such as prednisolone and dexamethasone can contribute to a spike in blood sugar levels by either forcing the liver to produce more sugar or by decreasing insulin sensitivity. Speak to your healthcare professional if you are on long term corticosteroids. Do not take steroids unless prescribed.

👉Poor Adherence to Medications - Not taking enough of your diabetes medications or skipping doses or not taking as prescribed might cause the blood sugar levels to spike.

👉Stress - Stress caused by illnesses, anxiety or poor sleep can trigger the body to release cortisol, leading to increased blood sugar levels.

👉Bad Colds - severe cold or flu can trigger release of stress hormones such as cortisol which in turn increases blood sugar levels.

👉Hormonal Imbalance - low estrogen levels during menopause can cause insulin resistance, leading to high blood sugar levels.

👉Ineffective Oral Medications- some factors could make your oral medicines to stop working, including lifestyle changes and degeneration of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Consult your healthcare professional for counseling or change of medication or a switch to insulin.

25/08/2025

Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) test measures blood sugar levels after an overnight fast (at least 8 hours). It is a quick check of the current blood sugar level and is useful for diagnosing diabetes. The normal range is 70-100mg/dL. Values ranging from 100-125mg/dL indicate prediabetes, while readings of 126mg/dL and above indicate diabetes.

HBA1c checks long-term blood sugar control (about 3 months) and helps guage the effectiveness of diabetes management plan over time. The normal range is between 4-5.6%. Results between 5.7-6.4% show prediabetes, while values of 6.5% and above indicate diabetes.

It is possible to have a normal FBS result and an abnormal HBA1c result at the same time. Since FBS is a snapshot of the current sugar level, HBA1c would reveal blood sugar control over a period of time.

Patients who discontinue their diabetes medications may have normal FBS values after recommencing treatment following a rise in FBS. Poor glycaemic control in such patients would be made evident by abnormal HBA1c levels.

Therefore, adherence to diabetes medication is very essential to ensure good glycaemic control. Diabetes medications are lifelong necessities once prescribed by qualified and licensed health professionals. Poor control leads to complications of diabetes.

Hence, HBA1c is used to assess the possibility of long-term diabetes complications.

24/08/2025

21/08/2025

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) global report on hypertension (2024), 54% of adults with hypertension are diagnosed, 42% receive treatment, and a mere 21% have their hypertension controlled!

According to the International Diabetes Federal (IDF) Diabetes Atlas (2025), 1 in 9 of adult population (20-79years) is living with diabetes, with over 4 in 10 unaware that they have the condition.

In Nigeria, many people live with undetected dangerously high levels of blood pressure and blood sugar, driving fatalities from the two chronic diseases.

This is further aggravated by the challenges of access to medications caused by currency devaluation and the common myths surrounding drug treatments of chronic diseases.

Medications for hypertension and diabetes are typically lifelong necessities once prescribed and are relatively safe and effective in the management of the diseases.

Smartados Pharmacy in collaboration with De-Zaki Pharmacy, will undertake to screen adults in Idung Ani UsoEkong community for hypertension and diabetes with the aim of identifying undetected cases and referring them for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Free medications will be made available to those who are known patients and who require refills.

14/08/2025

WHY TRADO-MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED, LICENSED AND REGULATED IN NIGERIA.

All medications we take for treatment and prevention of diseases are from different natural sources.

Plants.
Animal products.
Inorganic substances.

The majority of medications all over the world are derived from plants and we have medicinal plants in abundance in Nigeria.

The study and application of natural products from plants and other organisms forms part of pharmacy training in the area of pharmacognosy.

Pharmacognosy can therefore be said to be the study of crude medicines produced from natural sources such as plants, microbes and animals.

Through the study of pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical and phytochemical analysis and pharmaceutical technology, crude medicinal products undergo the processes that would lead to the orthodox medicines available in pharmacies, drug stores and hospitals.

There are essentially two ways medicines can be discovered

Scientific research
Serendipity (chance or luck)

Whichever the case, the discovery and development of medicines relies heavily on the identification of medicinal products through the activities of trado-medical practitioners.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is an evolving area of medical practice that involves any range of medical therapies not regarded as orthodox, such as herbalism, acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropracty, homeopathy and Ayurveda.

Trado-medical practioners are therefore very essential in healthcare delivery but lack of recognition, licensing and regulation means increasing levels of malpractices.

Several trado-medical practitioners live and pass on with the knowledge of natural products available to them, which could provide the necessary leads to crucial researches in drug development.

Lack of funding and support for researches also meant that with every passing generation, we lose grasp of the medicinal treasures hidden in our forests.

05/08/2025

Breastfeeding is beneficial to both the mother and the child.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week to all Mothers!

28/07/2025

World Hepatitis Day 2025.

Simple hepatitis screening test can save your life.

Get screened for hepatitis, get vaccinated if negative and go for medical advice if positive.

Viral hepatitis is one of the major causes of liver diseases. Take action today, do not procrastinate.