30/04/2024
23 MEDICATION TIPS YOU MAY KNOW
1. Don't put nifedipine tablets under your tongue, whenever your BP is very high. Visit the nearest health facility as soon as possible.
2. Never break, crush, or chew any capsule or tablet unless directed to by your healthcare provider or Pharmacist.
3. Do not give cafemol(Aspirin 81mg) to kids, you will increase their probability of having stomach ulcers(bleeding) or kidney failure. Only give when recommended by your Pediatrician.
4. Paracetamol will work faster on an empty stomach.
5. Eating oily food and taking malaria medication like Artemether/lumefantrine (e.g Coartem, Lonart etc) will make it work better.
6. Don’t take NSAIDs (e.g Brufen, indocid, Diclofenac) or Multivitamins on an empty stomach. They will irritate your stomach.
7. Dexamethasone and Prednisolone increases blood sugar and should not be taken by someone who is diabetic (when taken, the blood sugar should seriously be monitored). Talk to your healthcare provider about that.
8. Prednisolone interacts with birth control pills.
9. Don’t take take Dexamethasone for weight gain. Using it for such will only harm you. Only use it when prescribed. Dexamethasone works by reducing your immune system, it is to be used only when prescribed because the benefits outweighs the risks. Using it on your own is bad and very dangerous.
10. If you are taking Magnesium trisilicate (MMT, Polygel) and another drug, take the Polygel at least 3hrs before taking the drug or 2hrs after taking the drug.
11. Take tetracycline 2hrs before or 6hrs after taking an antacid.
12. Take tetracycline 2hrs before or after taking zinc containing products.
13. Tetracycline can HARM the FETUS. If you are pregnant or have plans of becoming pregnant while taking tetracycline, call your doctor immediately.
14. Taking Tetracycline with alcohol or within the period of alcohol intake is highly not advised.
15. If you have epilepsy don’t take Ciprofloxacin as it can precipitate seizure attack in people with epilepsy.
16. If you are severely depressed don’t take Ciprofloxacin.
17. Don’t take more than 2tablets of paracetamol once. It’s also important u know that the highest daily dose of paracetamol you can take is 3000mg/day and that’s 6tabs (i.e 500mg). Except u are being supervised by a healthcare provider, above that u’re doing damage to ur liver.
18. Don’t take Ciprofloxacin or flagyl for menstrual pain. Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic and not paracetamol.
19. Taking Diclofenac for ulcer pain is suicidal. Diclofenac is a painkiller yes, but it can cause ulcer so it’s wrong to take it for ulcer pain.
20. Don’t take two NSAIDs:
Don’t take Ibuprofen(Brufen) and Diclofenac. Don’t take indocid and Ibuprofen(Brufen) together. Doing that can damage your kidneys and cause ulcer.
21. Don’t take Dexamethasone together with Ibuprofen or Diclofenac. Doing this results in increased side effects. You do more harm to yourself.
22. It’s particularly wrong to use alcohol or soda to take your drugs.
23. The time in which u take your drugs is very important. It’s not just there. Some drugs have higher effects in the morning, others in the evening, if it’s prescribed for u to take it in the morning, do that.
Remember, ALL drugs are POTENTIAL poison when Abused or used wrongly. Always consult your Pharmacist.
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Your Caring Chemist 💃
