The development of medicines is one of the most significant discoveries that humankind has offered. And within this is the discovery of antibiotics, which have significantly contributed to modern medicine.
The primary function of antibiotics is fighting off bacteria that has intruded an individual’s body and which might have resulted in disease or a life-threatening infectious illness, like pneumonia, and which have had no effective treatment in the past. Indeed, antibiotics have helped sick individuals be cured of the illnesses that they once had. However, there is always a downside to a good cause, and one of them is the improper use of medication (specifically antibiotics) which has made bacteria become more resistant to the medications used.
So, this is where the importance of using antibiotics enters into the scenario. Today, we discuss some of the things you should not do during medication and we will tackle them in hope that we educate people about how important it is to use your medications correctly.
Discussion of the general rules surrounding medication will be first. In this section, you will discover the things you should not do when you are currently on medication, whether that be antibiotics or any other type of medication.
With this in mind, here are the following rulings when you are taking medication for your illness:
Never Split A Pill Or Tablet
Pill/tablet splitting is a common practice and is frequently encouraged by clinicians as a way to save your budget. However, unless your healthcare provider advises so, then do not ever split a pill or tablet without consulting your doctor first.
The FDA ensures that each tablet’s split parts will have the same amount of its active ingredients as it is when it was still whole. You will know whether the pill has been FDA approved through reading the printed “How Supplied” area of the Rx label inserts and inside the package’s insert.
Additionally, the tablet will have a mark to indicate where to split it. But if you do not see any marking or you have not seen any related information on the label in regard to the information as mentioned above, then it might not have been approved to be split.
So, What’s All The Fuss About?
The release of the drug inside your body is highly dependent on the whole pill being ingested as it is. This is why it is important to know whether the tablet or pill that was prescribed to you is FDA approved for splitting.
With this said, never try to split a capsule, tablet, or pills that are not approved to be split, since it may not be safe.
Never Store Your Medication In A Humid Environment
Some people commonly make this mistake unconsciously due to the lack of information. Many medications should be stored at room temperature, wherein the considered scale of temperature is around 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit and wherein some medicines can be stored around 59 to 86 degrees for a short time.
Here are the following drugs that are particularly sensitive to the heat and humidity of an environment:
- Oral chemotherapy drugs
- Sublingual nitroglycerin tablet
- Hormone medications
- Anti-seizure medications
The medication above are the primary medicines prescribed to patients that suffer an illness accordingly to the uses of the aforementioned medications. In addition to this, you should also look or read for more information regarding the said medications, in which you can visit Pharma Quotes for the medical information needed.
Never Adjust Your Own Medication Dosage
Sometimes it might be tempting to adjust the prescribed dosage of your medication without consulting your healthcare provider or doctor first, however, it is never a good idea to do so. CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alarmingly stated that the number of people who take medication in a way that has not been prescribed is around 50 percent.
Now, the reason as to why some people do not follow their doctor’s instructions or prescription is that they are maybe trying to save money by adjusting their drug intake by taking the medication to make it last longer or is in a hurry of trying to speed up the recovery by intaking a double dose of antibiotic.
All medication should be consumed appropriately through the guidance or prescriptions of your healthcare provider. With this said, antibiotics are not the only medicine that you should be aware of developing resistance. But this should be exercised as a precautionary action towards any medication and avoid further health complications.
Lastly, if you are prescribed medication, do yourself a favour and research everything that you need to know in regards to that drug before you start taking it.