Safe use of medicines: details and common sense that cannot be ignored

Author: Huang Yanhong Duan Yuechu

In the long journey of pursuing health, medicine is our powerful weapon against diseases. However, do you know that if the medicine is not used correctly, this "weapon" may cause harm to us? Today, let us take a deep look at the common sense that is crucial but often overlooked in the safe use of medicines.

Recently, a lady suffered a horrible situation of a sharp drop in blood pressure and even coma after taking nifedipine controlled-release tablets. This incident has sounded the alarm for all of us who use the drug. Nifedipine controlled-release tablets play an important role in treating hypertension and other diseases. Here we need to understand the difference between different dosage forms of nifedipine tablets. The ordinary tablet contains 10 mg per tablet, the sustained-release tablet contains 20 mg per tablet, and the controlled-release tablet contains 30 mg per tablet. It is particularly important to note that the packaging of the controlled-release tablets clearly states: Do not bite, chew, or break the tablets.

This lady made exactly this mistake. She broke the tablet apart and took it. Why did this seemingly insignificant action lead to such serious consequences? For example, we can imagine a controlled-release tablet as a special container with a sophisticated design. The drug is released in a stable and slow manner, just like a water tank with a special water outlet, and the water will flow out at a uniform rate. But once this container is destroyed, it is like breaking the water tank, and the contents will be released instantly. For controlled-release tablets, this means that the amount of medicine that was originally to be released slowly over 24 hours will all enter the blood at once, and blood pressure will naturally drop sharply, and adverse reactions will ensue. The drug release and absorption of ordinary tablets is much faster, usually completing a cycle in 4-6 hours, so they need to be taken multiple times a day.

Safe medication is not as simple as paying attention to how to take the pills. The time and order of taking the medicine are also critical. Different types of medicines have their own suitable time of taking. For example, morning is usually the best time to take hormones, antidepressants and antihypertensive drugs. In the early morning, the body's physiological functions begin to become active and blood pressure gradually rises. Taking antihypertensive drugs at this time can effectively control blood pressure fluctuations; taking hormones and antidepressants at this time is also more in line with the body's biological clock and can better exert its efficacy.

At night, lipid-lowering drugs, anti-allergy drugs, and sleeping pills are the right choice. At night, the human body is in a resting state and the metabolism slows down. Taking lipid-lowering drugs at this time can help the body metabolize and adjust blood lipids during sleep; anti-allergy drugs can relieve allergy symptoms at night and ensure sleep quality; sleeping pills can help us fall asleep faster and better. If you do not take the medicine according to these rules, the efficacy of the medicine may be greatly reduced, and it may even cause adverse reactions.

In addition to the correct method and time of taking medicine, the storage conditions of medicines cannot be ignored. Take insulin and other biological preparations for example. When not in use, they need to be refrigerated to maintain their activity and stability. But when they start to be used, they should be placed at room temperature because frequent temperature changes may destroy the structure of the drug.

Some drugs are particularly sensitive to light, such as those often packed in brown bottles, which need to be stored away from light. Nitroglycerin is a typical example. It has very high requirements for storage conditions. It must not only be kept away from light, but also has strict requirements for temperature and humidity. Nitroglycerin needs to be stored in a sealed container and cannot be placed in a pocket. This is because it is easy to lose its activity when the temperature is higher than 20 degrees Celsius. Once it is inactivated, it cannot play its life-saving role at a critical moment.

From this incident of nifedipine controlled-release tablets, we can see that safe medication is a systematic project, involving multiple aspects such as medication method, time and storage. Each link is closely connected, and any negligence may break the balance of safe medication. For patients, after getting the medicine, they should not only focus on how much to take, but also carefully read the drug instructions, including those precautions and warning information that are easily overlooked.

At the same time, doctors and pharmacists should strengthen their guidance on medication during the medical treatment process. After all, many patients have limited knowledge of medication. Moreover, in daily life, many families have the habit of stockpiling common medications, but they know little about the correct use and storage methods of these medications. We must understand that knowledge on safe medication needs to be constantly learned and updated, especially when giving medication to the elderly and children, we must be more cautious. Because their body functions are different from those of adults, and they are more sensitive to medication.

In short, safe medication is the key to protecting our health. Every medication should be taken on the basis of full understanding of drug information. We cannot let ignorance and negligence harm our health. Whether individuals or medical practitioners, we must pay attention to every detail of safe medication and build an indestructible line of defense for our health. Let drugs become loyal guardians of our health, rather than dangers hidden in the dark. We hope that by widely disseminating these common sense of medication, we can reduce adverse events caused by improper medication and allow more people to benefit from safe and reasonable medication.