[Popular Science] How to prepare medicine at home

At present, more and more families are aware of the importance of having a home medicine box. If you prepare medicines at ordinary times, you will not panic when you encounter common diseases. However, hoarding medicines at random will cause waste.

So, how should we prepare the right medicine and use it correctly? Ren Jinmei from the Pharmacy Department of Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University will share with you how to prepare medicine at home .

Basic principles of equipment:

Covers medicines for common diseases and chronic diseases

It is recommended to prepare medicines for common diseases and chronic diseases. For example, prepare medicines for cold symptoms such as fever, runny nose, nasal congestion, dry throat and sore throat, cough and sputum, diarrhea, anti-allergic drugs, external medicines for traumatic injuries, and 1-2 months' supply of chronic disease medicines.

Keep fewer but better medicines

① If you have children at home, you should choose dosage forms suitable for children, such as drops and suspensions.

② The quantity should not be too much, and the commonly used amount should be prepared. Check regularly and dispose of expired medicines in time.

Drug instructions are accurate and easy to understand

①Use sticky notes to record the usage and dosage of medicines.

② Use a marker to mark the time the medicine was opened, and note that some medicines have time limits, such as nitroglycerin.

③ Use small medicine boxes or sealed bags. If you are traveling far away or have a chronic disease and need long-term medication, you can pack the medicine in advance for easy carrying.

Precautions for medication:

Those without symptoms do not need to take medicine . If symptoms such as fever and cough occur, corresponding medication can be taken orally.

If dry cough occurs , you can choose dextromethorphan, pholcodine, etc.; if there is a lot of sputum , you can use expectorants such as eucalyptus pinane, ambroxol, carbocysteine, etc.; if allergic cough is suspected , you can use anti-allergic drugs such as loratadine and cetirizine.

When using compound preparations, you need to pay attention to the ingredients of the medicine and avoid repeated use of the medicine . Common compound cold medicines contain "aminophenol" or "phenol" in their names, which is the ingredient acetaminophen. They should not be used in combination, otherwise it will easily cause liver damage.

Antipyretics should generally be used for no more than 3 days . If the high fever persists after 3 days, you should seek medical attention immediately.