4 secrets that only hospital pharmacists know
Drugs are a double-edged sword, and they are poisonous. Therefore, the issue of rational drug use is particularly important!
When I work in a hospital, I come into contact with more patients and experiences, so I naturally know more about medication than the average person. This is also my experience as a pharmacist. But because of this, I can't bear to watch some patients fall into some misunderstandings in disease diagnosis and treatment and medication because of listening to certain rumors or self-righteousness. Today, I will summarize 4 secrets that hospital pharmacists know and share them with everyone, so that everyone can know it earlier. Benefit early!
Secret 1: You don't need to take antipyretics immediately if you have a fever
Many parents feel very sorry for their children, which is understandable. But if the child rushes to give the child antipyretic medicine as soon as he has a fever, it is not necessarily helping the child, but it may harm him instead.
Fever is actually a defense mechanism of the body, and it is a manifestation of the immune system in the body fighting against the disease. Only when the body temperature exceeds 38.5°C and the patient is obviously unwell, do they need to take antipyretics.
If the body temperature does not reach 38.5°C, you only need to use physical cooling, or drink plenty of water to keep your body cool, and you don’t need to take antipyretics. What’s more, improper use of antipyretics may cause liver and kidney damage in children, so children have fever Stop rushing to give your child fever reducers.
Secret 2: No need for antiviral drugs for the common cold
It's true that the common cold is usually caused by a viral infection, but many antiviral drugs are ineffective against the common cold.
In fact, only a few viral infections have targeted antiviral drug treatment, such as ribavirin for respiratory syncytial virus infection, oseltamivir for influenza virus infection, nematavir/ritonavir for COVID- 19 Virus infection, etc.
The common cold has no targeted antiviral drugs to treat it, not to mention that it is self-limiting. Even without medication, it usually heals within seven days.
Secret 3: Antibiotics ≠ Anti-Inflammatories
I often hear people say: "Fever? Take some anti-inflammatory drugs", "Sore throat? Take some anti-inflammatory drugs", and many people's "anti-inflammatory drugs" often refer to antibiotics.
In fact, antibiotics only play an anti-inflammatory effect in some occasions. Antibiotics are mainly effective in the treatment of bacterial infections, but are ineffective in non-bacterial infections.
Many anti-inflammatory drugs in the population actually have another class of drugs that meet this definition, that is, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as diclofenac sodium, celecoxib, etc. These drugs are mainly used for rheumatoid arthritis, gout, etc. Acute attacks and other non-infectious inflammations, so the two should not be confused, antibiotics ≠ anti-inflammatory drugs.
Secret 4: cephalosporins are paired with wine, not necessarily just leaving
With the gradual popularization of popular science, the knowledge that drinking alcohol will produce disulfiram-like reactions after taking cephalosporins has gradually become popular among people, so there is a jingle of "Cefs with alcohol, just go".
However, professional pharmacists pointed out that not all cephalosporins will necessarily have a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol. The ones with a higher probability of occurrence are mainly cephalosporins with a tetrazolium group in their chemical structure and cephalosporins with similar structures, such as cephalosporins. The occurrence and severity of disulfiram-like reactions are also related to the amount of alcohol ingested, the interval after taking cephalosporins, and the number and activity of drug metabolizing enzymes in patients . There are many influencing factors, so it is not necessarily the same as the jingle said.
Of course, the author here is not to encourage everyone to drink alcohol after taking cephalosporins. In fact, not only cephalosporins, but also many other drugs will have disulfiram-like reactions when they are mixed with alcohol, so in order to ensure safety and efficacy, alcohol should be avoided after taking any medication.
In short, the above 4 pieces of knowledge are cognitive misunderstandings that many people have in their daily life, or medication mistakes that are easy to make. Pharmacists selflessly share with everyone, and hope that friends who see them can increase their knowledge!