A customer awareness initiatibe about medicine safety. We explore issues with its adverse side effects and its impact on environment, the types of toxic medicines and consumer awareness safety guidelines
2. Drug Toxicity
• Drug toxicity is a common and serious health
problem effecting all age groups. Elderly
people are more vulnerable
• It causes symptoms as mental disorientation,
dizziness, blurred vision, memory loss,
fainting, and falls
• To avoid drug toxicity, patients should be
proactive by keeping a careful record of which
drugs they’re taking — including over-the-
counter medications
3. Why Drug Toxicity ?
• Most drugs are eliminated from the body
through the kidneys and liver, but after 40’s
we start accumulating fat and lose muscle
mass, accompanied by a progressive decline in
the ability of our kidneys and liver to process
and clear medications. All of this makes us
more prone to drug toxicity
• There is a tendency for physicians to prescribe
a medication for every symptom, and not
every symptom requires a medication
4. Drug Toxicity - Types
Three classes of medications that account for
almost half of all emergency-room visits for
adverse drug reactions
1.anticoagulants (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel)
2.antidiabetic agents (insulin, metformin, glyburide,
glipizide, chlorpropamide)
3.narrow therapeutic agents (digoxin, phenytoin,
lithium, theophylline, valproic acid)
Others are – Barbiturates, Flurazepam, Meprobamate ,
Pentazocine, Trimethobenzamide
5. EcoToxicity
• Environmental exposure of medicines results in
more antibacterial resistance that has been
observed in waters and soils posing a serious
threat to human and animal health
• Antibacterials have been shown to affect soil
microbes, which have an important role in
breaking down pesticides.
• Steroids from contraceptives are strongly
suspected to affect the fertility and development
of fish, reptiles and aquatic invertebrates
6. What you can do?
• Do not self medicate, whatever may be your
condition. Consulting a doctor is easy
• Read the safety inserts that come with the
medication. Don’t go be prescription alone
• Remember every symptom does not need a
medication. Don’t pop the pill at the drop of a
hat
• Explore
alternative medicines like Homeopathy, it
offers a gentler and holistic way of treatment
7. What you can do?
• Do not self medicate, whatever may be your
condition. Consulting a doctor is easy
• Read the safety inserts that come with the
medication. Don’t go be prescription alone
• Remember every symptom does not need a
medication. Don’t pop the pill at the drop of a
hat
• Explore
alternative medicines like Homeopathy, it
offers a gentler and holistic way of treatment
Hinweis der Redaktion
Drug toxicity is a common and significant health problem, and cause symptoms as mental disorientation, dizziness, blurred vision, memory loss, fainting, and falls
Older people are at high risk for drug toxicity, but younger people can suffer symptoms as well.
Three classes of medications — anticoagulants (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel), antidiabetic agents (insulin, metformin, glyburide, glipizide, chlorpropamide), and narrow therapeutic agents (digoxin, phenytoin, lithium, theophylline, valproic acid) — account for almost half of all emergency-room visits for adverse drug events in older patients.
Others are – Barbiturates, Flurazepam, Meprobamate , Pentazocine, Trimethobenzamide
Most drugs are eliminated from the body through the kidneys and liver, but starting around the fourth decade we start accumulating fat and lose muscle mass, accompanied by a progressive decline in the ability of our kidneys and liver to process and clear medications. All of this makes us more prone to drug toxicity
There is a tendency for physicians to prescribe a medication for every symptom, and not every symptom requires a medication
To avoid drug toxicity, patients should be proactive by keeping a careful record of which drugs they’re taking — including over-the-counter medications
Patients should also read the safety inserts that come with their medication
ecotoxicity data of medicines - environmental exposure result in more antibacterial resistance, wide range of antibacterials has been observed in waters and soils pose a serious threat to human and animal health.
Large amounts of veterinary medicines, such as antibacterials, antifungals and parasiticides from aquaculture and agriculture, may also contribute to the stress on the environment
recent monitoring studies have detected low levels of a wide range of pharmaceuticals, including hormones, steroids, antibiotics and parasiticides, in soils, surface waters and groundwaters
Steroids from contraceptives are strongly suspected to affect the fertility and development of fish, reptiles and aquatic invertebrates. Equally, antibiotics from human and veterinary use have an effect on soil microbes and algae
Antibacterials have been shown to affect soil microbes, which have an important role in breaking down pesticides.