Ekurhuleni health practitioners have recorded a trend in some patients claiming that prescribed medicine does not work for them.
The trend has been attributed to the consumption being inconsistent with their prescription.
Ekurhuleni’s chief pharmacist Mpho Mashego has emphasised the importance of following healthcare professionals’ instructions when taking medication, and not to use medication for any symptoms of illness other than the one for which it was prescribed.
“The taking of medicine has become a daily routine for many people and it is important that they accommodate the medicine intake into their habits and accept that healthcare providers have their best interests at heart since both medicine and healthcare providers are unavoidable necessities for good health and, in some cases, to sustain life,” said Mashego.
He noted that not everyone enjoys the luxury of being able to consult a private doctor, so it is imperative that patients ask the healthcare professionals or pharmacists to write down medication instructions if it will make it easier to understand their medication treatment.
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Medication is drugs and may be detrimental to good health if taken irregularly, but taking them correctly and understanding the right way to administer them can reduce the risks.
Mashego further encouraged patients to pay close attention to the keywords that give an indication of how a particular medication is to be administered, for example, whether it is taken orally or through a nasal intake.
Commonly used keywords:
• Buccal: Held inside the cheek.
• Inhalable: Breathed in through a tube or mask.
• Nasal: Given into the nose by spray or pump.
• Ophthalmic: Given into the eye by drops, gel or ointment.
• Oral: Swallowed by mouth as a tablet, capsule, lozenge or liquid.
• Otic: Given by drops into the ear.
• Rectal: Inserted into the rectum.
The way medicine is taken is dependent on the part of the body being treated and the way the drug works within the body.
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