Drug Information Patient Should Know In Their Patient Information Leaflet

Drugs are substances that we use to treat and prevent diseases in humans and in some cases plants and animals.
They can be gotten from a pharmacy shop or a chemist. The prescriber gives direction for use and further details can be gotten from the pharmacist who may be the dispenser. Over the counter (O.T.C) drugs can be gotten without prescription.

This means that there might not be a chance of getting a prescriber on how to use the drug. However, as for prescription only medicines (P.O.M), the information from a prescriber and dispenser may be enough. However, more information on the use of the drug can be gotten at home. Not from a patent medicine dealer that is not licensed to prescribe or dispense medications. In such a case, the information on the package may be our last resort. A thorough understanding of information found in patient information leaflets may go a long way in helping us manage health conditions effectively. It is advisable that patients become actively involved in their own healthcare program.

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The Packet Of Drugs

The packet of most drugs are usually designed to contain very few basic important information. This is to prevent the packet from being too busy. Three data is found in drug packets, which is:

      1.  Trade Name: Each drug have a name from its company. The company that produce it chooses the name. It is similar to a company like Samsung who produce phones. The name they decides to call a particular brand does not concern any other company. For example, galaxy. This company also produce other gadgets like television, which also have other names. Same way too, May and Baker (samsung) decides to produce paracetamol (phone) that they named M&B (galaxy). They also produce other drugs (gadgets) like opioid analgesics (television) with different names. Other companies are also producing paracetamol and selling it with a different name like emzor.

2.   The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient: The next information you will see is the list of the active(s) chemicals inside the drug that is responsible for the healing effect. This also include the weight of the active in the overall product. If it is in volume form like syrup, the volume of the active is stated mostly as per 100 ml like 80 ml of the active ingredient in 100 ml of the product. The active in emzor tablet is paracetamol and the weight of paracetamol in the product is 500 mg. The total weight will be more than that because of other excipients added. Two same drugs with same active of same weight will have different final weights due to different excipients used.

3.   The Company: The Company indicate their name as well as their address. They may sometimes include their chief distributors.

For most drugs especially POM, a leaflet with the following information will be obtain inside the packet free of charge. Both prescriber and patients can use this. They are approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (N.A.F.D.A.C).

An Example Of  Patient Information Leaflet

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Medical Information In Drug Leaflet

• Indications and Usage: This information shows all possible clinical use of the drug as to diseases that can be treated with it. One drug can be used to treat several kinds of diseases. This is guaranteed based on clinical studies. To treat different ailments with the drug means varying the quantity to take and duration of the treatment.
• Dosage and Administration: How to start the drug. This include the number of tablets or spoonful to take for a stat. This will be followed by how to take it subsequently, like continuous treatment. It will also include information like when to take the drug, if before or after meal or at night. The method to take the drug is also stated. For instance, oral route means to take the medicine by mouth.
• Dosage Forms and Strength: The state of the drug is stated like if it is in liquid, solid, or semi-liquid form. For solid form, a drug can still be in capsule, tablet, or even caplet form. For liquid forms, there are emulsions and suspensions. The strength is stated as the quantity of the active in the product just like as explained above. Those that are coated will be specified either as enteric or sugar coated or slow release.
• Contra-Indications: This are conditions when the drug must not be taken at all or with strong precaution. This include information on the interaction of the drug with other medications that may lead to potential poison. Some patients can be allergic to any of the ingredients use. It can also occur when there is an existing medical condition that may be aggravated when use with the drug.
• Therapeutic Category: The class of medicines it falls into like anti-hypertensive.
• Side Effects: Is an extension of therapeutic effect. It is often foreseen by prescribers which should be ignored unless severe. They are effects that are spontaneous in nature and are temporary.
• Adverse Effect/Reactions: Here, you will find the list of both minimal side effects and dangerous effects. These are reactions that are unintended and which occur even at the right dose. They are undesired, start immediately, and can prolong up to 2 weeks even after drug have been stop. Some of them target just a part of the body or the whole body. The effects reduces with reduce dose. Some can be fatal requiring medical attention.
• Drug Interaction: The list of both food and other drugs that may either reduce or increase the effect of the drug. Avoid them when possible.
• Specific Population: The effectiveness of some medications can be altered if given to the wrong set of persons. This include age range, gender, family, or even race. For example, some drugs are more efficient for black than for white people when dealing with drugs used in hypertension.
• Drug Abuse and Dependence: The information here warns patients if the product is controlled or not and if it may cause dependence.
• Overdose: Information on how a person will feel when an overdose is ingested and the best way to manage it.
• Clinical Pharmacology: The information explains how the medication works in the body. This include adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. These information are gathered from clinical studies using different persons. This will indicate what will likely going to happen when you take the medication. From the moment, it enters our body until it comes out. This can happen over a period. For example, some drugs are well tolerated but not so for pregnant women. Therefore, your present condition will indicate what may happen.
• Description: Not all contains this but include information of both the active and all the recipients used in production. The description of the dosage form is indicated.
• Supplied, Storage and Handling: The way it was supplied, how it should be store. This can include mixing if it was supplied in powdered form. How and where to store it and proper usage. How to use it like shake before use for suspensions and things like the store in a cool dry place away from sunlight. Alternatively, store in a refrigerator.
• Clinical Studies: This combine the evidence from clinical experiments explaining what happened at each step when the drug was taken alone or in combination. The effectiveness is stated in terms of days and includes side effects.
• Non-Clinical Toxicology: Clinical studies involving humans were for a short-term period. This means that the effect after a long exposure to the drugs is not known in human study. However, in most cases, animal studies may show what may happen in prolong exposure to the drug. Take, for example, a drug given to an animal that is pregnant may show some signs of defect but you may be warned that such studies have not been done on pregnant humans. So therefore, such defects can be possible in humans.
• Warnings/Precautions: Discloses what people have complained about the drug like may cause dizziness, do not operate machinery. Warnings most time include avoid alcohol as it may cause severe effects etc. The dos and don'ts of the medication of which ignoring it may be fatal.

These bits of information can help if put into proper use.

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