Perhaps it will go away on its own or the Armenians’ love of self-medication. Self-medication: do not harm yourself Disadvantages of self-medication

Cough

There is not a single person in the world who has not experienced all the “delights” at least once. of this disease. We will not talk about its insidiousness and gravity; we will tell you how and what you need to do to recover. We will give a list of herbs and remedies, tell you what kind of cough mixture there is, and much more that will help you in the fight for your health and the health of your loved ones.

The doctor's consultation

First of all, a doctor will help you in the fight. You should not neglect his consultations, especially when it comes to treating children and the elderly. The fact is that an advanced disease can cause death. A person will die, naturally, not from a cough, but from those ailments that appear as a result of neglect, weakening of the body and other factors accompanying the development of serious diseases.

Causes

Having determined the cause of the disease, the doctor will prescribe appropriate treatment. Not only cough medicine may be prescribed, but also an antiviral agent or antibiotics. Experts also often use antihistamines in treatment. Do not think that a cough is caused solely by a cold. For example, in the autumn, many people suffering from allergic reactions to dust suffer from a dry, debilitating cough, which ordinary cough medicine cannot cure. The tandem from antihistamines and antitussives. It would also be pointless to take medications that have an expectorant effect if the cause is a chronic throat disease. For example, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis during an exacerbation are accompanied by a debilitating cough, which must be treated only with complex therapy. You will be obliged not only to cure diseased tonsils, but also teeth, since inflammatory processes V oral cavity do not contribute to a speedy recovery. Until all foci of infection are eliminated, the consequence (in this case, cough) will not be eliminated.

Types of cough and types of treatment

IN complex therapy The doctor will prescribe an expectorant. Depending on the type of cough (it can be dry or wet, barking or paroxysmal), the doctor will recommend the appropriate cough medicine. The most famous of them are “Bromhexin”, “Lazolvan”, “Mukaltin”. Inhalations, appropriate nutrition and plenty of fluids will also be offered. herbal decoctions. The best in this case is considered to be an infusion of plantain, thyme, marshmallow, and licorice. By the way, in addition to liquid medications, doctors actively use tablet forms of drugs, as well as adult and children’s dry cough syrup. It consists of a mixture of marshmallow and licorice herbs with the addition of sodium benzoate and bicarbonate, which can not only ease pain, but also thin and remove mucus from respiratory tract. It is diluted immediately before use and is very effective.

Cons of self-medication

It is worth clearly understanding that self-medication is dangerous. Before taking a drug prescribed by a doctor, you need to read what the instructions recommend. Dry cough syrup or syrup, tablets or powders - there is always a danger of an allergic reaction. Don't lose sight of the possibility of purchasing a fake. You need to be vigilant and consult with a specialist on all questions that interest you. Only joint work will help cope with the disease in a short time.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mortality from unauthorized use medicines ranks fifth, second only to injuries, diseases of the circulatory system, oncological and pulmonary diseases. Experts clarify: we are talking about thoughtless taking of drugs.

It’s a completely different matter if we mean “the reasonable use by patients themselves of over-the-counter medicines that are over the counter for the purpose of preventing or treating minor health disorders before providing professional medical assistance.” Recently, this approach, called responsible self-medication, has been welcomed not only by WHO experts, but also by doctors and pharmacists.

Head of the Department of Organization drug provision and pharmacoeconomics of the First Moscow State Medical University named after. I. M. Sechenova, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Rosa Yagudina:

The concept of responsible self-medication (I emphasize, responsible!) has many positive aspects. Allowing people to quickly access necessary medications, responsible self-medication significantly relieves the burden on the healthcare budget. And first of all - from the outpatient department. Proof of this is numerous studies conducted in Europe and America, according to which the competent use of over-the-counter drugs (antipyretics, painkillers, antiallergic and other drugs that relieve acute symptoms) reduces the number of visits to doctors by 40% general practice and by 50% - the number of ambulance calls. And every dollar spent by citizens on over-the-counter medications saves $6 to $7 spent on the health care system. In the US alone, responsible OTC treatment saves $102 billion annually.

Desired and actual

Skeptics don't argue. There are certainly benefits from a reasonable approach to self-medication: after all, the sooner you start correct treatment disease, the less likely you are to get complications. It’s just that only a few people in our country adhere to this approach. Most of our citizens are treated according to the “One Grandma Said” principle, choosing medications based on the advice of relatives, friends and the Internet, where it is not always possible to find adequate medical information, which, moreover, is often of an advertising nature. Considering that most of the over-the-counter drugs advertised in Russia today do not have a sufficient evidence base and at the same time have serious side effects, the picture that emerges is completely disappointing.

Another problem is the availability of prescription drugs. Coming to the pharmacy, today every Russian can freely buy antibiotics, cytostatics, hormonal and other drugs that cannot be easily purchased in Europe and America. What this leads to is no secret to anyone. According to various estimates, the number of victims of self-medication in Russia is three times higher than the number of deaths in car accidents.

Attempts to streamline this situation in our country have been made repeatedly. Legislators even wanted to ensure that our pharmacies sell everything by prescription, including... over-the-counter medicines. Experts are convinced that this is not a solution.

Rosa Yagudina:

In the United States, it was once calculated that if over-the-counter drugs were not available without a prescription, America would need an additional 56 thousand full-time medical workers. I think that in the current situation, in conditions of optimization of the primary medical care When access to a doctor is difficult, in our country such a decision would cause a real collapse.

Where is the way out?

Experts agree: it is useless to fight self-medication. And it's not necessary. After all, even in such prosperous countries as the UK and the USA, when they have health complaints, most citizens do not go to the doctor, but to the pharmacy.

Rosa Yagudina:

In order to introduce the concept of responsible self-medication in our country, we need to take several important steps: make it easier for patients to access a doctor, teach doctors to write prescriptions correctly, reduce the number of pharmacies (leaving those that are able to maintain a good range of drugs and high quality work pharmacy specialists) and conduct serious educational programs on counseling when dispensing drugs for pharmacy workers, who, to be honest, do not always have such knowledge fully.

A big step forward could be the introduction of drug insurance in our country, in which part of the cost of a prescription drug prescribed by a doctor is reimbursed by insurance (such a system operates in many Western countries). In this case, the patient willy-nilly, before buying the medicine, will go to the doctor in order to save money.

And of course, we cannot do without state educational programs for the population. It is educational, not advertising to promote individual drugs. Experts are convinced that such programs do not require large material costs, and their effectiveness will manifest itself very quickly.

Rules for taking medications

1. Avoid uncontrolled use of serious medications (such as antibiotics, hormonal drugs), as well as biological active additives and herbal medicines (especially multicomponent ones).

2. When using prescription or over-the-counter medications, read the instructions carefully and make sure you do not exceed the recommended dose.

3. If possible, take the drug for a short course. If you take the drug for a long time (more than 10 days), take a biochemical analysis blood with the determination of liver enzymes - AST and ALT. If they are elevated, consult a specialist who will either replace the drug or prescribe it in a different dosage.

4. Keep a list of all prescription and over-the-counter medications you take, including herbs, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. Always take this list with you to every doctor's appointment.

5. If you have been prescribed medications by different doctors, ask them before prescribing to see if their components are the same as the composition of the medications you are taking, otherwise there is a risk of overdose or changes in the effect of the medications on the body.

6. If you suffer from liver or kidney disease, make sure that when you prescribe new drug, your doctor knows about this. It is also advisable to consult with a hepatologist, nephrologist and gastroenterologist.

7. Avoid taking medications with alcohol at the same time.

How to take a pill

Sometimes even the medications prescribed by the doctor do not work for us or cause side effects. And all because we drink them wrong. Having turned to specialists, we have compiled a list of drinks that can and cannot be used to take medications.

Can

Water- the most suitable liquid for taking medications. It is better for it to be at room temperature, filtered or boiled.

Mineralka- allowed when taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, analgin and other drugs that irritate the gastric mucosa. Is it true, mineral water in this case it should be alkaline.

Milk - in some cases it is even recommended for washing down medications. For example, potassium supplements and fat-soluble vitamins. However, anti-ulcer medications, heart medications, iron supplements, enzymes, and some antibiotics should not be taken with milk.

Compotes and jelly- can be recommended to patients with gastritis and ulcers: jelly envelops the walls of the stomach. However, the therapeutic effect of the drug also decreases. It is not advisable to take the pill with compote - fruit acids can change pharmacological effect medicines.

It is forbidden

Juices- unsuitable liquid for taking medications. Especially grapefruit juice. In combination with cardiac, antiallergic, antiviral drugs, as well as antidepressants and antibiotics, it can cause serious complications.

Tea- contains tannin, an active substance that affects the rate of absorption of drugs. It is not recommended to take “heart” and “stomach” tablets and antibiotics with tea.

Coffee- tones and has a strong diuretic effect. If you take a medicine with it, you can remove the drug from the body too quickly or enhance its effect (this is possible, for example, with painkillers).

4 dangers of uncontrolled medication use

Drug allergy

Development mechanism. The mechanism of drug allergies (the body's individual immune response to medications) has not been fully studied. It does not depend either on the duration of taking the medicine or on its dose. In order to find yourself in a hospital bed, sometimes a microscopic dose of an aggressive substance is enough. Doctors know cases where acute allergic reaction even developed due to... inhalation of vapors of a drug potentially dangerous to humans or accidental injury from a needle from a syringe with which the victim injected a sick relative.

Important details. More often drug allergies provoked by analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics penicillin series. Very severe reactions occur when taking sulfonamides. Antihypertensive drugs that lower blood pressure and even vitamins (most often group B) can also trigger allergies.

Drug resistance

Development mechanism. As a rule, it develops after indiscriminate use of antibiotics, which can lead not only to a decrease in the effectiveness of treatment and cause a more serious relapse of the disease, but also lead to the formation of new antibiotic-resistant (resistant) strains of bacteria. Next time, if such a patient has a serious infection, it will be very difficult to cure him.

Important details. The danger is not only haphazard administration (without taking into account the sensitivity of bacteria to the antibiotic, the presence of chronic diseases, age), but also course interruption antibacterial treatment, reducing the dose or skipping the time of taking the medicine.

Drug addiction

Development mechanism. In order to become a drug addict, it is not necessary to abuse psychotropic drugs. It’s enough to overeat pills for... headaches and, in addition to migraines, get a new, so-called abuse headache, which arises due to correct application analgesics in combination with barbiturates and caffeine, as well as some sedatives, or instilled into the nose for a long time vasoconstrictors. The vessels get used to them very quickly and require an ever-increasing dose of the drug.

Important details. More often than others, addiction is caused by psychotropic drugs (tranquilizers, sleeping pills), painkillers, and biogenic stimulants.

Side effects

Development mechanism. If used incorrectly by-effect may occur after taking any medication. Their spectrum is very wide: from various skin reactions to the development of deadly conditions. It is no coincidence that adverse reactions from use medications recognized as the fourth most common cause of death.

The situation is aggravated by the thriving polypharmacy in our country - the simultaneous use of more than five medications, which many, especially older people, take for various diseases. The drugs may not be compatible with each other, and their dosage may be incorrect. The latter must correspond to age and weight. The usual therapeutic dose, calculated for a person weighing about 70 kg, is not suitable for everyone. These and many other nuances can only be assessed correctly by a doctor.

Important nuances. Call acute poisoning Any drug can. Even seemingly harmless aspirin, which, if the therapeutic dose is exceeded, can cause acute renal failure, contribute to the development of stomach and duodenal ulcers, bleeding and even damage auditory nerve. Toxicologists also blacklist analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (paracetamol, Nurofen), antibiotics, psychotropic drugs (hypnotics, antidepressants).

The popularity of self-medication in last years has increased throughout the world. Every person wants to keep the condition of their body and health in general under control. However, it is still worth considering some dangers in self-medication that you need to be aware of.

If medications are used correctly, self-medication will bring relief. For example, antibiotics and insulin save a large number of lives. But when self-medicating, you must first of all be able to determine all the pros and cons of such therapy in the benefit-danger ratio.

Today you can purchase medications at any pharmacy or in online stores and pharmacies, for example, here http://zdravcity.ru/drugs/. Many people often buy one or the other medicinal product on the advice of friends, relatives or acquaintances. In addition, in the modern age of rapid development of information technology and advertising, you can find out about miraculous capsules or other drugs anywhere.

As a result of extremely violent media activity, many people are trying to eliminate the consequences with the help of drugs. poor nutrition, irregular work schedule, lack of sleep, apathy and many other problems. Thus, instead of changing their lifestyle for the better, people try to solve their problems with the help of ready-made drugs.

Often, people resort to using medications not only to get rid of headaches or hypertension, but also to relieve feelings of fear and loneliness. Many patients turn to a doctor for help, deluded that a pill will save them. Sometimes even medical workers In such cases, they write out a prescription, and may also advise you to undergo an examination, as well as prescribe endless tests. At the same time, no one tries to find out what brought a person to such a state. But in most cases, many patients lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

It was revealed that even some representatives of the World Council for the Prevention of Psychotropic Drug Abuse say: “Today doctors have very little time at their disposal, so they try to get rid of the patient as quickly as possible by prescribing him a standard set of drugs for the same symptoms.” Unfortunately, very often psychotropic medications become a medical solution social problems. There are cases in which some patients actually need psychotropic medications, but prescribed by a specialist in the field and only after a detailed analysis of the symptoms.

Medicines have become fashionable in recent years, but psychiatrists say this is not normal. In many cases, an effective drug becomes a panacea for all diseases. People are increasingly interested in immediate action drugs, and now there is no need to look for the causes of their ailments if you can just take a pill. But still, before taking any drug, you should consult a specialist.

Comments:

A specific reaction of the body’s defense system to food, medicines and cosmetics, as well as animal and plant origin called an allergy.

To eliminate such conditions, a huge number of medications are used, but the most effective method- hormonal injections for allergies, which help to forget about the unpleasant symptom for a long time.

Why injections?

Administration of drugs through the blood supply has a number of positive aspects:

1. Good absorption of the drug.
2. Fast and powerful therapeutic effect.
3. Possibility of use in patients who have problems with the stomach and intestines.

In addition to the advantages of this treatment, there are also disadvantages:

1. Injections require specific skills or assistance. medical specialist.
2. The risk of side effects increases due to the high bioavailability and effect of the drug on the entire body.
3. Unsuitable for frequent use.
4. Medicines are inconvenient to transport and use.
5. If the rules of asepsis are not followed, suppuration may occur at the injection site.

What medications are used for allergies?

Hormonal injections for allergic manifestations are usually divided into several therapeutic groups:

1. Glucocorticosteroid preparations.
2. Desensitizing agents.
3. Antihistamine solutions for injection.
4. Immunobiological medicines.

Desensitizing agents

These are drugs that prevent or weaken Clinical signs increased sensitivity of the body to various foreign components, provoking a state of hyposensitization.

These include calcium salts:

• gluconate;
• chloride.

For allergies, treatment is carried out with hormonal injections. The antiallergic effect of the drug is due to the histamine compound and inhibition of the sensitivity of body cells to allergy mediators. The use of calcium helps eliminate allergic manifestations - rash, itching, hyperemia, swelling. This category of drugs is classified as additional methods therapy. The duration of treatment varies from five to ten procedures.

Calcium chloride

Salt injections are contraindicated if there is an excessive concentration of calcium ions in the blood, as well as with thrombosis and atherosclerosis. When using the drug, you can feel an increasing feeling of heat, for which calcium chloride is also called a “hot shot”.

Considering that the solution affects muscle contraction and the transmission of nerve impulses, a slowdown in the heart rate and ventricular fibrillation (chaotic contractions of myocardial tissue) may occur. Such injections increase pharmachologic effect antihistamines.

The medicine must be administered intravenously in combination with a five percent glucose solution or saline. It is important to note that injections can only be performed by a doctor who has certain knowledge and skills in intravenous injections - otherwise tissue necrosis may occur. The price of the drug is 70 rubles.

Calcium gluconate

The drug is chemically unstable - if after opening the package there is sediment or flakes in the solution, the drug must be disposed of immediately. The solution is injected directly into a vein or muscle, so the medication can also be used at home.

The prohibitions on using the drug are exactly the same as the previous medicine. It is worth noting that calcium gluconate is not recommended to be combined in the same syringe with other drugs. The dosage of the solution directly depends on the age of the patient and is selected purely individually. One injection is required per day. In rare situations, the injection is given every other day. The cost of the drug varies from 10 to 190 rubles.

Histamine receptor blockers

Medicines whose main effect is focused on eliminating acid-related diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

It is histamine receptor blockers that can be considered real anti-allergic hormonal injections - the spectrum of action is due to the suppression of receptors sensitive to histamine. In addition, they reduce the production of histamine, which is involved in allergies.

After the injection, the occurrence of signs of the disease is reduced. The number of injections is small and is represented by first-generation drugs. A distinctive feature of this group is a calming effect, which can manifest itself as lethargy, drowsiness, as well as retardation of psychomotor reactions. Therefore, drivers and people whose duties require increased attention, it is necessary to limit such a load. In addition, the drugs narrow the lumen of blood vessels and organs of the urinary tract and stomach. This effect is important to consider for patients suffering from:

1. Disorders of urination of various etiologies.
2. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
3. Hyperthyroidism.

It is important to remember that when testing for allergens, the use of antihistamines is discontinued three days before the test. When administering other medications, you should thoroughly read the instructions for use for compatibility with the antiallergic drug.

"Diphenhydramine"

The very first representative of antihistamine drugs. The active ingredient is diphenhydramine. Additionally used for vomiting. There are no age restrictions.

The use of the medication is contraindicated in case of increased sensitivity to the main and auxiliary substances. "Diphenhydramine" is available with a prescription from a medical specialist. The cost of the drug is 50 rubles. What hormonal injections can be given?

"Tavegil"

A medicine based on clemastine. The drug has a pronounced antipruritic effect, so its use is justified in patients with skin diseases. "Tavegil" is prohibited from use in the following conditions:

1. Children under one year old.
2. For diseases of the lower respiratory tract, as well as bronchial asthma.
3. In case of individual intolerance.
4. Lactation and pregnancy.

Single dosage - one ampoule. Both intravenous and intramuscular use of the drug is allowed. The price of the medicine varies from 150 to 350 rubles.

"Suprastin"

The drug represents a therapeutic group of drugs that are blockers of H-histamine receptors. It has an anti-allergenic effect and is used to reduce the severity of allergies. Main active substance The medication is considered to be chloropyramine. Daily dosage is no more than two ampoules. Contraindications to the administration of the drug are identical to other antihistamines. The cost of the medicine varies from 100 to 200 rubles.

Glucocorticosteroids

To eliminate allergies, steroid hormones from the subclass of corticosteroids produced by the adrenal cortex can be prescribed. The use of these drugs must be justified.

List of hormonal injections:

1. "Prednisone."
2. "Dexamethasone."
3. "Diprospan".

1. Hormone deficiency.
2. Violation menstrual cycle.
3. Deterioration in the absorption and utilization of glucose.
4. Diabetes.
5. Hyperglycemia.
6. Cushing's syndrome.
7. Retention of sodium ions.
8. Edema.
9. Hyperglycemia.
10. Increase in body weight.
11. Alkalosis.

Changes in hormonal levels can aggravate the situation - provoke the occurrence of acne and stretch marks, pigmentation disorders, increased sweating, deterioration of recovery processes. And this list is not complete. Here are the most serious consequences of hormonal injections.

The range of antiallergic effects is due to the stimulation of specific processes that appear after the interaction of hormones with specific cell receptors and integration into deoxyribonucleic acid. This can lead to an imbalance of proteins in the body:

1. The synthesis of allergy mediators is reduced.
2. The immune response to the allergen is suppressed (complex multicomponent, cooperative reaction immune system organism, induced by an antigen already recognized as foreign, and aimed at its elimination).

The only prohibition for short courses of therapy with hormonal injections is considered individual intolerance. In situations where long-term treatment is necessary, the list of contraindications is somewhat broader.

The drug is administered intramuscularly in pure form or with an infusion solution. The dosage is determined by the doctor purely individually and depends on general condition sick.

"Prednisolone"

“Prednisolone” is the name of a hormonal injection that has an anti-allergic effect that can last throughout the day. The use of the medication is prohibited during lactation. Pregnant women are also not recommended to use Prednisolone in the first three months. The price of the drug varies from 50 to 110 rubles.

"Dexamethasone"

The most reactive medication from the group of corticosteroids. The action develops immediately after using the solution. Injections are indicated for the elimination of chronic diseases.

Most Popular hormonal drug for allergies. At the same time, it has a negative effect on hormonal levels and the entire body. In case of an “interesting situation,” special caution is necessary, because this drug slows down the intrauterine development of the unborn baby. The cost of the medicine varies from 40 to 180 rubles.

"Diprospan"

Long-acting medication - signs of allergic manifestations are eliminated for a long time immediately after use. The solution is applied strictly intramuscularly, after which the medicine slowly dissolves and is absorbed into the blood within two to three weeks. The price of the drug ranges from 180 to 210 rubles.

Pros and cons of treatment with hormonal injections

Patients suffering allergic manifestations, people often wonder about the benefits and harms of hormonal hormones. They can be conditionally divided into two large groups.

These are hormonal and non-hormonal injections. There are many different opinions about their effectiveness and safety, but in some countries injections are given extremely rarely, in very serious situations or life-threatening conditions.

First and second generation medications can provoke a large number of adverse reactions, while modern drugs in fact they cannot do this.

First generation medications include Diazolin, Suprastin and Diphenhydramine. They have a short-lived effect, and in rare cases can interfere with the functioning of vascular system person.

Second generation drugs no longer have a detrimental effect on the capillaries, and their effect can last for almost a day. Such medications include Loratadine and Astemazine.

Among the main disadvantages of this treatment is its duration. A full course of therapy can take up to several years. Stopping the administration of the drug can provoke a pathological process with new complications after hormonal injections. Another negative side of the drugs is their lack of control.