Reminder! Be careful when buying medicines with these words on the box!

Expert of this article: Wang Xiaohuan, Doctor of Medicine, Fudan University

When you are sick, would you choose to buy medicine yourself or go to the doctor?

In some cases, some people think the problem is not serious or because it is troublesome to go to the hospital, they will buy medicine to treat it on their own.

It should be noted that this behavior has certain risks. In life, there are often incidents of serious harm to the body due to blind use of drugs.

A very important factor that causes harm is the lack of common sense in medication!

How much do you know about the following drug knowledge? If you don’t know it yet, take a look!

What words should be written on medicines that should be purchased with caution?

1. Numbness: "Numbness" generally refers to pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is often used to relieve nasal congestion symptoms caused by colds, rhinitis, etc. But at the same time, it has an stimulating effect on adrenaline receptors, which can cause vasoconstriction and increase cardiac load. Therefore, patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and other diseases should not use it.

2. Min, Po, Ben: "Min" and "Po" generally refer to chlorpheniramine. Chlorpheniramine, also known as chlorpheniramine, and diphenhydramine, which also has "Benzene", are both antihistamines and common anti-allergic drugs. It should be noted that this type of antihistamine has central nervous system inhibitory properties and can cause symptoms such as drowsiness and sleepiness. Patients who drive, work at heights, or require high concentration in some work should use it with caution.

3. Phenol: "Phenol" generally refers to acetaminophen (paracetamol), which is often used to relieve the pain and fever symptoms caused by colds. However, this type of drug has an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa, so patients with gastrointestinal diseases should use it with caution.

4. Dextromethorphan: Dextromethorphan is a commonly used central antitussive drug. However, it may also affect the discharge of sputum and cause blockage of the respiratory tract. Therefore, patients with a lot of sputum should not use this type of drug.

5. Domperidone: "Domperidone" generally refers to domperidone, which is a common gastrokinetic drug that can improve symptoms such as indigestion. However, there are also reports that it may cause severe ventricular arrhythmias and other symptoms. Therefore, patients with heart disease should not use it.

What words are not on the medicine box that you cannot buy?

When buying medicines, if you find that there are no these four words - [National Medicine Approval] - on the medicine box, do not buy it.

The National Medicine Approval Number is a drug production approval number obtained by a drug manufacturer after approval by the State Food and Drug Administration before producing a new drug. Only drugs that have obtained a production approval number can be produced and sold.

It has a standard format: National Medicine Approval Number + 1 letter + 8 digits, where different letters represent different meanings. H represents chemical drugs, Z represents traditional Chinese medicine, S represents biological products, J represents domestic sub-packaging of imported drugs, and B represents health care drugs.

The difference of one word can lead to a huge difference in effect!

In addition to the key words and contraindications on the medicine box, you should also pay special attention to the name of the medicine, because many medicines have very similar names but very different effects.

1. Cytarabine and adenosine: The former inhibits cell proliferation by inhibiting the synthesis of cell DNA and is mainly used to treat acute leukemia. The latter inhibits DNA synthesis by binding to viral DNA polymerase and inhibiting its activity. It is mainly used to treat diseases such as herpes simplex encephalitis, neonatal herpes simplex infection and herpes zoster.

2. Rifampicin and reserpine: The former is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that has antibacterial effects on tuberculosis, Gram-positive or -negative bacteria, etc., and is mainly used to treat bacterial infections. The latter is an alkaloid found in plants, mainly used to lower blood pressure and slow heart rate.

3. Promethazine and chlorpromazine: The former is an antihistamine, mainly used for anti-allergic treatment, while the latter is a dopamine receptor antagonist, mainly used for the treatment of mental illness.

4. Rutin tablets and troxerutin tablets: The former is a type of vitamin P, mainly used to treat capillary hemorrhage with increased fragility. The latter is a type of drug that inhibits platelet aggregation, mainly used to treat occlusive syndrome, thrombophlebitis, capillary hemorrhage and other diseases.

5. Amoxicillin and amitriptyline: The former is a common broad-spectrum penicillin that has bactericidal effects on a variety of bacteria and is mainly used to treat infections caused by sensitive bacteria that do not produce β-lactamase. The latter is an antidepressant drug that is mainly used to treat depression.

6. Norfloxacin and Haloperidol: The former is a quinolone antibacterial drug, mainly used for the treatment of enteritis and dysentery, while the latter is a butyrophenone antipsychotic drug, mainly used for the treatment of various types of acute and chronic schizophrenia and mania.

Do different manufacturers have the same efficacy for the same drug?

Sometimes we find that the same sample has exactly the same name, but the price of the medicine varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some people may think that "you get what you pay for", and that more expensive medicines will have better effects. In fact, this is not always the case. The same medicine produced by different manufacturers has similar efficacy in theory, because the active ingredients are actually the same. However, you should also pay attention to the following points when purchasing:

1. Drug dosage. The dosage specifications of drugs may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so be sure to confirm the dosage information of the drug before taking it and take it according to the dosage.

2. Production quality. Different manufacturers may have slightly different material selection, drug purification, drug stability, etc. when producing drugs. Therefore, try to choose some more trustworthy manufacturers for purchase.

To sum up, we have summarized a set of drug purchase strategies for you:

1. Check the name of the drug (whether it is consistent with the doctor's instructions; whether it contains key words such as "numb, po, benzene, sensitive, linoleum, beauty")

2. Check the national medicine approval number to see if it meets the legal treatment standards

3. Check the indications and whether they are appropriate

4. Check medication contraindications

5. Check the drug ingredients to see if there are any ingredients that you are allergic to

6. Confirm the drug dosage form and dosage

7. Confirm the time of medication

8. Check whether the manufacturer’s brand is trustworthy

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