Medicine Tablet Types

• Chewable tablet

Antacids and most vitamin tablets are designed as chewable types. These forms are agreeable tasting that no water is necessary for a follow up. While chewable tablets are applicable for antacids for fast relief, these types are also beneficial for people and younger individuals who are incapable in swallowing a regular tablet type.

• Sublingual tablet

This form is placed under the tongue for immediate effect. An example is Isordil sublingual 5mg. This drug is normally administered for minor heart palpitation attacks.

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• Buccal tablet

Same as sublingual, the use of a buccal tablet is to make a drug work faster. However, instead of placing the tablet under the tongue, a buccal tablet is placed at the side of the cheek or between the lip gums. Like the sublingual type, a buccal tablet also contains active ingredients that should be absorbed through the oral mucosa to avoid being destroyed by the GIT.

Fentanyl (Fentora) tablet for cancer pain is a buccal tablet type.

• Implantation tablet

Implantation tablets are also known as pellets. These types are without excipients or additives (disintegrants, colorants, lubricants etc.) Implantations tablets must be sterile because they are inserted into the body tissues by surgical procedures. An example is testosterone hormone and stilbestrol. Implantation is designed to be more compact thus, has slow solubility into the body tissues. However, these tablets have been replaced by other dosage form such as diffusion controlled silicone tubes filled with drug or biodegradable polymers that contain entrapped drug in assortment of forms.

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Buclizine, Pizotifen, Lysine and Dibencozide Facts

• Dibencozide

Dibencozide also known as cobalamin enzyme or adenosylcobalamin is the most active type of vitamin B12. Not only that it is important for producing new blood cells, dibencozide is also an effective appetite enhancer.

Dibencozide is usually indicated for premature babies and infants with low birth weight; for children and adults with poor appetite; and for those people who are recovering from critical cases such as strokes and depression. It increases protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, which indirectly stimulates appetite. More to this, dibencozide can also improve mental concentration, muscle mass and strength.

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Heraclene, Aktibol, Bidicozan, Biotrefon- L, Calomide, Cobaxid and Cobazim are popular brand names of dibencozide.

Dibencozide precautions: Pregnancy and breast-feeding; gastrointestinal conditions such as ileal disease for this can reduce that amount of Vitamin B12, including dibencozide, which is absorbed from the intestine.

Dibencozide side effects: No reported side effects.

Dibencozide drug interactions: Chloramphenicol. Taking chloramphenicol for a long time might decrease the effects of dibencozide on new blood cells.

Read more about 'Appetite Stimulant Facts' here

Tramadol - Addicting Drug?

Grünenthal has promoted tramadol as an opioid with a lower risk of dependence than that of traditional opioids. Grünenthal offered a theory that, since the M1 metabolite is the principal agonist at μ-opioid receptors, the delayed agonist activity reduces abuse liability. The norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor effects may also play a role in reducing dependence.

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More to this, the term ‘opioid’ has been devised to refer to synthetic morphine like compounds. Many of these substances offer the same narcotic and pain relieving properties of morphine but they are not addicting.

Unfortunately, tramadol is not one of those synthetic morphine like compounds. There are cases of tramadol dependence. The use of this medication can be addicting and the best way to avoid this is not to take tramadol frequently. There are other drug alternatives, just ask your doctor or pharmacist about them.

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Facts and Myths About Medications

A young colleague of mine was having a heated discussion with a customer. For some reason they don’t seem to understand each other. The customer- a man was buying a Paracetamol tablet for his wife. But he kept on talking about their four months old infant having a fever.

My colleague was already losing patience, she told our customer, “Sir, what do you really want to buy? You are saying your wife has no fever but why do you want to buy a tablet for her since it is the baby who is really sick?”

The man looking confident replied, “My wife’s mother says it’s dangerous for a baby that young to take the medicine. It’s safer that he gets it from my wife’s milk.”

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Some people choose to live in the past. Here are some medical misconceptions ranging from simple false beliefs to some really disturbing cases.

• Different brands with the same generic name is not the same

A drug having the same generic name and strength is similar. They have the same active constituent and with this they have the similar action and side effects.

What do Tempra and Biogesic have in common? They both have Paracetamol as their generic name. So if Tempra can’t relieve your headache, does this mean Biogesic can? You’ll probably shift to a stronger pain reliever like Mefenamic acid or other Non- steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Sadly some people upon self medication look upon advertisements. When they find a drug not working for them, they simply refrain taking it then try another one. Ironically, some of them rely on the brand or trade name and not on the generic name. They end up taking the same thing only with the different brand.

• Cold and cough medicine can make you sleepy

The usual active constituent of a cold and cough medicine is Phenylpropanolamine which is indicated for cold; Guiafenesin or Dextromethorpan, intended for cough; and the antihistamines chlorpenamine or Brompheniramine.

The latter mentioned are anti allergies. These are the main culprit for making one drowsy or sleepy. A patient who doesn’t want to drowse off buy cold and cough formulation without the antihistamines.

• Drugs are best taken after meals

Most doctors advise patients to take their medication after meals to make sure that they don’t develop stomach upsets. However, some drugs like antacid are best given on empty stomach for them to work better. In addition without food to hinder the absorption of drug in the body, the effect of medicine is faster.

• Taking two or more drugs with the same strength at the same time can be very harmful

Physician prescribes medicine depending upon the patients needs. Of course if a person has various complaints he would be given different drugs for his different ailments. However even today, some people have false beliefs that taking two or three drugs at the same time can be hazardous. The funny thing about it is they usually give emphasis on the strength of the medicine although these do not fall on the same category.

Citing a bad combination is Salbutamol 4mg and Terbulatine 2.5mg. Both may have a low dose yet they belong to the anti-asthma group. With this combination, palpitation is a great danger.

• Expired medicines are not effective anymore

Expired medicine has an allotment of 3 months before being announced as really expired. Yet, pioneer companies such as Pfizer and Parke Davies with the most high class standard of quality can retain their drugs’ efficacy for years after their expiration date.

A warning though: antibiotics such as Tetracycline are an exemption.

• An under dosed drug can relieve pain

The dose of a medicine is calculated based on age, weight and the severity of disease. By the book, an under dosed drug cannot cure an ailment.

• Infants can be cured by taking medicine through the mother’s milk

One way to eliminate the remains of the drug is through the mother’s milk. However a medicine undergoes changes as it is distributed throughout the body. While some byproduct becomes altered that can be harmful for the baby, some drug can retain their original effect but very little. Focusing with a Paracetamol working on an infant through a mother’s milk, a baby can only receive less than 2% of the maternal dose. Not quite enough for the infant to be relived of its fever.

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Understanding The Signa PRN or 'As Needed'

Antibiotics are required to have a full dosage regimen from three to seven days to stop or kill the infection. Maintenance medications as amlodipine, losartan, nifedipine etc. and the anti- diabetics are strictly to be taken daily to control blood pressure and sugar respectively. In addition, in order to calm down an acid reflux condition, a Prilosec or Nexium should be taken for fourteen days.

The citations mentioned have definite dosage instructions to ensure positive results.

The signa PRN or as needed, simply instructs the patient to take the medicine ONLY when he needs it. A NSAID for example like the mefenamic – an analgesic is usually taken 3 times a day. However, when a physician jots down PRN, he instructs the patient to take the drug once a symptom of pain is experienced. The maximum dosing of mefenamic maybe three times a day but once the relief is achieved with the single take, the consumption of the following dose is not necessary anymore.

‘As needed’ means, don’t take an antipyretic if you do not have a fever or do not take Plasil if you are not experiencing a vomiting tendency.

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Is Folic Acid for Pregnant Women Only?

Some patients particularly the women complain to their doctor once they discover that they are also given folic acid for their anemic conditions. They tend to react, ‘Am I pregnant too?’

As silly as this sound, some people regard folic acid as an essential supplement for pregnant women only. Folic acid has been known to protect the fetus against neural tube defects which refers to birth abnormalities including the malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull, and brain (anencephaly). On the contrary, folic acid is also an anti-anemic agent.

Background 

As a vitamin occurring in the leaves and foliage of spinach, the term folic acid was derived from the Latin word folium meaning leaf.  It has been previously called vitamin M and vitamin B9. Since then, folic acid has been in whey, mushrooms, liver, yeast, bone marrow, soybeans and fish food. Upon cooking however, folic acid is readily destroyed. Up to 90% of the dietary folates are lost during the cooking process. The best way to acquire folic acid from food sources is to take them raw. Fresh spinach salad and uncooked animal liver are best examples. Then again, there is always the synthetic form of folic acid.

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On Motion-sickness Medication

One typical discomfort in traveling is motion-sickness.  Also known as kinetosis or travel sickness, motion sickness is characterized by symptoms of nausea, dizziness and fatigue. It is a condition when a disagreement exist between the eyes and the ears- the visually perceived movement and the vestibular system sense of movement. Travelers use inhalants or embrocations to relieve dizziness but taking an anti-emetic as a preventive measure is the most common practice.

 

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Medicine Myths

 

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• Cold and cough medicine can make you sleepy

The usual active constituent of a cold and cough medicine is Phenylpropanolamine which is indicated for cold; Guiafenesin or Dextromethorpan, intended for cough; and the antihistamines chlorpenamine or Brompheniramine.

The latter mentioned are anti allergies. These are the main culprit for making one drowsy or sleepy. A patient who doesn’t want to drowse off buy cold and cough formulation without the antihistamines.

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Ask Your Nurse

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A suppository is a drug dosage form, usually inserted in the rectum or anus and in other cases, into the urethra and vagina. This type of form has faster effect than syrup, capsule or tablet. In addition, a suppository is administered if a patient has the vomiting tendency that an oral medicine can be vomited out and if drugs that could cause stomach upset like the diclofenac sodium (an anti-inflammatory drug) would be best tolerated in suppository form.

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Expired Medication Cover-Ups

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Just like bottled drinks, milk, canned goods etc. all medicine has an expiration date indicated in their labels or containers. It is a requirement by the Food and Drug Authority upon its approval for the general market.

Disappointingly, some drug outlets- hospitals and clinics in particular, ignore the expiration date’s importance and dispense expired drugs, solely for business
reasons. Without even knowing it, you could have been a victim.

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Things to Consider Before Taking any Medicine

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People tend to take medication from time to time. While some can still deny the use of any drug for their health, others life depend on it. Like it or not, our body is frail. Although it could be supplied by vitamins and other food supplements, it could get sick, specifically, when the body begins to age.

We love our health. Naturally, we seek aid from our medical practitioners. But upon taking medications, consider the following facts to ensure the efficacy and safety of any medicine you would take.

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