We use to take drug or medicine to get rid from disease but improper use of drug is not only useless effort but also pushing the body to be more vulnerable to illness. Many of us believe ‘there is a pill in every ill’ and intake of drug provides us psychological satisfaction. But barely ingestion of drug is not enough that ought to be timely. We can expect maximum effect of a drug if that is used in appropriate manner.
Let’s imagine a physician suggested you to ingest a certain drug 3 times in a day. You have ingested the drug at 8 am after breakfast for first time, at 1 pm after lunch for second time, at 10 pm after dinner for third time & continued likewise from next day onwards. Undoubtedly you have obeyed the suggestion of your physician by ingesting the drug 3 times in a day but has it done in the right manner?
Interim between your first and second dose was 5 hours, second and third dose was 9 hours & the third dose of one day and first dose of next day was 10 hours. According to medical science, this irregular interval between drug intake is called dose fluctuation. Suggested drug for 3 times per day should be taken 8 hours later of every administration, for 2 times per day should be taken 12 hours later & 1 drug in a day should be taken 24 hours later of every administered dose. Every medication remains in the body for a certain time. All drugs have a specific half-life, since reducing to half-life the effectiveness of the drug gradually decreases. If subsequent dose is taken before the time-limit, there will be an overdose which is harmful for health. If subsequent dose is taken after long time from specific time-limit, the foundation of the disease can be stronger & microbes can develop resistance against drug. Therefore drug should be taken with respect to time. So lay out the time mentioned in the doctor's prescription.
If you have already taken medicines for any other disease, must inform physician about that. Because some medicines undergo adverse reaction with each other. If possible read the supplied label with medicine, learn about the side effects and precautions of the drug from there. The physician advises to take some drugs in an empty stomach, because some drugs interact with ingested food, therefore normal blood absorption of those drugs can be hampered. So these drugs should be consumed 30 to 45 minutes before taking meal. Some patients may be hypersensitive to certain drugs. In that case, the doctor must be informed. Few sign & symptoms of hypersensitivity are headache, fever, nausea, allergy etc. No drugs should be taken without the prescription of specialized physician. If the drug is over-the-counter (OTC) category, nevertheless it should be taken only after consultation with the physician.
