Don't Kill Yourself with Medicine

ARE YOU AWARE:

...that a lot of us make ourselves sicker by taking expired or counterfeit medications?

- that 'scratch' tab that NAFDAC introduced to weed out fake drugs; how many of us actually bother using it? Or you think the presence of the scratch tab means it is original? Haba. Help yourself.

- all those half empty medicine bottles in your fridge; when last did you check the expiry? Many of them actually say "use within 4/6/'x' weeks of opening" - do we even bother to check? We open eye drops and use for months - it's dangerous.

- you are killing yourself by patronising a cheap 'chemist'. Always go for the best. Also remember to ask for a licensed pharmacist. Some people you see in the drug store especially at night are JAMB candidates. Don't be fooled.

And refrain from turning the pharmacist to a doctor. Know the limits of what they can recommend. Do not patronise pharmacists for backroom 'drips' and daily injections of antibiotics. You are killing yourself. You are avoiding the queue at the clinic but a long queue is better than a short funeral.

- tonight or this weekend go through your medicine cabinet and throw away everything that is expired or has been stored wrongly. If you wait until you or someone else is sick you may be too anxious to check then. Also this helps you to know which first aid supplies need restocking. In these times of economic hardship it's too dangerous to be leaving the house at 1 am for panadol, ben-gay, andrews liver salt or antimalarial. You should have these basic things in stock.
But always check expiry dates when buying.

- always check the storage instructions for drugs. Many diabetics on insulin have had issues because they stored their drug on the door of the fridge when the instructions clearly say otherwise. The door of the fridge is the warmest part and adversely affects most drugs - breastmilk too.

- you are primarily responsible for your health. Do your part.

Share if you care.