Issued by: Medi-Clinic


What is the correct way to store medicine and why is it important to store it correctly?
According to Douglas Defty, General Manager of Pharmacy Services for Medi-Clinic South Africa, medicine should be stored below 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and locked in a cabinet out of reach of children.

Says Defty: “Heat can cause medicines to degrade, thereby influencing their efficacy. Humidity can also have a negative impact on the efficacy of medicines so it is best to keep the medicine cabinet out of the bathroom where the steam from baths and showers could cause your medicines to degrade.”

Watch out for a change in texture of your medicines - if pills have become moist and powdery, rather chat to your pharmacist before using them.

Why is it important to stick to the correct dosage when administering medicine? Can an extra two or five millilitres really harm a person?
“It is important to understand that ANY medicine is foreign to the human body,” says Defty. “The body ‘processes' these medicines in various ways and one must never exceed the recommended dosages as this could lead to high blood levels of the medicine or negatively affect the organ metabolising it.”

Even an extra millilitre can have a profound effect with certain medicines that can lead to serious complications and even death. For children, the best way to determine the correct dosage for over-the-counter medication is according to their weight. Parents should therefore keep an accurate record of their child's weight.

Is it okay to administer medication that is past its sell by date? Is there a window period past the sell by date in which it is still safe to use the medication?
The response from Defty is a resounding no! As a rule we should not administer expired medicines, nor may anyone sell an expired medicine.

How should medicines be disposed of - is it okay to throw them in the bin or down the toilet?
“By law, no medicine should be disposed of in the municipal sewerage system, therefore dumping down the drain or toilet is a serious no-no,” says Defty, “however, throwing medicine away with the rubbish is also not advised as it can land up in the wrong hands - rather take expired medicines to your local pharmacist who will assist you with the disposal of it,” he advises.

What is the best way to take a child's temperature?
Defty advises against using mercury thermometers, especially oral mercury thermometers as mercury itself is poisonous and could be swallowed if the oral thermometer were to break while in use.

What does he recommend? The tympanic thermometer - it's more expensive, but is very quick and accurate. It comes in the form of an electronic probe that is inserted into the ear canal and measures the temperature of the ear drum.

From what age can children start taking tablets or capsules instead of syrup?
According to Defty, depending on the physical size of the tablet or capsule and the strength thereof, as soon as the child is comfortable swallowing it with water. If uncertain, rather chat to your local pharmacist before administering to your child.

Do you have any tips for getting children to take their medicine when they point blank refuse?
“Alternatives such as suppositories can be used in certain cases,” advises Defty, “however, it is important not to miss doses and parents need to be firm,” he continues. “Using a disposable syringe (without a needle) to administer syrups is easier than using a measuring spoon and mixing small amounts of water with the syrup may also help,” he concludes.

From what age is it safe to give children antibiotics and when are antibiotics necessary?
“Antibiotics are necessary when there is a bacterial infection that requires treatment and is on the diagnosis of a medical practitioner,” explains Defty, “they (children) can be given antibiotics at any age.”

Why is it so important that a child completes a course of antibiotics?
Defty explains: “A course of antibiotics may be prescribed from five days onwards. This is because the eradication of bacteria does not happen instantly. Failure to complete a course may result in re-infection and the bacteria may begin to develop a resistance to the antibiotic, leaving medical practitioners with less choice of treatments for infections.”

Penicillin: How can parents know if their child is allergic, what are the dangers of administering Penicillin to a child who is allergic and what alternatives are there to Penicillin?
According to Defty, you probably won't know if your child is allergic to Penicillin (or any other medicine for that matter) until it is administered. However, if there is a history of Penicillin allergy in the family you can be tested for a suspected allergy.

Your pharmacist will always tell you if a medicine contains Penicillin, but it is important that you disclose all medication allergies to your doctor, nurse and pharmacist - just to be safe. Administration of medicines to a patient to which they are allergic can have a wide range of consequences, the most dramatic being death.

Regarding alternatives to Penicillin, these depend on the bacteria needing to be eliminated and what it is sensitive to.

Is it advisable to give small children aspirin and if not, what are the dangers associated with administering aspirin to a child and what would you recommend instead of aspirin?
“Aspirin should not be administered to children under the age of 12 years for the treatment of fevers, headaches or general pain and should especially be avoided when treating viral conditions!” warns Defty.

He explains that there is the risk of a condition called Reye's Syndrome developing with the administering of aspirin and recommends Paracetamol as an over-the-counter alternative, but emphasises the importance of adhering to the recommended dosage.

Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Medi-Clinic Southern Africa, with more than 50 hospitals in South Africa and Namibia, is one of the three largest private hospital groups in the subcontinent.- more....

[11 Jul 2008 09:45]

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