THE NIGERIAN PHARMACIST BLOG

  So today in the Pharmacy, a lady came in with a written note to buy the following antibiotics. Perfloxacin 2 "Cipro infusion" 6 "Ciproxin tablets" 2 Rocephin 6. On seeing the note I wasn't comfortable, I asked her who the drugs were meant for, she said it's for herself, I then asked her who prescribed it and she said a nurse, I asked her to call the nurse that I want to speak with her to know why she wants to give all these antibiotics to one person, maybe all the bacteria in the world are having a conference in the lady's body. Not that the the one she wrote "Ciproxin" is ciprofloxacin and Cipro infusion is also ciprofloxacin but meant for intravenous use (these nurses usually call it Ciproxin or Cipro), Ciprofloxacin and Perfloxacin are the same class of drugs with similar mechanism of action, (same Pharmacology) just some differences in their chemical structures, so basically this "nurse" wants to give one drug in two different f...

 1. Antibiotics dry up blood when you take them and so it must be taken with blood supplements. This is very wrong, antibiotics do not dry blood, ask your doctor or pharmacist whatever you need to know when taking antibiotics. 2. The white vitamin C works better than the coloured one. The difference between the coloured and white vitamin C are the colourants and sweeteners used to manufacture the latter, ordinarily vitamin C does not have a sweet taste but sweeteners and colourants  are incorporated into the active drug during compounding/manufacture to improve the taste and aesthetics, that's all. The sour or sweet taste is not associated with efficacy. 3. Anti helminthics (worm expellers) should be taken after taking sugar or sugary food. Some people say this is done to entice the worm to come out and eat the sugary food so that the drugs can act on it. This is one of the most hilarious stuff I've ever heard as a pharmacist, however it is not true, just take your worm expell...