THE NIGERIAN PHARMACIST BLOG

Pregnancy is a special time when a woman's body goes through many changes to support the growth and development of a new life. It is essential to take good care of oneself during this time to ensure the health and wellbeing of the growing baby. One of the most important things that a pregnant woman can do for her baby is to avoid alcohol during pregnancy. Here are some of the reasons why avoiding alcohol during pregnancy is so important: Increased Risk of Miscarriage Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. This risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Women who drink heavily during the first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to miscarry than women who do not drink. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a serious condition that can occur in babies who are exposed to alcohol in the womb. It can cause a range of physical, behavioral, and cognitive problems, including facial abnormalities, growt...

 You have often heard health care givers caution you not to take alcohol while on drugs. Drug interactions occur when two or more drugs are taken together and their effects on the body are altered. Alcohol is a commonly used substance that can interact with a wide range of medications, leading to unpredictable and potentially dangerous effects. Mixing alcohol with certain drugs can increase the risk of side effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, impaired coordination, respiratory depression, and even death. Here are some examples of drugs that can interact with alcohol: Antidepressants Antidepressants are commonly used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Some antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), can interact with alcohol and cause a range of side effects, including drowsiness, dizziness, impaired coordination, and even respiratory depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are a new...

  Nutrients for Body Functions Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients needed by the body to function properly. These nutrients are obtained from the food we eat and are necessary for growth, development, and maintenance of good health. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of each vitamin and mineral, their sources, and deficiency symptoms. Vitamins Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in small quantities to maintain good health. They are classified into two groups, water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-Soluble Vitamins Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not stored in the body. They must be replenished regularly through diet or supplements. Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Importance: Vitamin B1 is essential for the conversion of carbohydrates into energy. It is also necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Sources: Whole grains, beans, nuts, pork, and fortified cereals. Deficiency symptoms: Fatigue, muscle weakness, nerve damage, an...

 METHAMPHETAMINE (Mkpụrụ mmiri), What our youths should know. I believe the name Mkpụrụ mmiri comes from the fact that the drug, crystal methamphetamine looks like pieces of ice or glass fragments. It was discovered in 1893 and initially was meant for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (because it increases alertness) and obesity (because it reduces appetite), it is rarely prescribed for these uses anymore because of its high addiction rate and subsequent toxicity. Some of the ways people take the drug are by smoking, swallowing or injecting the drug that has been dissolved in water or alcohol. Because the initial high experienced when a user takes the drug does not last long, users often take repeated doses to continue experiencing the ‘highness” and this is where the addiction comes in, the user just wants to experience the euphoria again and again. Methamphetamine also known in the street as Meth, ice or Mkpụrụ mmiri is a potent brain stimulant, this means...

  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...

 This article is based on my daily  observations of drug use in Nigeria as a community Pharmacist. I will not be talking about substance abuse which involves the use of psychoactive substances but rather drug misuse. Nigeria has a chequered history of drug delivery and usage, almost all drug types could be bought over the counter in Nigeria,  before I go further drugs in the Pharmacy are classified into Over The Counter (OTC) drugs and Prescription Only Medications (POM). OTC drugs are medications that could be bought without a doctor's prescription while POM are medications that you can only buy with a valid prescription by a medical, dental or veterinary practitioners. In Nigeria, virtually all drugs are sold as OTC, you can simply walk into any pharmacy or drug store and purchase the most ethical drug without any prescription and this has resulted in a lot of drug misuse in the society today with a lot of implications. Another factor is that once an average Nigerian ta...