There are many misconceptions prevalent in our society regarding health issues and medication use.
There is common practice that patients themselves go to medical facilities and ask the doctor (sometimes quacks) for dextrose water drip for energy and general well being. Normally, educated and qualified doctors discourage such practices.
As a health professional, I want to share that there is no extra benefit from infusing drips if a person can take food by mouth. Drips are only indicated where patient is unable to take food by mouth or is unconscious. In that case oral intake is not possible and this route is the only choice. Unfortunately, our masses have become enemy of themselves due to lack of awareness and knowledge.
They waste their wealth by insisting on such unethical practices and are fleeced by unscrupulous elements in the health system. Similarly, people go to a doctor/quack with some medical problem and specifically ask for injection for early relief and recovery.
Medically and scientifically there is no need of injection for a patient if there is no emergency. Oral medicines are equally effective and best in most of the situation.
There are also chances of life threatening reaction (anaphylactic shock) from these injections if given without the supervision of qualified and competent doctor. But due to ignorance and prevalent misconceptions, even educated people commit such mistakes.
There is a famous saying in the medicine profession that “take your medicine orally if your gut is working”. There are rampant examples present in our society wherein a patient died just because of unwarranted use of injections which could have been averted if medicines were taken orally. Moreover, there is also a risk of Hepatitis B, C, and AIDS etc if injections were not properly sterilised.
Another issue which also needs attention of general masses is colossal misuse of antibiotics. Mostly people do not know that there is minimum duration of antibiotics course to cure some sort of infection. Some pathological conditions need longer duration of antibiotics treatment such as typhoid and some orthopedic surgery.
It is better to ask physician the duration of antibiotic course. Moreover, there are “five rights” of medicines. They are: right person is using the right medicines in right dose at a right time and in a right way. One day or two day of use of antibiotics is not beneficial; rather, it may be dangerous and may cause resistance to that drug. Sometimes people themselves decrease the dose based on their old concepts of being “hot”. Never decrease the dose of antibiotics based on personal whims.
Always ask a qualified doctor or a pharmacist about your disease and medicines and avoid seeking advice of all and sundry that are not entitled to give advice. There is need that proper policy may be formulated by government to safeguard the rights of people by giving due status to pharmacists as health managers of people.
FAROOQ BASHIR BUTT
Lahore