Every chronic disease requires regular medication. You need to know how to proceed in order for the therapy to be effective and to have as few side effects as possible. How to take medication in chronic diseases?
Constant intake of medicationsrequires patients to observe their bodies, because undesirable effects may appear not only after treatment with a new drug, but also those that have been taken for years and have been well tolerated so far. So it's worth checking for rash, pain, shortness of breath, swelling, etc. And if you notice anything disturbing, please report it to the doctor who recommended the drug.
Medicines used by many groups of patients include antihypertensive drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, inhaled steroids and antidepressants. In each of these groups there are weak and very strong drugs. You have to remember about this, because often switching one drug to another, even in the same therapeutic group, can have a negative impact on our he alth.
The basic source of information about the drug is the package leaflet. It contains all the necessary data on the method of taking the drug, dosage, side effects, etc. It would be extremely difficult to present general rules that should be followed by a person taking medications that lower blood pressure, inhaled steroids, and antidepressants. The reason is simple - the variety of preparations and many small differences between them. Paracetamol itself as an active ingredient is present in as many as 140 agents that are sold under various trade names.
Reading the informational leaflet, especially the section about side effects, can give you a headache. But the manufacturer of the drug must include in the leaflet all the actions and symptoms that occurred in patients during clinical trials before the drug registration or during the so-called development studies after drug registration. However, this does not mean that you will also experience all the unfavorable symptoms.
Drugs for lowering blood pressure
Choosing the right high blood pressure medication for the patient sometimes takes up to six months. Sometimes it takes many attempts to select the appropriate treatment. In 80% of cases, 2 or 3 medications are used that act on various mechanisms of hypertension. The physician must consider comorbidities withhypertension, age, gender, and the patient's lifestyle. Taking medications to combat high blood pressure must be combined with a lifestyle change - a change in diet, increased physical activity and quitting smoking. Medications for high blood pressure should be taken regularly and at the right time. Usually, the first dose is given in the morning when you wake up.
At this time, blood pressure is the highest, so the peak blood pressure in a day meets the drug's peak. Medicines should be taken before eating because they are better absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Wash down the tablets with water. The next dose of the drug should be taken at an interval determined by the doctor. If you forget to take the drug, do not accumulate doses, because unpleasant complications may occur, e.g. fainting or loss of consciousness.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
These are commonly used medications that relieve pain and inflammation. They are available over the counter, even at gas stations and supermarkets. Medicines from this group are often abused (a statistical Pole swallows 35 painkillers per year). And yet they are not indifferent drugs, especially for the gastrointestinal tract. Excessive use of them may cause irritation or damage to the gastric mucosa and cause the development of peptic ulcer disease. Therefore, if the disease we suffer from requires long-term use of NSAIDs, it is necessary to take medications to protect the gastric mucosa. It is especially dangerous to use several drugs from this group at the same time. People with ischemic heart disease, seniors, patients with kidney diseases and abnormal bone marrow function should take NSAIDs only after agreeing the dose and duration of treatment with the doctor.
Psychotropic drugs
Taking psychotropic medications involves changing general habits and habits, but there is no need for a special diet. You can eat anything that tastes good. However, it's worth knowing that your taste preferences may change during treatment. Then you have to give up dishes that you don't feel like eating. The only and absolute prohibition is to drink alcohol. First of all, because drugs may turn out to be ineffective or lead to serious (sometimes fatal!) Poisoning of the body.
Antidepressants
They should be used by people diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, drugs from this group are also recommended in the case of a depressed mood as a means of relieving chronic pain, menstrual discomfort and apathy. These drugs should be taken strictly according to the doctor's instructions.
Inhaled steroids
Thisextremely important medications for asthma sufferers. They are usually used twice a day, and some - the more modern ones - once a day. If your doctor has recommended you to use an inhaled steroid, take it regularly and do not forget about the next doses, but there is no need to use the drug at the same time. If you forget to take your medicine in the morning, you can take it a few hours later. After inhaling an older generation of inhaled steroid, rinse your mouth and throat with water to reduce the risk of local side effects.
Lowering cholesterol
Only in some cases you need to take medications to lower blood lipids. The doctor selects them individually, taking into account the metabolic capabilities of the body, general he alth, age and gender. First, an average dose is recommended, and then the treatment is adjusted. However, these types of preparations lower the level of not only bad, but often also good cholesterol, so the ratio of the values of both fractions remains the same in the end. Medicines should be taken under the supervision of a specialist. Under no circumstances should you change the dose or stop taking the medicine yourself. Also, do not take the preparations on your own, because you can harm yourself. However, in 10% of patients, such drugs have side effects. The use of drugs that lower the level of bad cholesterol must be combined with a change in diet and increased physical activity.
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