Shelves in pharmacies bend under the weight of various preparations, not only drugs - there are also medical devices, dietary products for special nutritional purposes and dietary supplements. Choosing the right preparation can be a real challenge. Here is a handful of information that will make your decision a bit easier.
Pharmacyis mainly associated as a place where you can buy medicines - preparations that are supposed to help us in our illness. This association is absolutely correct, although nowadays a bit… naive. Many of the pharmaceutical preparations are not drugs, which, unfortunately, means that they do not fulfill their basic function - they simply do not heal.
Pills, lollipops, capsules, syrups, jelly beans, dragees, suspensions, lozenges, drops - the forms of preparations available in pharmacies can be exchanged for a long time.
The differences between the preparations do not end only in the appearance, taste and method of administration. Each of them belongs to a strictly defined category that says a lot about its purpose, effectiveness and safety. So we havedrugs and medical devices , as well asdietary supplements for special nutritional usesanddietary supplements . So what are the differences between these groups of pharmacy products?
Medical devices
Medical devices are by far the most diverse and comprehensive category of products that can be purchased at a pharmacy. Medical devices can be all kinds of devices, apparatuses or instruments used to diagnose, prevent, treat or alleviate ailments. They can also be preparations in the form of capsules, liquids or sprays with similar functions. In pharmacies you can find lozenges and lollipops for sore throat, which are medical products. The same applies to gas capsules or aerosols for moisturizing the nasal mucosa.
A common feature of medical devices with drug-like forms is the fact that their action does not require absorption into the body. Simply put, it can be said that their operation is "physical" and is based on restoring the physiological functions of the organism.
The medical device may be a hip prosthesis and a candy onhoarseness.
Similarly to drugs, also medical devices are admitted to trading after obtaining a permit from the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. Each new product of this type must undergo clinical trials that prove its effectiveness and safety. How to recognize a medical device in a pharmacy? Its packaging must be clearly marked with the CE symbol - which means the manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the requirements of specific EU directives.
Drugs
They are also called "medicinal products". They can be herbal or fully synthetic, with or without prescription (OTC). They come in the form of tablets, capsules, syrups, suspensions, powders, lamellae, drops … and many other forms. What is most important, however, is that their goal is to treat all ailments. They work differently, but they always require the drug to be absorbed into the body. The action, effectiveness, contraindications and side effects of the use of drugs are thoroughly known and described in the leaflet. Admitting a medicinal product to the market requires many years of research, documentation and approval by the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. It is a very complex and extremely costly process. As a result, however, we obtain a drug whose operation is proven and safe. Medicines are controlled by the State Pharmaceutical Inspection, which constantly monitors and examines medicinal products on the market. If they do not meet the specified requirements and standards, they are immediately withdrawn from the market.
Dietary foods for special nutritional uses
Recently, more and more preparations available in pharmacies have started to fall into this category. Until recently, dietary supplements for special nutritional purposes were associated almost exclusively with various types of milk for infants and young children and with nutrients for the elderly or chronically ill (especially those suffering from cancer). For some time, in this category, you can also find capsules, tablets, sachets and syrups intended for other groups of consumers - people suffering from flu, children and pregnant women. The definition of dietary foods for particular nutritional uses is quite extensive. Briefly, it can be said that these are food products intended to meet the specific nutritional needs of specific groups of patients. This means that these types of preparations do not have therapeutic properties, but they can support the process of proper pharmacotherapy or development (e.g. children or women inpregnancy). Their task is primarily to provide the body with specific nutrients that it needs the most at a given moment. This is the case, for example, in the case of pregnant women who, for its proper course, should enrich their diet with specific ingredients (folic acid, DHA).
Dietary foods for special nutritional uses must not be confused with dietary supplements.
The composition and requirements for special-purpose dietary supplements are definitely more restrictive and must meet the guidelines set out in both Polish and European Union law. They are controlled by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, who may require the manufacturer to provide scientific expertise and data confirming the compliance of the product with the declared special nutritional purpose.
Dietary supplements
This is by far the most numerous and least reliable group of products available in pharmacies. Dietary supplements are foods the purpose of which is to supplement a normal diet. They are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals or other substances (e.g. herbal raw materials) that have a nutritional effect. In other words, dietary supplements do not heal and are intended primarily for he althy and properly nourished people. What are they used for?
When deciding to buy a dietary supplement, first of all, try to properly select the preparation to suit your needs and expectations, without being influenced by the appearance of the packaging or advertising.
Dietary supplements are primarily attributed to "physiological" activities such as slimming, reducing appetite, increasing appetite, improving circulation or making it easier to fall asleep. The task of dietary supplements is to make our body function properly. Thus, they are used in building immunity, solving problems with falling out hair, brittle nails, etc. The procedure of admitting dietary supplements to the market is very simple. The only thing the producer of such a preparation has to do is send the draft of its packaging to the Chief Sanitary Inspector and inform about the product being placed on the market. This procedure does not require the presentation of evidence of the effectiveness of the dietary supplement, test results or its safety profile. The quality of dietary supplements is monitored by the Department of He alth and Safety, but these are random, random and irregular checks. In many dietary supplements you can find ingredients that are found in medicines (e.g. diosmin or herbal raw materials). In such situations, it is worth remembering the colossal difference that existsbetween dietary supplements, drugs and other categories of pharmacy products.
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