Many people, especially elderly people and...

Australia is a country tablets Poppers. To 170 million prescriptions were spent last year. But we use our products safely? We look at some common mistakes to take pills to sort fact from fiction dangerous. A. Pressed tablets dangerous? Many people, especially elderly people and children, it is difficult to swallow pills, so crushing them seems ideal. Not so, says Professor Andrew MacLachlan, professor of pharmacy at the University of Sydney. "The medicine we have in stock the shelves at pharmacies in different forms of dose or feel they deliver medicine and when we begin to change the way they can be used, then we begin to encounter some problems," says Professor McLachlan. A simple test shows how the pills are designed to absorbed at different rates. Two tablets each placed in a glass of water. One tablet quickly dissolves into a glass of water, giving us a large dose. Another gives us less steady stream of drugs. If you crush the pill, we influence the rate of absorption and that could mean trouble. "If we potovkty that the dosage form, often what happens is the medicine will be very quickly absorbed into the bloodstream in higher doses than men, and expected," says Professor McLachlan. "This could lead to excessive impact on the person and side effects This is a big risk.".

These risks include prevention pills work, burning sensation in the esophagus or letting too much and too quickly, leading to dangerously high levels of treatment in your system. Talk to your doctor about medicine, because some pills crush or chew well. The same drug may also be available in more easy to swallow capsules or liquid form. - You just never take the pill one, preferably with water or juice. - If you have trouble swallowing, try making a deep breath before taking the pill can reduce the gag reflex. - If all else fails, some people put the pill in jelly to make it easer to go down. 2. In alcohol and antibiotics mixture? You probably have heard that antibiotics increase the effects of alcohol and you get drunk faster. But this is a lie. "If you are receiving antibiotics, you will probably be bad. Potentially you also dehydrated, which means that a given dose of alcohol will allow you to feel more drunk. This is not necessarily due to the antibiotic, that is how you "re feeling at the time," explains Professor McLachlan. So if a disease, not antibiotics, putting you under the table, as the story begin? Back in the 50's and 60's doctors appointment penicillin, sexually transmitted diseases. Alcohol can lead to playfulness, and in efforts to stop people having sex while infected with the doctors told them not to mix antibiotics and drink. Many also believe that drinking will stop antibiotics working. Not true. "Drinking alcohol while you are receiving antibiotics did not affect the ability of the antibiotic to do its job to kill the infection that you have," says Professor McLachlan. There are several antibiotics that can react with alcohols and make you sick. But if you're feeling pretty crook to tablet, it's probably better to postpone the drink in any case. We hear much about the dangers of taking too many antibiotics, so it is better to stop taking antibiotics as soon as you feel better? The answer is no. Always complete the prescribed course of antibiotic treatment. If not, some errors can survive and get back to you sick again. They are also likely to develop resistance to antibiotics, making them harder to kill in the future. 3. Can you overdose of pills for headaches? There are three main types of pain: aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol. Professor McLachlan says it is important to follow instructions on how to take them all. "As long as they are used in recommended doses, it should be fine, but making sure that we only use them in this dose range, which is really important," he says. You always have to take aspirin and ibuprofen with food, otherwise they may cause nausea or stomach bleeding. Paracetamol is considered safe analgesic when used properly, but an overdose can cause liver failure and in extreme cases, death. What is a safe daily dose of pain killers? For the average adult, most aspirin tablets 12, six for ibuprofen and paracetamol eight. But according to Dr. Lynn weeks of national purpose service, it is important to take into account other factors. "For some drugs, it is important to take into account your weight," she says. "If you little man then in the lower range of doses, if you're a big boy, you are probably well on a high-end range of doses."

Another thing to look for hidden overdose. For example, most colds and flu products contain acetaminophen. If you unknowingly take painkillers, and you double the dose and go beyond safe limits. 4. Can aspirin prevent a heart attack? We know that aspirin works on the headache and according to the vascular surgeon Professor John Harris, it is advantageous from a heart attack too. "I think that is pretty strong evidence that supports a small dose of aspirin, which have a benefit, not only in terms of heart risk, but also probably in terms of reducing stroke," says Professor Harris buy strattera. "The advantage varies between men and women. Reduction of heart disease is probably more in men and stroke in women. "

Reduction of aspirin risk heart attack by 32 percent in men and stroke by 17 percent in women. Aspirin works because it thins the blood, which helps stop clots. Thus, it can also be used in dealing with disaster distant trips deep vein thrombosis. The dose is 100 mg day only tiny, about one-third of the standard tablet. But, as always, consult your doctor before starting any new medicine. 5. As the pill really goes on dates? For various reasons, while many of us will regularly throw out food past its expiration date, we are very pleased to continue to take out of date drugs. Thinking, it seems that drugs do not go, but they do. "The most common effect of expired drugs is that they will not work properly, so you do not get the full effect of the drug, which means that you do not get the benefit you want to treat," says Dr. Weeks. "Several types of antibiotics can also change their chemical structure and cause significant serious adverse consequences for you."

Side Effects of out of stock products can range from mild rashes to liver problems like hepatitis. Do not risk to put expired drugs in your bag and return them to the pharmacy for proper disposal. 6. Can vitamin C prevent colds? Many of us stock up on vitamin C in the winter months to prevent colds, but you can take too much? Professor McLachlan says that this is unlikely. Vitamin C is water soluble and can not be stored in the body. Any excess quickly washed out of our system through the kidneys and urine. "It's often said that Australians, for this reason, there is precious urine in the world," he says. The maximum recommended daily dose of vitamin C is 1000 mg. But to maintain good health, you only need about 45 mg per day. You get that much from one orange, red peppers, black currant better source. "There have been many studies to try and make sure Vitamin C can actually prevent colds," says Professor McLachlan. "Unfortunately, the results show that this is not true that vitamin C can do is reduce the cold and it is very clear.".

Warning: in contrast to vitamin C, fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and E can be stored in the body and become toxic at high levels. Thus, although there are obvious benefits of supplements, you should not overdo them. .