Saturday, June 25, 2011

Aloe vera is a drug of wonder

Aloe barbadensis
Aloe vera is a drug of wonder that is obtained from Aloe barbadensis. A succulent plant spreading by off set..
In PAKISTAN it is called QUARGANDAL.

It contain Anthraquinone glycosides mainly a loin,barbaloin,emodin and to some extent socaloin.

The juice leaves and gels are extracted and used for variety of skin conditions and Aloe Vera has long been used for the nourishment and beauty of skin,due to its soothing effects on skin.Now a days it has also been used for its anti inflammatory and pain relieving properties.
                                                                                       It is use in most cosmetics as moisturizer.

PHARMACEUTICALY
Aloe vera
Its extract is used for dilution of semen in artificial fertilization of sheep, and food preservative and water conservation in small farms.
The extracts from ALOE are used as experimental agents as immunostimulant in animal studies.
It is laxative and used for gastric problems.
Also used in gingivitis.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pregnant Womens should not touch finasteride

Finasteride is an anti androgen that is mainly used for patients that are producing excess of steroids mainly testosterone.

It is orally active and cause reductiion in levels of dihydrotestosterone the drug level begin after 8 hrs and lasts for 24 hrs.

Finasteride cause shrinkage of prostate gland and relieve the symptoms of urinary retention caused by enlarged  gland obstructing the out flow of urine from the bladder and reduce the risk of urinary retention,
the drug act by reducing the androgenic stimulation of the prostate and inhibits the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone tomore active metabolite 5-dehydroxytestosterone(5-DT) within the gland.It is also prescribed to patiens having bleeding from the prostate

It is also a TRICHOGENIC AGENT(that promote hair growth) and usefull for both men and women the underlying mechanism is that dihydrotestosterone(DHT) acts on hair follicles and damage them causing baldness in men and female pattern hair loss that is characterized by reduction in hair density over crown and frontal scalp area this condition is most prevalent in advance age continued treatment with finasteride is necessary to gain maximum benefits.It is also used in females with hirsutism.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Bananas and Depression

You might be surprised that by eating bananas you can combat depression

Yes you can.

Of course they cannot be equal to chemotherapy but they are good for children
It has been proved by research that bananas are useful in treating depressed patients because they have sufficient quantity of serotonin a brain chemical that regulate mood  and it is assumed that depressed patient have low level of serotonin so, by taking bananas you feel better.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

OPium addiction and its treatment

when addicted to heroin or opioids commonly obtained from  GUL_E_LALA plant or Papaver somniferum or disambiguation all are the names of same plant.
Use of this opium is associated with physical dependence and addiction most commonly seen with regular use.the most commonly observed effects with heroin addiction is  malnutrition, respiratory effects, low blood pressure.
when the drug intake is interrupted the addict feel very much irritated and he take drug to achieve the same euphoria that is observed with the drug usage.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Right choice at righttime makes your therapy effective


Health and overdose

Some time you have to use more than one drug i such a case it is highly recommended that you should consult your pharmacist so that possible side effects can be prevented.


 Use of  more than one drugs is called poly-pharmacy,in such case the recommendations of pharmacist should be followed strictly and do not use the drugs with out consulting  your doctor or pharmacist.


Poly pharmacy is detrimental to your health if it is practiced with out consulting health authorities.
one thing to be remembered that your health is wealth  and you know the worth of this wealth when you fell ill

Taking one or more medicines can be harmfull


It has been postulated that multipule drug use is associated with more serious adverse effects some time because of DRUG DRUG INTERACTION.
different drugs that have different pharmacological activity interact in a different way and is associated with special adverse effects.
When more than one drugs are used than the may interact with each other and poses serious health hazards to patient using them
SO,
you should consult your pharmacist that can tell you the right therapy at right time, this will effect your drug therapy and you will feel better.

Herbal medicines helps a lot in treatment


herbs have long been used in the treatment of many diseases in ayuervedic medicines every medicine comprises a plant product that is extracted from different plant parts e.g stem roots and leaves.
now a days most of the drugs are synthetically made but the importance of plant in therapy cannot be denied.
Most of the drugs are either extracts or made by substitution of plant extracts.

Vitamin C helps to nourishe your skin




Vitamin C commonly known as ASCORBIC ACID, has been using for skin nourishment along with VITAMIN E since long time.
Skin care personnel recommend the use of vitamin C and E on the face and parts of body that are exposed to sun light mostly because it protects against the harmful UV radiations.
Study has proved that vitamin C is also anti aging.
Vitamin C promotes the growth of collagen and decrease pigmentation.
ONE THING THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED USING VITAMIN C
-it may be oxidized by air and may cause more damage than its beneficial effects.
SOURCES OF VITAMIN c
1-CITRUS FRUITS
2-Mango
3-Strawberries
4-Watermelon
5-spinach
6-cabbage
7-tomato
8-Green and red pepper
9-papaya
10-Turnips

Heating and cooking destroy the efficacy of Vitamin C so care should be taken,the best source is uncooked raw food
SIDE EFFECTS OF VITAMIN C
1-Bleeding gums
2-Gingivitis
3-Rough dry scaly skin
4-Nose bleeds
5-Dry splitting hairs
soft gelatin capsules


medicines in a pharmacy

Tuesday, June 14, 2011


Healthy look:

Healthy look:

The use of nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs


INTRODUCTION
These drugs are commmonally emphasized with the abbreviated name of “ NSAIDs ”.

Mainly shares the capacity to suppress the signs & symptoms of inflammation(Anti-inflammatory).
These  drugs also exert Anti-pyretic & Analgesic effect,But it is their anti-inflammatory properties that make them most useful in the management of disorders in which pain is related to intensity of the inflammatory processs.
Mechanism of action
Only one beautiful line , mentioned in the mother book of Pharmacology , explains the whole concept of mechanism;

INHIBITION OF PROSTAGLANDIN’S BIOSYNTHESIS

This inhibition is by inhibiting enzyme called ‘PROSTAGLADIN SYNTHASE’ or ‘CYCLOOXYGENASE’

Classification of NSAIDs
Non-selective COX inhibitors:-
 Asprin , ibuprofen , diclofenic , piroxicam.
Preferential COX-2 ihibitors:-
Meloxicam , nabumetone.
Selective COX-2 inhibitors:-
Celecoxib , parecoxib.
Analgesic antipyretic with poor anti-inflammatory action:-
Paracetamol
PHARMACOKINETICS
NSAIDs are rapidly & completely absorbed from GI tract.
Peak concentration occurs with in 1-4 hours.
The presence of food tends to delay the absorption without affecting peak concentration.
Most NSAIDs are extensively protein bound i.e. 95-99%.

PHARMACOKINETICS
NSAIDs undergo hepatic metabolism.
Renal excretion mechanism is involved for their elimination from body.
NSAIDs are not recommended in the setting of advanced hepatic & renal disease due their adverse pharmacodynamic effects.


DRUG INTERACTIONs
A drug interaction is a situation in which a substance affects the activity of a drug, i.e. the effects are increased or decreased, or they produce a new effect that neither produces on its own.
As we are talking about NSAIDs, the drug interaction may produce following general effects;
>>NSAIDs may antagonized the effect of other drug.
>>NSAIDs may be antagonized by the other drug to be administered.
           
DRUG INTERACTIONs
>>Plasma concentration of administered drug may increase or decrease under the influence of  NSAIDs.
>>Plasma concentration of  NSAIDs may increase or decrease  by  the administration of other drugs.
>>Toxicities may lead to renal & hepatic damage.
EXAMPLES OF DRUG INTERACTIONS
                 
EXAMPLES OF DRUG INTERACTIONS
EXAMPLES OF DRUG INTERACTIONS
EXAMPLES OF DRUG INTERACTIONS
 DRUG-FOOD INTERACTION
DRUG-DISEASE INTERACTION


Ulcer is potentiated by NSAIDs.

In Anti-cancer therapy the cytotoxic affect of the cytotoxic agents is increased. 
PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATION
Patient should be guided about possible side effects of drug and to follow the regimen according to prescriber.
The side effects may increase depending on the dose and frequency of NSAIDs.
Doctor may use higher doses of NSAIDs than “standard therapy”. Do not increase this dose without speaking with your doctor.

PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATION
PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATION
Prescriber may change to a different NSAIDs since one may work better than another for unclear reasons.
NSAIDs should be taken with food.
Do NOT combine NSAIDs without speaking with your pharmacist
For example, an arthritis patient taking daily Naproxen should NOT take another NSAID such as Ibuprofen if they develop a headache at the end of the day. Another type of medication, such as acetaminophen may be a better choice.

DURATION OF TREATMENT
The prescriber will decide the duration of treatment with NSAIDs.
Some condition require dosing 3-4 times a day for 2-3 days like anti pyretic action .
Some conditions require prolong use of NSAIDs like in gout treatment.
Patient condition and disease determine the duration of treatment.
Dosage of NSAIDs
Lower doses of NSAIDs are adequate to relieve pain in most people.
To fully treat inflammation, a higher dose of the NSAID must be taken on a regular basis for several weeks before the full anti inflammatory benefit is realized.

Dosage of NSAIDs
If the initial dose of NSAIDs does not improve symptoms, a clinician may recommend increasing the dose gradually or switching to another NSAID.

Dosage in renal impairment
Because most of the NSAIDs are excreted through the kidney.
NSAIDs may cause acute renal failure due to hypoperfusion and interstitial nephritis, as well as analgesic nephropathy (chronic interstitial nephritis and papillary necrosis).
Dose adjustment is necessary in patients with renal impairment
Some NSAIDs in combination are more nephrotoxic so avoiding these combinations can be life saving e.g aspirin and  paracetamol combinations.

Dosage in renal impairment
Dose recommendations are based on the severity of renal impairment. This is expressed in terms of glomerular filtration rate.
The serum creatinine concentration is sometimes used instead as a measure of renal function but is only a rough guide even when corrected for age, weight, and sex.
Nomograms should be used where accuracy is important.

Assessment and interventions
Assessment and intervention strategy is used in order to reduce the number of  (NSAIDs) users from possible side effects of  drug
Describe non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic self-care strategies for patients with musculoskeletal pain, headaches, and premenstrual and menstrual conditions.
Describe risk factors and management strategies for gastrointestinal toxicity induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Assessment and interventions
 In the case of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, pharmacist intervention mainly involved replacing NSAIDs for safer medications.
          ( e.g.  Replacing aspirin with safe alternative(alone responsible for 71% of GIT haemorrhages)
Pharmacist intervention involves selection of drug that is least toxic to patient e.g use of gastroprotective NSAIDs in patients with risk of gastric ulcer.
Discuss cautions and contraindications to the use of nonprescription analgesics.

Patient  family  education

patient family should be guided about possible side effects about NSAIDS