European University of Lefke (EUL) Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty Member Asst. Prof.  Dr. İrfan Akartaş shared information about the importance of using medicines correctly.

Akartaş said, “Today, although there are many forms of medicine such as tablets, capsules, syrups, sprays and ointments, it is frequently observed that some of them are used incorrectly by patients,” Akartaş drew attention to the fact that there are known mistakes, especially regarding the hunger or full consumption of drugs. Akartaş said, “Drugs in the form of tablets or capsules to be taken on a full stomach should be taken immediately after a meal, and medicines to be taken on an empty stomach should be taken 2 hours after a meal to 1 hour before the next main meal.” He emphasized that especially taking stomach medicines on an empty stomach and antibiotics on a full stomach.

Mentioning that the collapse of the drug called sedimentation in syrups can be observed over time, Akartaş said, “This is an important stability problem that is encountered especially in suspensions and prevents the intake of the drug in equal doses each time. “Syrups must be shaken thoroughly before each use in order to prevent this situation and to ensure that patients receive equal doses of medication for each use.”

Akartaş continued his words on how to use nasal sprays as follows: “Before nasal sprays are used, the nose should be emptied and cleaned, after spraying into the nose, the head should be tilted back for 3-5 minutes and the fluid should flow backwards. At this stage, this situation should be avoided as the nasal breathing will cause the drug to be swallowed and not to fully penetrate the inner mucosa of the nose. ”

Akartaş said, “Warming the ear drops in the palm for a few minutes before using reduces the risk of irritation of the patients” said Akartaş, saying that the patient should lie on the side of the patient so that the ear to be applied drops is facing upwards, the earlobe should be pulled upwards slowly and the drop should be squeezed and the drops should be spread to the inside of the ear. He stated that it is important not to change the lying position for 3-5 minutes.

Continuing his explanation with the use of eye ointments, Akartaş said, “Before using eye ointments, patients must wash their hands with soap and water and apply the drug in front of a mirror. The patient should look up by tilting his head backwards and apply the ointment in an amount to cover the inner part of the lower eyelid. After the application, the eye should be closed for 1-2 minutes and then clipped to ensure that the medicine spreads to the surface of the eye. Since ointments are mostly oily structures, they may cause a brief blurring of vision. In these cases, the eye should not be rubbed and contacted with the eye. Otherwise, microorganism contamination or infection may be caused ”.

Finally, Akartaş said, “Proper use of drugs shortens the duration of treatment and increases patient compliance with the drug by causing less side effects. Consult your pharmacist to make sure you use your medicine correctly ”.