ANTIBIOTIC ABUSE AND INAPPROPRIATE USE OF MEDICATIONS
MY CAREER HEALTH TIPS
In a society where large
majorities are set in looking for quick fixes, hustle and bustle rat race life
style. It does not seem out of place
that the aura of medication for any ailment rather than consulting the
appropriate professional would rather go for concoctions pills, capsules etc.
The society is almost
certainly lawless regards regulation of peddling of all manners of drugs,
medications, ‘wonder’ drugs. The field
of dentistry is teeming with many instances of self medication rather than
professional advice.
Oral health problems
when confronted in the surgery are often at the late stages of its evolution.
When the pairs has become unbearable, the pain is intense, sharp and often vacillating
to the extent sleep becomes impossible.Also feeding, drinking water, cold or
hot.
The picture is that of
headache, ear ache, the person sometimes out of desperation puts cotton – wool
in the ears or even ties a scarf around the face.
The unregulated
chemists are the first port of call.
These chemists’ do not follow their stipulated guidelines of practice. Several
of the drugs being dished out are prescription drugs especially antibiotics.
Ampiclox, Flagyl certainly with the over the counter analgesics like Paracetamol and Ibruprofen are the most abused medications in the country.
The antibiotics unknown
to many when abused could lead to organisms developing resistance to the
individual and general population.
Antibiotics are meant
to be used in the right dosage, duration and should be prescribed properly. The antibiotic chain
may lead to poly-pharmacy whereby several similar medications are used. This
can result to overdosage.
Antibiotics have side
effects just like practically all medication. Paracetamol,for example, in
excess use can lead to liver damage.
The area of concern for
me personally are the herbal medicaments and topical wonder drug which will
stop toothache or kill germs or worms. For the avoidance of doubt
scientifically toothache is often caused by tooth decay.
The tooth has sensitive
parts like the dental pulp once the decay breaches the layers of enamel and
dentine, any stimulation will cause irritation of the living chamber of the
tooth, the pulp.
Therefore worms do not
exist in the mouth, medication like ‘Touch
and Go’, do not help alienate the pain. They result in caustic burns to the
oral mucous membranes.
I do not know how some
of this tooth powder, herbal teeth powder,’ touch and go’ acquire NAFDAC
number. Have they been
subjected to any medical scientific test?
Legislation should
exist to prosecute peddlers of these harmful concoctions.
People running to the
chemist who prescribed such drugs, need be prosecuted along with street traders
and peddlers of unsubstantiated claim wonder drugs. Do not use any medication
on the mouth directly. Very few medications are administered for tropical use
in the mouth, some below the tongue to enable rapid absorption. The desperation
that makes people drops medication directly on the oral mucous membrane should
be discouraged. Swallow medication, no where on the instructions are these pain
pills to be used topically.I wonder why people use them in such fashion.
Yours truly has met
several patients who use all sorts including exotic concotions like urine,
charcoal, vitamin, battery water, salt, alum, toothpaste to try alleviate toothache.
Please see the dentist at the earliest possibility should you experience a
toothache. It is wiser to make regular checks even without any pain so any problems
are detected, arrested and treated.
In dentistry,
prevention it is better and cheaper than cure.
Dr Samuel Awosolu
Dentist
08108155239
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