Journalist specializing in chess, in THE COUNTRY since 1985. Has lectured (and trained over 30,000 educational chess masters) in 30 countries. Author of ‘Chess and science, mixed passions’. Advisor to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for educational chess. Spanish Government Sports Merit Medal (2011).
effectiveness
Understanding Medication Expiration Dates: Safety, Efficacy, and Precautions
2023-07-30 16:07:07
When taking a medication, it is important to verify if it is a legal product and to know its composition, recommendations, and precautions.
An important detail that we must also take into account is the expiration date of the drug, since once the drugs expire they are no longer effective. Consuming a medicine that has expired a long time ago, might imply the interruption of an important treatment and, in some cases, seriously compromise the health of a person.
(Also read: These are the medications that involve the greatest risk when driving)
The laws of all countries require that the medicines that are marketed have an expiration date that is determined following many exhaustive scientific studies.
To reassure many, José Ramón Azanza, director of the Clinical Pharmacology Service of the University of Navarra (Spain), explained to BBC Mundo that “medications that can produce toxic effects in the patient once the date elapses are very rare. of expiration”.
What usually happens is that this medicine may not be effective, it will not have the effect for which it was made. “It is a problem of efficacy rather than tolerability”, explains the professor of Pharmacology.
(You may be interested in: New biologics promise advances in brain tumor treatments)
However, the expert clarifies that there is never absolute certainty of how a drug might react. Of the thousands that exist, some may be capable of producing a harmful effect once defeated.
It must be taken into account that international and national organizations that regulate the manufacture and marketing of medicines and laboratories do not carry out studies on the effects of a certain product following its expiration. On the contrary, they focus on its effectiveness and its effects during its useful life, that is, until it expires.
“In pharmacology, uncertainty is not accepted because it affects people’s safety,” Azanza told the BBC.
In essence, while medications often have an expiration date printed on the packaging, most drugs remain safe and effective for some time following that date, as long as they are stored properly. However, it is essential to consider a few factors before deciding to take an expired medication.
Things to keep in mind before taking an expired medicine
Expiration date: The expiration date indicates until which date the manufacturer guarantees the optimal safety and efficacy of the drug. After this date, the quality of the drug may gradually degrade. Type of medication: Some medications may become less effective following the expiration date, while others may be unsafe to use. Medications such as insulin, antibiotics, and liquid medications are more prone to breakdown and may be less safe if taken following their expiration date. Proper storage: The way a medication is stored can affect its durability. If the medicine has been stored incorrectly, its shelf life can be significantly shortened. Health Conditions: If you have a serious medical condition and need a specific medication, it’s better to play it safe and get a new prescription rather than use an expired medication.
How do you know if a medicine is expired?
To know when a medicine has expired, it is necessary to look at the box, label or bottle and locate the expiration date on the product, which can be expressed in the following ways:
– Caducity and/or Cad.
– Expiration and/or Exp.
– Maturity and/or Maturity
In some cases, such as multidose medications, which are those that are opened several times for administration, such as a syrup, it is very important to keep the expiration date in mind.
(Keep reading: Do planning pills affect sexual desire? We tell you)
Consuming an expired multi-dose drug may alter the stability of the drug that would pose potential risks for the patient related to both the effect and the safety of the drug.
Therefore, it is important to consume the multi-dose medicine well before the expiration date indicated on the package.
In these cases, it is best to check with the pharmacist for its validity period and, in any case, discard the remaining medicine once the treatment is finished.
More Health news
1690743381
#long #expiration #medicine #Health
The Federal Reserve and other six central banks will increase liquidity through the US dollar swap agreement. Will the market panic stop?丨On the market
Share to WeChat
Open WeChat, click “Discovery” at the bottom, |
The Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank issued a statement last Sunday saying: In order to enhance the effectiveness of the US dollar swap arrangement in providing liquidity, the central banks currently providing US dollar swap operations have agreed to transfer 7 The frequency of day swap operations has been increased from weekly to daily. The move comes at a time when the turmoil between European and American banks continues to ferment. Can the efforts of policy makers effectively alleviate the panic in the market?
The Federal Reserve and other six central banks will increase liquidity through the US dollar swap agreement. Will the market panic stop? |On the market
The Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank issued a statement last Sunday saying: In order to enhance the effectiveness of the US dollar swap arrangement in providing liquidity, the central banks currently providing US dollar swap operations have agreed to transfer 7 The frequency of day swap operations has been increased from weekly to daily. The move comes at a time when the turmoil between European and American banks continues to ferment. Can the efforts of policy makers effectively alleviate the panic in the market?
Demonstrate the effectiveness of meditation to reduce symptoms of exhaustion and depression in doctors
Burnout is a very common disorder among doctors, with broad implications both for the professionals themselves and even for patients and healthcare systems. To alleviate the effects of this disorder, a randomized controlled study, conducted at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine…
Burnout is a very common disorder among doctors, with broad implications both for the professionals themselves and even for patients and healthcare systems.
To alleviate the effects of this disorder, a randomized controlled study conducted at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago (USA) suggests the practice of meditation techniques.
The work, published in the ‘Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions’, which examines, for the first time, the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique found notable effects in the reduction of symptoms of exhaustion and depression in the physicians who practiced it.
“Prior to treatment, the doctors were discouraged by the impact burnout was having on their work and personal lives. Seeing that both burnout and depression were significantly reduced in the 1-month and 4-month posttests for the Transcendental Meditation group indicates a real possibility of alleviating these symptoms across the healthcare profession.”the teacher explained Marie Loisel, lead author and senior researcher at the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharish International University (USA).
For the study, 40 physicians participated for four months, comparing the TM technique with usual treatment controls. TM is described as a simple and effortless technique, practiced for 20 minutes twice a day, sitting with eyes closed. TM allows the ordinary thought processes become more inactive, which results in a unique state of well-being and rest.
According to him Dr. Gregory Gruener, study co-author and associate dean for education at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, “Longevity in a career that will span 40 to 50 years requires a physician to take the ‘long-term view.’ While knowledge, skills, and attitude are essential, TM provides mental clarity and calm“
The participants started from a state characterized by total exhaustion, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2) was also used to determine the effectiveness of TM on depressive symptoms over the same time period.
Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to assess adjusted mean change scores. Significant improvements were found for the TM group compared to controls in total exhaustion ( P = 0.020), including the MBI dimensions of emotional exhaustion ( P = 0.042) and personal fulfillment ( P = 0.018) and depression ( P = 0,016 ).
“These results coincide with the research on Transcendental Meditation recently published in ´JAMA Network Open´ and the ´Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians´ showing the magnitude of the effect of TM on exhaustion and depression symptoms in healthcare personnel. The findings are also consistent with research conducted in other population groups.”indicated, for his part, Sanford Nidich, co-author and director of the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharish International University (USA).