5 The wrong way to take medicine, but you often do it: function, dosage, side effects, how to use it

When you are sick you cannot do your usual activities and also have to take medicine which you definitely don't like the taste of. Even though it can cure you of disease, the wrong way to take medicine can actually make your health condition worse.

What are the wrong ways to take medicine?

1. Do not read the rules for use on drugs without a prescription

When sick, some people may prefer to use over-the-counter medicines at pharmacies or stores. Especially in less severe diseases such as diarrhea, chills, or constipation. Besides being more practical without having to queue for treatment to the doctor, using drugs without a doctor's prescription is also considered more affordable.

Make no mistake, taking drugs without a prescription can also make your condition worse. Why? Not carefully reading the rules for taking medicine can cause you to take too many doses of the drug, the drug reacts with other diseases you have, the performance of the drug is impaired because of other drugs you are taking, or it could be the wrong time to take the drug.

So, before you use drugs without a prescription, first make sure that the medicine you are using is in accordance with the disease you have. Ask your pharmacist or find out in advance about the medicine you want to use. Don't forget to read the medication rules carefully first.

2. Take certain medications without a prescription in the long term

Having a disease whose symptoms recur and usually get better with certain drugs can make you dependent on these drugs. When symptoms recur, you may choose to buy the drug without a prescription from your doctor.

The habit of using drugs without a doctor's prescription and used in the long term can have bad side effects on the body. For example, pain relievers such as ibuprofen. This drug is very easy to find but is not used for the long term. Reporting from Reader's Digest, if you continue to use it, kidney failure and bleeding in the stomach lining can occur.

So, whatever medicine you take, especially if symptoms of the disease often appear and interfere with your activities, seek medical attention immediately. Consult the use of drugs and the progress of your condition to avoid the severity of the disease and overuse of drugs.

3. Just use antibiotics

If you have a disease that is caused by a fungus or bacteria, usually the drug you should take is antibiotics. Unfortunately, this drug is not always effective at treating the same disease next time.

Using the same antibiotics or taking the wrong antibiotic medication can make bacteria or fungi resistant to the antibiotic. As a result, the disease will be more difficult to treat and you will need to take another antibiotic with a stronger dose or potency.

So, during treatment you have to pay close attention to how the effect of antibiotics on your health. Consult the doctor how to take the right antibiotic medication and your health progress.

4. Stop or not finish the doctor's prescription drugs

Source: NBC News

When the body feels better, laziness to finish the drug often appears. Even though there are certain drugs that you actually have to take until they run out. Likewise with the side effects of drugs that sometimes make you uncomfortable so you don't want to finish the drug.

The lazy attitude of taking this drug can slow down the body's recovery process from disease. It can even cause the disease to get worse. You certainly don't want to experience this, right?

So, for that you have to take the medicine on time and finish it according to the doctor's orders. You can ask the doctor to give you other drugs with milder side effects so that they don't make you lazy to take the medicine.

5. Use the medicine that has been stored for a long time

Cough medicine, febrifuge, laxatives, or diarrhea medicine must be one of them in your medicine cabinet box, right? Well, storing these types of drugs makes it easier for you when you are sick so you don't have to leave the house to buy medicine.

However, drugs also have a time limit for use, just like food. Not paying attention to the expiration date of a drug and continuing to use it can worsen infection or symptoms of illness.

We recommend that you pay attention to the expiration date of the drug. This date is usually listed on the medicine container or the outer packaging container of the drug. In order not to forget, note the expiration date on the medicine container with a marker or label.