Treat diseases yourself with omeprazole

Treat diseases themselves, but surely
Non-prescription medications should be taken with caution and only after consultation with the pharmacy. Things to watch

Whether or cough Kopschmerztablette: medications wisely
Pharmacists are curious? Or why they want to know what  omeprazole to someone else does, but only of a headache or something needs funds for heartburn? To calm: curiosity, it is not what drives them, but interest in the welfare of the customers. Even prescription drugs can be misused or cause problems when the patient swallows also other drugs. That this actually happens quite often, shows an observational study of the Bavarian Chamber of Pharmacists (BLAK) from the year 2011. For one month, 96 pharmacies were documented, which medicines to take their customers and what types of interactions result.

So one could evaluate data including 24,000 of 21,000 customers, with 5272 interactions were identified in 3347 customers. In 405 cases could be attributed to prescription drugs. "The most common were analgesics and mineral preparations involved," says Vice President Ulrich BLAK Koczian. "Among other painkillers reduce the effect of blood pressure lowering drugs. Magnesium and calcium reduce the blood levels of thyroid hormones. "




As the Augsburg pharmacist stressed the risk of interactions increases with the age of the patients and the number of drugs taken at the same time - especially if they are prescribed by different physicians. Another risk factor is a frequently changing pharmacies. "For regular customers we can have a complete medication file and retain as an overview."

In the case of a pharmacist interaction can respond without unsettling the patient or to shake their confidence in the doctor, as most problems can be solved locally by concrete evidence. "Should lie between the use of thyroid hormones and mineral supplements such as at least two hours," explains Koczian.

People with high blood pressure, which often require painkiller should regularly measure their values. Koczian: "If necessary, we will consult with the doctor adjusts the dose of blood pressure-lowering drugs." In some cases, pharmacists strongly discourage from taking non-prescription drugs. For certain drugs, in combination with prescription drugs to serious health problems.

Therefore, read the leaflet carefully and always discuss outstanding issues with your doctor or pharmacist.

Intermediaries between doctor and patient

In her role as a mediator between doctor and patient, the pharmacist is required in the future even more secure, not least because now been released and more effective drugs from the prescription requirement. "We have the responsibility to ensure that patients are taking these medicines as intended," Werner Heuking, omeprazole pharmacy managers from Dinslaken says. "If someone was asked as a non-prescription migraine drugs, we need to make sure that the migraine diagnosed by a doctor. For other types of headaches, the drug is totally ineffective. "

The-counter proton pump inhibitors omeprazole and pantoprazole, inhibit gastric acid and help with heartburn, but should not in self-medication for longer than two weeks to be taken.

Counseling is only available in the pharmacy

A drug that is new to the market is always first omeprazole prescription. Only when it has demonstrated its efficacy and safety demonstrated a longer time, a committee of experts at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), the Federal Ministry of Health recommend that it be dismissed from the prescription. "For the foreseeable risk situation, it may be useful to improve the availability to the patient," says Maik Pommer by the BfArM.

For non-prescription medicines approved for sale in pharmacies remain subject to a rule. "The advice there is increased security," said Pommer. Sometimes the risks are so small, that advice is not necessarily deemed necessary - such as mild herbal medicines, teas, and vitamin and mineral supplements. This may then also offer drug stores and supermarkets.

Is it safe, who worried over the counter agents still in the omeprazole pharmacy, because mineral supplements often lead to drug interactions. "Only where there is quality information," said Pommer.

The opposite way is possible: As high doses of St. John's wort preparations for the treatment of moderate depression in 2009 were re-prescription. "As a serious illness is depression is not suitable for self-medication," said Pommer.

And pain medication should not be taken for longer than four days without medical advice. The BfArM has therefore requested that packages containing more than four times the maximum daily dose to make prescription drugs. This can avoid the impression that "other pain relievers are harmless" as paracetamol, which is already available on prescription since 2009 in packs of more than ten grams of active ingredient, said Pommer.

Kay Brune can only agree. "No pain medication is without risk," explains the professor at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Erlangen. "The older paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), however, have side effects, such as ibuprofen and the newer diclofenac have not."

Aspirin and omeprazole inhibits blood clotting for several days, so it is used at low doses to prevent heart attack prevention. "The pain you should not take the increased risk of bleeding, however, in buying," says Brune.

Painful menstruation and sports injuries such as reinforced by ASA. And acetaminophen in excessive amounts causes severe, sometimes fatal liver damage. According to studies, it also seems to increase children's asthma risk. Caution is always appropriate: "All pain medications should be taken with the same responsibility," said Pommer.