What should I do after taking the wrong medicine? Tell you the best time to take 5 medicines

Recently, there was a media report that a driver mistook the accelerator for the brake and caused a car accident because he took cold medicine and drove. It is not uncommon for car accidents to occur due to driving after taking cold medicine. There are some special periods or times in life when you really need to be cautious with medication, such as after drinking, before driving, during menstruation, during pregnancy, etc. Do you know these?

So, what should you do if you take the wrong medicine?

A. Drug allergy, take anti-allergic drugs

If drug allergy occurs, stop taking the medication immediately. If necessary, take anti-allergic drugs such as chlorpheniramine or loratadine (Claritin). Severe allergic reactions are likely to result in exfoliative dermatitis, in which large patches of skin fall off. This condition is very dangerous and should be treated immediately. If asthma or anaphylactic shock occurs, the person should be sent to the hospital for emergency treatment immediately.

B. Overdose of oral hypoglycemic drugs, beware of hypoglycemia

Diabetic patients should carry some candy, chocolate or biscuits with them. When they experience palpitations, hunger, trembling hands and feet, dizziness, or mental confusion, they can quickly eat some candy to relieve the symptoms. People who take acarbose tablets should always have glucose on hand for emergency use. In case of loss of consciousness, convulsions or even coma, emergency treatment should be given by rapid intravenous injection of glucose injection.

C If you accidentally take external medication, you can drink a lot of milk

If a child accidentally ingests highly corrosive drugs, such as Lysol or carbolic acid disinfectants, it is not advisable to induce vomiting. You can let your child drink plenty of milk, thick rice soup or vegetable oil. These foods can adhere to the esophageal and gastric mucosa, reducing the irritation of the medicine to the human body. If you accidentally take strong acid or alkaline drugs, you should not induce vomiting to avoid secondary damage to the esophagus and throat. You can drink some cold milk, soy milk, etc. to protect your stomach, and then go to the hospital for treatment.

D Taking medicine during pregnancy to determine whether to terminate the pregnancy

First aid method: If you take medicine by mistake without knowing it, you should ask an experienced specialist to make a decision on whether to preserve the fetus or terminate the pregnancy based on the severity of the drug's side effects and related symptoms.

E Drug dependence, alternative medicine to help with addiction

If you become dependent on drugs, you should gradually quit the addiction and replace the drugs you are dependent on with less addictive drugs to avoid serious withdrawal reactions.

F Taking expired medicines and inducing vomiting on your own

If you accidentally take spoiled medicine and suspect adverse reactions, you can induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage through a gastric tube. If it takes more than 1 hour to be discovered, seek medical attention immediately. When inducing vomiting, drink warm water with salt; or use 100 grams of fresh ginger, mash it to extract the juice, and drink it with 200 ml of warm water; you can also use Ten Drops of Water to induce vomiting. If the person who accidentally ingested the drug is already unconscious and unclear, do not induce vomiting, as the vomitus may be inhaled into the airway and cause suffocation.

Best time to take 5 medications

1. Heart disease medicine - take it in the morning when you first wake up

A study suggests that the KLF15 protein plays a vital role in regulating heart rhythm. Based on the changing characteristics of this protein, heart disease medications are most effective when taken before getting up in the morning.

2. Arthritis medicine - take from noon to afternoon

One study found that people with arthritis are most sick in the afternoon. Therefore, the best time to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen is from noon to afternoon. In addition, the study also found that rheumatoid arthritis is most severe in the morning, and these patients are best to take medication after dinner.

3. Lipid-lowering drugs - take before going to bed at night

Several studies have found that taking the lipid-lowering statin simvastatin before bed at night is more effective in lowering bad cholesterol levels than taking the drug in the morning. A study found that the lipid-lowering drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) increased good cholesterol levels more when taken in the evening than in the morning.

4. Osteoporosis medicine - take it in the morning after getting up

Bisphosphonates are the most commonly used drugs to treat osteoporosis. Experts believe that the most critical problem of this drug is its poor absorption, especially after contact with oil. Therefore, it is best to take this type of medicine with plain water on an empty stomach in the morning and eat after 1 hour. It should be noted that the calcium and vitamin D supplements commonly taken by such patients will also interfere with the efficacy of bisphosphonates, and they must be taken after waiting for 1 hour.

5. Antihypertensive drugs - take before going to bed at night

A new five-year study involving 2,156 patients found that taking antihypertensive drugs at night before bed is more effective than taking them in the morning, reducing the risk of angina, stroke and heart disease by 33%. However, experts say that patients who already take antihypertensive drugs in the morning do not need to change their medication time because low blood pressure can also increase the risk of stroke.