Package inserts belong in the medicine chest

Leaflets belong in the medicine chest and not in the bathroom

24.02.2012

As the „New pharmacies Illustrated“ reports, medication leaflets should always be kept in the medicine chest. If in doubt, it can be looked up, when and how a drug should be taken and what side effects it has.

Package inserts inform about what should be considered when taking medicines
Instruction leaflets should generally not be discarded after the first intake of a medicine. Because they not only inform about the type and duration of the use of a drug but also about its side effects and interactions. That shared the „New pharmacies Illustrated“ With. The magazine also advises keeping pediatric medicines separate from adult medicines to avoid confusion.

A suitable place for the medicine chest is the cool bedroom and not the bathroom, in the regularly humid-warm indoor climate prevails. Bandages and patches could conveniently be stored in the kitchen because the risk of injury is highest there.

Package inserts are often confusing
According to a survey conducted last year by the Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Apothekerverband (ABDA), the information on the package leaflet often causes uncertainty, rather than „helpful to be perceived“. The ABDA questioned 3,300 Germans about their experiences with leaflets. The unsatisfactory result: a large part of the interviewees found the explanations too complicated and detailed. In addition, the described side effects often led to anxiety and uncertainty of the patients. (Ag)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann