Sunday, Jul 05, 2009

Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Health (MoH)Ministry of Health (MoH) has urged people to pay special attention to warning labels and enclosed leaflets for over-the-counter medications, especially when purchasing painkillers that promise quick relief from high temperature and minor aches and pains.

A senior official at the MoH stressed that reading enclosed leaflets would make buyers of drugs aware of potential side effects and the exact recommended dosages.

The warning is in response to a series of surveys conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who assembled 37 experts last week to recommend ways to avoid cases of fatal overdoses when using drugs like acetaminophen (commonly used to relieve pain and reduce fever and considered the leading cause of liver failure in the US - sending nearly 56,000 people to the emergency room annually).

Due to their side effects on the liver, a ban was recently imposed on two of the most popular prescription painkillers in the world, Vicodin and Percocet.

The ministry has also called for cutting back on purchases of daily doses of over-the-counter drugs that contain acetaminophen, such as Extra Strength Tylenol and Excedrin for instance. Both drugs are popular among adults and children across the UAE.

Dr Ameen Al Amiri, the director of the Medical Practices and Licensing Department at the MoH told Gulf News that the UAE is one of the first countries to take action to limit the damage from over-the-counter medications. The MoH, he said, is in close contact with pharmaceutical companies to make sure that the necessary warning labels are prominently displayed on packages and that dosages are clearly mentioned in enclosed leaflets.

"The ministry has a Drug and Registration Monitoring Department that makes sure the necessary steps are taken and that clear warnings are placed on medications sold across the UAE," said Al Amiri.

Doctors in the UAE feel that lowering the maximum prescribable dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet is necessary.

"Vicodin and Percocet are restricted drugs in this part of the world anyway. But I do agree that safety restrictions should be applied on their use," Dr Ashok Kapoor, chairman of Getwell Medical Centre in Dubai, told Gulf News.

"They contain a component known as deoxycodein, which has a sedative effect and can impair your efficiency. It acts on your nervous system. For example, while driving, these drugs can induce sleep," he said.

According to Dr Kapoor, such drugs act as painkillers and are prescribed for flu and body ache. "Heavy dosage can affect vital organs. One cannot buy these drugs over the counter. One needs special prescriptions to buy these drugs. We avoid prescribing it as much as possible."

Dr R.V.S. Ranavat of the Ramada Medical Centre in Dubai voiced a similar opinion. According to him, deoxycodein is completely banned in all Arab countries. "It is next to morphine; there is a special prescription a copy of which goes to the MoH, another to the pharmacist, one copy is kept with us and, towards the end of every month, doctors have to provide a detailed report to the ministry on the patient's history and the number of occasions these drugs were prescribed," he said.

Do you read the leaflets before consuming prescription drugs? Before purchasing medication, do you consult with a doctor or pharmacist? Or do you just buy them off the shelf?

By Dina El Shammaa and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporters

© Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.

 

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