\n\t\tGauteng health officials urged residents not to share prescribed medicines, even when symptoms look alike.\n\t<\/p>\n
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has warned residents on Monday not to share their pills with family, friends, and neighbours.<\/p>\n
According to spokesperson Steve Mabona, sharing medicine can put lives at risk.<\/p>\n
Why sharing prescribed medicine is dangerous<\/p>\n
Mabona said a prescription was written for one person only.<\/p>\n
He said the same symptoms did not mean the same treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery prescription is based on an individual\u2019s specific health condition, medical history and treatment needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained that a pill that helped one person could hurt another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat may be safe and effective for one person could be harmful to another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Take your treatment exactly as prescribed<\/p>\n
According to Mabona, patients with HIV, TB, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and mental health conditions needed to be especially careful. <\/p>\n
He highlighted that missing doses could cause serious problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkipping doses, taking medication incorrectly or stopping treatment without consulting a healthcare professional can reduce the effectiveness of treatment and place patients at risk of serious health complications.\u201d<\/p>\n
The department also warned against misusing antibiotics. It said they did not work on flu or the common cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unnecessary use of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance, making infections more difficult to treat and increasing the risk of complications\u201d.<\/p>\n
Patients on antibiotics should finish the full course, even if they feel better.<\/p>\n
How to store and throw away medicines safely<\/p>\n
Mabona said medicines should stay in their original packaging.<\/p>\n
They should be kept away from children, sunlight, heat and moisture.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all medicines require refrigeration, and members of the public who are uncertain about storage requirements are encouraged to seek advice from a pharmacist.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said people should check their medicine cabinets often. Expired or unwanted medicines should go back to a pharmacy, clinic or hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnused medicines should never be thrown into toilets, sinks or drains, as this can pose a risk to public health and the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ask questions and use your pharmacist<\/p>\n
The department said vaccination also remained an important way to prevent disease. It urged patients to be active in their own care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe department encourages patients to take an active role in their healthcare by asking questions about their treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mabona said September was Pharmacy Awareness Month. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme was \u201cEmpowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunities are encouraged to make use of their expertise whenever they need advice about their treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gauteng health officials urged residents not to share prescribed medicines, even when symptoms look alike. The Gauteng Department…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":869242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[366469,97,243,686,300950],"class_list":["post-869241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-gauteng-health-department","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-medicine","tag-steve-mabona"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/869242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}