Christmas and New 12 months is a time once we notably wish to hold nicely and keep protected. The Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Company (MHRA) has set out 5 festive prime suggestions for individuals taking medicines or utilizing medical gadgets.

Dr Alison Cave, Chief Security Officer on the MHRA mentioned, “For many individuals, the festive season is a time for coming collectively, creating treasured reminiscences, and sharing traditions. However with all of the busyness presently of yr, it is essential to not let being protected fall off your To Do Listing, notably in terms of utilizing medical merchandise.

“These prime suggestions will stand you in good stead anytime of the yr too.”

1) Some medicines could work together with foods and drinks.

The festive season is usually a time for consuming and consuming greater than we would do at different instances. However do you know that some merchandise can work together along with your medicines, altering their results or rising the danger of unwanted side effects?

Cranberries are sometimes related to Christmas. In case you’re taking warfarin, for instance, used to forestall and deal with blood clots, don’t eat cranberry merchandise or drink cranberry juice. This may enhance the possibilities of bruising and bleeding.

Brussels sprouts, broccoli and inexperienced leafy Christmas greens include loads of vitamin Ok, which is a chemical the physique makes use of to advertise blood clotting. Vitamin Ok counteracts the results of warfarin and might make it much less efficient.  

It is essential that you just eat meals containing vitamin Ok, so relatively than leaving them out of your eating regimen, be sure to eat comparable quantities of them usually.

It will imply the extent of vitamin Ok in your blood stays pretty fixed and makes it extra probably that your blood monitoring degree stays steady.

Alcohol can have an effect on the way in which your medicines work. Some antibiotics, for instance, can have unwanted side effects resembling feeling sick or dizzy, which may be made worse by consuming alcohol. You need to all the time seek the advice of your physician or pharmacist about whether or not it’s protected to drink alcohol if you’re taking medicines.

You must also verify non-alcoholic drinks. Earlier than sipping that mocktail containing grapefruit juice, verify you could! For instance, don’t drink grapefruit juice should you’re taking simvastatin – used to decrease ldl cholesterol. It will increase the extent of the drug in your blood and makes unwanted side effects extra probably. Some medicines used within the therapy of cancers could work together with grapefruit juice too.

There are a number of different medicines that will work together with sure varieties of meals and drinks. The danger of experiencing a aspect impact on account of a drugs interplay can differ so much from individual to individual.

The most effective methods to verify in case your drugs might trigger interactions is to learn your Affected person Info Leaflet that comes with it, or you possibly can ask your pharmacist or GP for recommendation.  

2) Take analgesics (paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen) correctly.

Hopefully you will escape winter colds, flu and COVID-19 over the festive season. But when not, you may attain in your packet of painkillers. In that case, all the time verify the dosage directions.

These medicines are protected and efficient when taken as instructed. Taking an excessive amount of will be harmful and you could want therapy. For instance, an excessive amount of paracetamol may cause liver injury.

3) Watch out for dodgy eating regimen merchandise.

Desirous to shed weight is a standard New 12 months’s decision. If that is one thing you wish to do, remember that criminals might lure you into a fast repair by providing faux, doubtlessly dangerous merchandise resembling dodgy weight loss supplements or faux weight reduction pens on-line.

We just lately warned about these risks asking individuals to not purchase pre-filled pens claiming to include Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide). Individuals ought to solely use medicines like Ozempic or Saxenda the place they have been prescribed it by a certified healthcare skilled and with a prescription.

Watch out when shopping for medicines on-line. Faux medicines and medical gadgets purchased on-line can result in severe well being dangers.

If anybody has a priority about their weight and well being, they need to go to their GP or pharmacist, get an accurate analysis and if medicines are prescribed, acquire them from a official supply.  

All pharmacies in Nice Britain, together with these on-line, have to be registered with the Normal Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and meet their requirements for registered pharmacies.   

Go to the #FakeMeds web site for instruments and assets that will help you buy medicines or medical gadgets safely on-line.

4) Medicines and driving.

Many people are prone to be driving dwelling for Christmas or taking to the roads to see household and associates. Sure varieties of medicines can impair your driving so be sure to verify your Affected person Info Leaflet (PIL) provided along with your drugs earlier than getting behind the wheel. The PIL will inform you in case your drugs could have an effect on your driving capacity.

Do you know that it is towards the regulation to drive in case your driving capacity is impaired by any drugs? Don’t drive should you really feel drowsy, dizzy, unable to pay attention or make choices, or when you’ve got blurred or double imaginative and prescient.

5) Report drugs unwanted side effects and hostile incidents from medical gadgets to the MHRA.

Most individuals take medicines with out struggling any unwanted side effects or use medical gadgets with out inflicting them hurt. However no efficient drugs is with out danger and hostile incidents could happen when utilizing medical gadgets.

In case you suspect you’ve got had a aspect impact or hostile incident over the festive season, or certainly at any time, please report it to our security monitoring system, the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. By doing so, you’re instantly serving to to enhance the protection of medicines and medical gadgets for everybody.