Medicines – Food Supplements

Consumption of medicines can be by inhalation, injection, smoking, swallowing, absorption through a patch on the skin, suppository or dissolution under the tongue. Commercial medicines are produced by pharmaceutical companies and are usually patented. Generic medicines are those whose active ingredient has expired and can be produced by more than one company. Drugs can be classified according to route of administration, chemical properties and the biological systems they affect. A more reliable and widely used classification system is the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC system).

A drug or em is a natural, semi-synthetic or synthetic chemical preparation administered to living organisms by various methods of administration, which, through its effect on living cells, makes it possible to diagnose, cure or treat a disease in order to reduce its symptoms or to protect against this disease.

Pharmacists are drug specialists.

The route through the digestive tract into the bloodstream is called the enteral route. Other ways of taking medicines such as injections and vaporseptiles are also called parenteral routes.

Medicines according to Preparation Method:

Majistral medicines: A form of medicine prepared by the pharmacist according to the formulated active substance and quantities prescribed by the doctor.
Off-label medicine: Drugs prepared by the pharmacist according to the formula in the Pharmacopoeia and kept ready.
Preparation: Drugs prepared by pharmaceutical companies or pharmaceutical laboratories with a license from the Ministry of Health.

There is no connection between the chemical structure of drugs and their physiological effects. For example, alcohols have hypnotic, analgesic and antibiotic effects. Various amines can also have analgesic, antihistamine and antimalerial effects. Drugs are therefore usually classified according to their physiological effects:

Drugs affecting the nervous system
Drugs affecting the central nervous system
Anesthetic drugs
Hypnotic and sedative drugs
Analgesic drugs
Drugs affecting the peripheral nervous system
Drugs that affect the autonomic nervous system
Medicines affecting the cardiovascular system
Medicines affecting the digestive system and intestines
Drugs affecting the respiratory system
Drugs with chemotherapeutic effect
Vitamins and hormones
Drugs with disinfectant and antiseptic effects

The medicine consists of two parts:

Active substance (drog): A mixture of one or more chemical substances that have a physiological effect on living organisms.
Carrier (liquid): Chemical substances without physiological effect (such as glucose, paraffin, glycerin) added to the active substance so that it can be easily taken by the patient or dosed well.

Drugs show their effects in two ways according to the route of administration:

Local effect: It is the effect of the drug in the area where it is applied.
Systemic effect: This is the effect of the drug in the organism after it enters the bloodstream and spreads to the tissues.

Prescription forms of medicines

Non-prescription medicines
Prescription medicines
Controlled medicines
Red prescription medicines
Green prescription medicines
Purple prescription medicines
Orange prescription medicines

Storage conditions of medicines

Today, most medicines can be stored at room temperature.
Medicines that should be stored in the cold chain (2-8 degrees Celsius).
Medicines that need to be stored out of the light.
Medicines to be stored in a dry place.

Medicine expiry date Ensuring the quality of the medicine until a certain date. Depending on the conditions in the country, the manufacturer determines this date, sometimes through accelerated trials (high temperature and humidity) and sometimes through long-term trials.