Taking your medicine and thinking about your medicine can be mutually exclusive events. But some doctors, pharmacists and even drug manufacturers want to close the gap.
One example is the newest exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry: “Medicines: The Inside Story,” running through June 1. The six-gallery, 8,000-square-foot display is intended to enlighten young and old.
“Anyone coming through the door uses medicine in some way,” said Elliott Sogol, a pharmacist and project coordinator. “We are hoping people can become more informed and learn how to better use drugs.”
The exhibit features the history of modern drugs and also explains the botanical roots of many medications and provides a strong dose of comparison with other cultures, such as the medicinal practices of American Indians, Chinese, Indians and Greco-Romans.
There is all sorts of practical information: Chicken soup does indeed contain an amino acid that helps reduce the symptoms of the common cold. By 1747, citrus fruit was recognized as a cure for scurvy, but vitamin C wasn’t identified as the principal agent until 1932. It typically takes 12 years and more than $350 million for a drug to go from initial trials through Food and Drug Administration approval. About 100 prescription drugs can produce significant and potentially dangerous adverse effects when mixed with alcohol.
Depending on the survey, between 30 and 50 percent of Americans do not take their medicines properly; the numbers are higher for senior citizens. The major ways of misuse include taking too much or too little, stopping the medicine too soon, not obtaining initial prescriptions or refills, poorly timing the doses or taking someone else’s medicines.
A 3 1/2-minute video called “Chain Terminator” animates the concepts of cells, molecules, tissues and organs for grade schoolers but should prove equally educational for any adults not holding advanced degrees in biochemistry. An eight-minute video explains how the FDA goes about approving drugs for market.
A computer game allows you to be a cancer researcher looking for the correct molecular structure of a chemotherapy drug, elaborating on receptor sites, metabolic success and patient tolerance in the process.
A second example of consumer drug education comes with much fewer bells, whistles and interactive screens, but still delivers a sound message. The American Medical Association has published a new booklet, “Taking Your Medication: A Question of Timing.” It focuses on the budding field of chronotherapy.
“The prevailing concept in modern biology has been homeostasis, that the body maintains basically constant blood, tissue and hormone levels,” said Michael H. Smolensky, a chronobiology researcher at the University of Houston’s School of Public Health and co-author of the free booklet (call 888-692-5625). “But in the last two or three decades, we have discovered the body is far from constant in all respects–and a whole host of diseases are not constant.”
For instance, Smolensky said patients with asthma, osteoarthritis and peptic ulcers have symptoms that peak at night. Hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches and angina are worse during the early part of the day.
“The next generation of drugs are already being developed to address this chronobiology,” Smolensky said. “Doctors, pharmacists and patients all need to know that timing of medications can be critical to treatment.”
What’s more, the well-timed medicine can prevent severity in side effects, such as the potential constipation among patients taking medication for high blood pressure.
Smolensky said the booklet is a good start for doctors, pharmacists and patients to explore whether certain medications might work better taken at different times of day. But he adamantly urged against patients “arbitrarily picking a new timing for medicines” without a doctor’s guidance.
An example: Chronobiology research shows rheumatoid arthritis patients can benefit from taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, before bed to help address morning stiffness and joint pain. But those patients shouldn’t assume that a steroid-based drug works the same way. In fact, corticosteroids should be taken in the morning because that’s when the body expects a rush of the hormone cortisol; taking it before bed confuses the body’s biochemical mechanisms and even risks shutdown of the adrenal system.
“Because your neighbor has tried a new regimen successfully doesn’t mean you should switch your routine,” Smolensky said. “Talk to your doctor. Your community pharmacist is another good source.”
