Medicines and Medical Commodities

Doctors cannot treat sick people without medicines. Chemist’s assistants make up (prepare) and sell ready-made medicines of all kinds. According to their medical effect they are classified as following: antibiotics, antiseptics, antitussive drugs, chemotherapeutic agents, analgetics, anaesthetics, laxatives, sleeping draughts, sedatives, diuretics, vitamin preparations, antihistamines.

As to their form they may be: pills, tablets, powders, globules, ointments, suppositories, gargles, ear-, eye-, nose-drops, tinctures, mixtures, infusions, decoctions, suspensions, emulsions. Tablets, pills, globules, suppositories, ointments, tinctures, emulsions, vitamins, injection preparations, some drops and others are usually sold ready-made. Such medicines as infusions, decoctions, mixtures, powders, suspensions, some emulsions, gargles, drops are made (prepared) by chemist’s assistants. Some drugs are sold only in accordance with the prescriptions of the doctors at the prescription department. Only medicines which are practically harmless may be sold without prescription at the ready-made medicine department (at a special counter).

Various commodities are on stock at the chemist’s too: hot water bags, cups, mustard plasters, soap, dressing material, cotton-wool, medicine droppers, gause and gause bandage and what not are on sale at the special counter (manual department). The number of chemist’s shops as well as chemist’s stalls is growing from year to year.

Geigy

Voltaren

Antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, analgetic

Composition

Active substance – Sodium(o-(2,6-dichlorphenyl)-amilo)-phenyl)-acetate(=diclofenac sodium), a phenylacetic acid derivative

Pharmaceutical form and quantity of active substance per unit

Enteric coated tablets of 25 mg, and 50 mg

Suppositories of 12,5 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg

Drops of 15 mg/mL (1 drop = 0,5 mg)

Indications

• inflammatory and degenerative forms of rheumatism: rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile;

• rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis and spondylarthritis;

- painful syndromes of the vertebral column;

• non-articular rheumatism;

• acute attacks of gout;

• painful post-traumatic and postoperative inflammation and swelling;

• painful and/or inflammatory conditions in gynaecology, e.g. primary dysmenorrhea or adnexitis;

• as an adjuvant in severe painful inflammatory infections of the ear, nose, or throat, e.g. pharyngotonsillitis, otitis, in accordance with general therapeutic principles, appropriate measures should be taken to treat underlying disease.

Fever alone is not an indication.

Dosage

Adults

The initial dose is usually 100-150 mg. In milder cases, as well as in prolonged therapy, 75-100 mg daily is usually sufficient. The daily dosage is generally given in 2-3 divided doses.

Children

Children from age of 1 year upwards should be given 0,5 to 2 mg/kg body weight daily,

In 2-3 divided doses, depending on the severity of the condition.

Restrictions on use

Contraindications

Peptic ulcer. Known hypersensitivity to the active substance.

Note

Patients experiencing dizziness or other disturbances of the central nervous system during treatment with Voltaren should not drive or operate machinery.

Adverse reactions

Gastrointestinal tract

Occasional: epigastric pain, other gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, dyspepsia, flatulence, and anorexia; suppositories: local irritation

Central (and peripheral) nervous system

Occasional: headache, dizziness, vertigo

Rare: tiredness.

Overdosage

Management of acute poisoning with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents consists essentially in supportive and symptomatic measures. Overdosage of diclofenac produces no typical clinical picture.