Myth: If you have a headache, you should take aspirin

Although aspirin is an effective analgesic, it is not always the best choice for headache relief. Depending on the cause of the pain, other medications or treatments may be preferable.

Aspirin, like other anti-inflammatory drugs, has serious side effects, such as possible development of inflammatory changes in the stomach, the appearance of ulcers and the risk of stomach bleeding with long-term use.

It is not recommended to give aspirin to children under 18 years of age because it can cause a rare but serious condition known as Reye’s syndrome. If your headache is due to a fever, it is important to consult your doctor to determine the most appropriate treatment.

The most common form of primary headache is tension, which can be caused by psycho-emotional stress, depression, anxiety and various phobias, as well as overexertion of the muscles of the shoulder girdle. If your headache occurs frequently and is bothersome, it is important to see your doctor. We remind you that painkillers do not cure, but only eliminate symptoms.

Myth: If a medicine is prescribed by a doctor, it is completely safe

In practice, although doctors are trained to prescribe safe and effective drugs, none of them have the potential to cause side effects. Patients should carefully read the instructions and discuss possible adverse reactions with their doctor before using any medication.

It is especially important to monitor this when the patient has comorbidities and is taking a combination of several drugs to treat different conditions at the same time.

If you receive prescriptions from several doctors of different specialties, it is important to tell them in detail about all the tablets, ointments, tinctures, mixtures, herbs and vitamins you take. Be sure to clarify what medications you take regularly, whether you are taking antidepressants, as well as any other important aspects of your health, such as lactation or the presence of chronic diseases.

Providing more information about yourself to doctors will provide a deeper understanding of your medical condition and help prevent potential problems when combining medications.

Some medications are incompatible with each other. For example, combining anti-thrombosis drugs with aspirin or paracetamol with opioids can pose health risks.

Myth: If you are allergic to one type of antibiotic, you are allergic to all antibiotics

It is not always so. In some cases, people may be allergic to multiple types of antibiotics, while others may be allergic to just one specific type. If you are allergic to a certain type of antibiotic, you should turn to other options, but only after consulting your doctor and following his prescription.

Of course, you’ve probably been asked more than once whether you are allergic to any medications. A reaction can occur to any medicine and can be unpredictable. It is important to remember that allergies to medications can occur both in people who have previously experienced allergic reactions and in those who have not experienced this before.

More than 7% of the world’s population suffers from drug allergies, with antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) being the main causes of such reactions. Among antibiotics, penicillin ranks first on the list of allergy-causing drugs, and up to 55% of cases of drug allergies are associated with its use!