Everyone knows about aspirin. It is a medicine that has made a permanent place in every medicine cabinet and even first aid kits. Aspirin is a medicine that is taken to relieve mild pain, inflammation and fever. It is also used for the heart in the form of daily therapy, but should be followed only when advised by a doctor. It has been also found that aspirin helps in preventing Alzheimer's disease and colon cancer. Aspirin can be swallowed with water, dissolved in water, and now even directly dissolved in the mouth. This new invention has been made because one side effect of a high aspirin dosage, is that it may cause gastrointestinal disorders including stomach ulcers, and bleeding. When dissolved in the mouth, it reduces the risk of such a problem.
Aspirin Uses
Aspirin is an over-the-counter medicine that you may use to relieve different pains and aches. Apart from relieving pains and aches, aspirin can also be consumed for a variety of other conditions. In such cases, aspirin will be prescribed by your doctor, and you will have to follow the exact aspirin dosage as recommended by him/her.- Aspirin has been used in some cases to treat gout.
- It is used to treat the swelling and redness caused due to arthritis and other infections.
- Recently, aspirin has been prescribed to promote heart health, and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. This is because aspirin has the ability to reduce the chances of blood clotting, thereby improving the flow of blood to the heart. For such patients, the dosage of aspirin is low, and studies have shown that people who take it on a regular basis have a lower risk of a stroke and subsequent death. Furthermore, if those who have a heart attack take aspirin immediately, there is a possibility that the severity of the attack may reduce.
- Even those who are at a risk for heart disease due to diabetes, can lower this risk upon taking aspirin daily.
- Research has shown that when aspirin is taken daily, the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease is reduced.
- Even though it has a negative effect on a sensitive stomach, a daily aspirin dosage has been found to reduce the possibility of developing colon cancer and other types of cancer. It may also be used to treat gall bladder disease.
- Another benefit of taking aspirin is that it may protect the fibers around the teeth, and serve as prevention for periodontal disease.
Dosage of Aspirin
Aspirin is available in a variety of forms which include chewy tablets, powders, capsules and regular tablets. Though it is always advisable that the right aspirin dosage be prescribed by a doctor, the following are safe amounts of aspirin to consume:- Aspirin Dosage for Aches and Fever: For those suffering from these conditions, including aches caused by arthritis, adults may consume anywhere between 300-1000 mg, four times a day. However, the dose differs depending on the sensitivity of the person to aspirin, and the purpose for which it is being consumed.
- Aspirin Dosage for Heart Health: For those who are taking aspirin for the purpose of maintaining heart health, the dosage can begin with a minimum of 75 mg daily, and increase up to 325 mg, again, depending on the person's susceptibility to heart disease.
When to Avoid Aspirin
Taking aspirin can cause certain side effects. Also, aspirin should be avoided when you suffer from one or more of these conditions.- When on daily aspirin therapy, if you suddenly stop taking aspirin, it can cause a rebound effect, and lead to a heart problem by creating blood clots.
- As mentioned before, a large aspirin dosage may cause gastrointestinal disorders and bleeding.
- Certain other side effects of aspirin are vomiting and nausea. The side effects can get severe, and appear in the form of loss of hearing, rashes on the skin, confusion, breathing problems, drowsiness, dizziness, black or bloody stools. Consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of these side effects.
- When diabetics take an overdose of aspirin, it may color their urine sugar test results. In such a case, the doctor will tell you how to control sugar levels when taking aspirin.
- If you suffer from asthma, kidney and liver disease, diabetes, gout, anemia, and ulcers, inform your doctor before you are prescribed aspirin therapy. Most importantly, if you suffer from hemophilia, a disease where there are problems with blood clotting, the intake of aspirin should be avoided completely, as this can sever the problem further.
- Pregnant women, or those who are breastfeeding, should avoid the intake of aspirin without consulting a doctor.
- Do not take aspirin if you are due for a surgery, up to ten days before the surgery.
- Aspirin may interact with drugs prescribed for other conditions such as vitamins, blood thinners, medicines for diabetes and gout.
- Children below the age of sixteen should not be given aspirin particularly because of the risk of developing Reye's syndrome. It is a fatal disease that affects the functioning of all vital body organs, with the brain and the liver being the ones most affected. Studies have established a link between the intake of aspirin and Reye's syndrome.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, no matter how many sources reaffirm the safe aspirin dosage, consulting with your doctor before you start its intake for any reason is extremely important. Don't take a risk by taking this drug on your own, especially if you are on other drugs, or suffer from any of the above mentioned conditions.
We have heard about the term drugs and are very well aware of the purpose it is used for. But what does the term Generic Drug mean? Does it have the same effect as the branded drug available at the local pharmacist? If you have these questions in mind, your questions will be answered before you complete reading this article.
Definitions
A Branded Drug has a trade name and is drug manufactured by a well established pharmaceutical company, protected by a patent. It cannot be produced or sold by any other company. A brand name will be simpler than the generic name.
Generic Drugs can be defined as a substitute or a bioequivalent of a branded drug satisfying the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic standards. A generic name is the actual chemical name of the drug with respect to the chemical ingredients present within the drug.
A drug can be called generic only if it has the same chemical ingredients at same strength, safety precautions and most importantly it has to meet the same pharmacopoeial standard of preparation. If you are taking generic drugs, they are suppose to be taken in the same manner as the branded drug i.e. similar dosage, similar time duration, similar strength and similar instructions. Although instructions about taking a particular is always mentioned on the packet cover.
Why do we have different names and what purpose does it solve? Let's find out the reasons behind this naming convention with an example of a shoe manufacturing company. We all wear shoes everyday and the purpose of wearing shoes is simple to protect your feet. A shoe from a branded company (an expensive pair of shoes) will do the same job for you as would a normal cheaper brand of shoe will. But not everyone can afford expensive shoes for their day to day use, so they settle down for a normal black leather shoe. similarly, there are two kinds of drugs, a branded one and a generic one both have the same chemical composition and safety precaution but differ in price for the various research, manufacturing and marketing cost incurred on the brand name company. One more reason for this naming convention is that generic names are long and difficult to remember or pronounce. But brand names given by the manufacturing companies are catchy, single word names which are easy to remember.
Important Information
Generic drug of a particular drug cannot be produced if the patent associated with it is still active. If someone manufactures a generic drug ignoring the patent the brand company can file a lawsuit against the generic company.
What is Generic Medicine? Why is it called Generic? If you are looking for answers of these questions then you are at the right place. By the time you finish reading this article, your knowledge on this subject will be enhanced to a new level.
Let's first understand the need to have different names for medicines. To put this theory in simple words, orange juice is something consumed everyday, but an orange juice manufacturing company would want to give their product a unique name that is different from the common tag "orange juice" and this new name becomes its brand name. Similarly, a generic name is a chemical name given to a medicine keeping in mind the active ingredients present in it. A brand name is a name given by the manufacturing company to differentiate their product from other similar products in the market. Another important reason behind giving brand name to a medicine is that generic names are long and can be difficult to remember, while a brand name will always be short and easy to remember.
Generic medicine is defined as a substitute or a bioequivalent of a branded medicine with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. A medicine can only be termed as generic if it is made up of the same chemical composition at same strength and it has to meet the same pharmacopoeial standard of preparation. Generic medicines are consumed in similar dosage pattern, strength, safety precautions as its innovator brand.
Many large pharmaceutical companies are heading towards manufacturing their own generic medicine to preempt the expiry of their patent. Patent lifetime differs from country to country and also it differs for different medicines. Generally, there is no such process where you can renew a patent once it has expired.
In the United States the FDA carries the responsibility to make sure that generic drugs are safe and effective. This process began in 1960s where generic manufacturers had to prove their medicine is bioequivalent to the innovator brand. The parameters for approval of generic medicine are same as its innovator brand. Generic medicines are cheaper and can save patients and insurance companies thousands of dollars without compromising the quality of care.
Generic medicine is defined as a substitute or a bioequivalent of a branded medicine with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Why is it sold cheaper than the brand name medicines? Let's find it out.
The primary reason for cheaper price of generic medicine is that their manufacturing companies don’t have much overhead cost. Therefore they can offer these medicines at cheaper price and still maintain their profitability.
Let's look at why generic medicine manufacturers are able to sell their product cheaper than the brand name companies.
1. Brand name companies invest lot of money in research and development of any new medicine.
2. Money is also spent in getting the medicine approved by the government as safe and effective.
3. Once approved by the government, lot of money is spent on marketing the product through all kinds of media (print, television, internet etc).
A generic medicine manufacturer has enough information from the studies done by the brand manufacturing company, so they don’t have to spend money on research work. By claiming their drug as a bioequivalent, they don’t have to spend money to put their medicine on clinical trials. Also, due to extensive marketing of the innovator brand, they just claim their product to be equivalent to it and benefit from the market value of the brand name medicine.
Since generic medicine manufacturers don’t incur much cost in the whole process of manufacturing, they are able to sell it off at much lower cost than brand name medicines.
Now the question arises, if the brand name companies invest so much money in creating these medicines, why don’t they protect their rights or why don’t they make it patent. How can generic medicines be produced?
Generic medicines can be legally produced in the following conditions
1. If the patent of the brand manufacturer has expired.
2. For drugs which never held patents.
3. If the generic medicine manufacturing company certifies the brand companies patents are invalid or unenforceable or will not be breached.
4. In countries where patents are not enforceable.
