Did you know that nurses have no idea is in most medications?

Published

A lady I post with on another message board made the following statement: ""Most doctors and nurses have no idea what's in most medications, even prescription ones. That's the job of the pharamacist, who often tells me if you have a question about your medication--call ME, not the doctor. "

I shouldn't laugh because the public is so misinformed but sometimes you have to.

Originally posted by canoehead

Why would someone allergic to ASA have a reaction to Toradol? I must have missed that class.:o

Something about being allergic to one class means you have a good chance of being allergic to another (I work L&D now, my pharmacology for normal meds is poor). We looked up Toradol in a drug book after that and it said not to prescribe it to people with allergies to asprin. The exact words were "results can be fatal" or something.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
Originally posted by moonshadeau

for the Excedrin issue. You don't want to take excedrin because of the caffeine. If you are having chest pain, chances are that your blood pressure is sky high and if you are actually having an MI you certainly don't want to vasoconstict your vessels. I wouldn't take the Excedrin if that was the only thing in the house or not. Call EMS that is why they carry ASA.

I agree. The way I worked it out I also thought caffeine was a stimulant so you wouldn't want anything that was going to create additional work on the heart.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
Originally posted by P_RN

Re: the Excedrin call. Was the caller saying all she had was Excedrin? Thats ASA 250 and APAP 250 w/ Caffeine 65 (I think?)

That would be better than taking nothing I imagine. Surely she wasn't suggesting that the caller take nothing if she had no ASA? She could take maybe 2? What board was that on?

P

P_RN I think she was saying that all she had was the Excedrin. But I was thinking that she shouldn't take the Excedrin because of the caffeine. The board is a general topics board, here is the addy: PERSONAL TOPICS

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion