Okay hands up who knew...

So who knew about drug names being changed? I heard about it today but apparently it has been on the cards since December.

Many drugs are being named, to European standard names (which in some cases are the US names!)

Like frusemide changing to ferusomide, I think something like 80 drugs are changing their names

So... Did anyone else know, or is it just me that was in the dark?

P.s. please ignore the typing errors in the poll... I guess it will really encourage people to choose the thrid option if nothing else :)

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I heard about the changes in my last job and that was just over 18 months ago.

Anna

[Mike RGN]

My hands are up.:chuckle

[donmurray]

Oops! :imbar

[karenG]

I didnt know this.........:imbar and I've just completed the supplementary prescribing course as south bank uni!!! no-one told us..............

sigh does this mean i have to learn more american spellings!!:roll

Karen

[Whisper]

I am not sure if it is a NT or a Ns article, but up at placement they have this article about the new drug names and it gives some examples

Old UK names New names

frusemide furosemide

chlorphnanime chlophenamine

hydroxurea hyrdroxycarbomide

lignocaine lidocaine

thyroxine levothyroxine

but today all the patients were still prescribed frusemide, and it still says frusemide on the packets and the BNF. I supose March's BNFs will have the new names on.

Won't that be fun!

Whisper

[UK2USA]

I did hear about the change of drug names to be more universally recognised, however did anyone get told about the change of colours for drug stickers... I had just about learned the colours of the old ones. Now Atropine is the same as the old Vecuronium, Vecuronium has become the old Adrenaline... it goes on and on and on!!!!!!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

The new names correspond with what we call them now in the USA, so that may explain why we didn't hear about it.

[nightmare, RN]

So thats why some of our recent drug orders have had some "odd" spellings!I must say that our local chemist is bang up to date on all these changes.

[BabyChainus]

Yep!!:stone It is true and a real pain, alright....:imbar

According to the Directive 92/27/EEC, names of medical substances will be changed and will be patterned with the equivalent names approved by the Recommended International Non-proprietary Names(rINN) for medical substances. There are a couple of medicines(let's say less than 250 drugs) which will be affected by the directive. This is because the British Approved Names (BAN) is almost identical to rINN. The only exception to the said directive is adrenaline and noradrenaline.

The list of drugs will be available in the website as typed below;

www.mhra.gov.uk

Just in case you need a list of the medicines but cannot access the website, just e-mail me and i'll try to e-mail you a copy.:)

NOTE: Don't raise your hands for me. I am just like a cat that got killed by curiosity. Not a good news, alright!!:angryfire

[inneedofachange]

did recognise that some changes had been made. did not know it was official until my dad told me he knew this from reading the 'toilet literature' as he calls it (my nursing times in the bathroom)

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

the other day at work I recieved a list of old names and what the new ones would be, some are similar to what the are now but some are totally different. This is going to lead to some drug errors me thinks (in fact I think I have read somewhere it has already happened) til everyone gets used to the changes and remembers that things have changed.

Anna