The Health Department’s booklet provides guidance on the correct use of medicines

The irrational consumption of medicines can have serious consequences for your health. To alert the population about the risks of indiscriminate use and self-medication, the “National Day for the Rational Use of Medicines” was created, celebrated on May 5th.

The Pharmaceutical Assistance of the Health Department of Vila Velha City Hall also prepared a booklet of guidelines on the use of medicines, clarifying the biggest doubts on the subject. Click here and download the booklet.

For medicines to be used correctly, the population needs to be guided by the professional who prescribes them and by the pharmacist, when collecting them from pharmacies in the Health Units and specialized services in the municipality. However, people often have doubts about the correct way to take some medications and, as a result, the disease is not treated as it should, in addition to other consequences, such as unnecessary financial expenses and even hospitalizations.

Manuela Cruz, manager of the Pharmacy service at the Health Department of Vila Velha City Hall highlights the need for citizens to have the correct information regarding when to take the medicine, the quantity to be used, how and for how long to use it. She also advises on the importance of medicines being protected from heat and humidity, thus preventing them from spoiling.

“They should be stored in a safe place, out of the reach of children, protected from light, heat, insects and rodents, in an environment without much humidity, away from food, chemicals and cleaning products”, he teaches.

Expiration date

Manuela Cruz also warns about the expiration date of the medication and explains that, just like food, it can also spoil and its use can cause serious health problems.

Disposal

A very common question is about the correct way to dispose of medicines that are out of date. In Vila Velha, they must be delivered to the Health Units, but only those offered by the municipality itself.
After delivery of expired medicines to the Health Units, the Municipal Department of Urban Services forwards all collected waste to the outsourced company responsible for proper disposal, so that it does not cause a negative impact on the environment or even other people.