Beware of using wrong drugs

bangalore: using the wrong drug can have terrible consequences. a possibility that is always alive with a vast majority of medicines in the country being sold over the counter or occasionally by doctors who prescribe medicines without collecting enough data about the patient. something that 30-year-old renu (name changed) realised the hard way. a diabetic, renu consumed carbamazepine, a drug commonly used for control of pain in the lower limbs.that triggered off a nightmare. before the day was out, she had developed extensive rashes all over the body. that was when she was rushed to sahana hospital in kengeri. it was diagnosed as a a full-blown case of stevens- johnson syndrome, a rare but life-threatening disorder. says dr bhanu prakash, skin specialist at the hospital, ``it is characterised by development of blisters or change in the colour of skin. sometimes over 30 per cent of the body surface area is involved. patients, such as the one we treated, will also have involvement of mucosa such as eyes, nose, oral cavity, genitalia, respiratory and gastro-intestinal tracts.'' complications from this syndrome are scarring or fibrosis which leads to stricture formations and dryness besides various other problems, posing threat to the life of the individual. according to dr bhanu prakash, ``this syndrome can be triggered off by drugs such as sulfonamides, amino penicillins, anti-convulsants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) and allopurinol. says dr aravind g., medical director of sahana hospital, ``carbamazepine is a common drug taken by patients with diabetes for pain in the lower limb. such patients should be extremely careful while consuming such medicines. if they develop a small rash, sore throat or allergy, they should discontinue the drug and rush to the doctor at the earliest.'' as a word of caution, he adds, ``patients, especially diabetics, should be extremely careful while taking any medicine. one should also be extremely cautious while prescribing drugs.'' a fortnight into treatment and renu is out of danger. her lesions have begun to disappear. one promise she has made is never to consume another drug ever again without asking a few questions.