I want the "K.K." Medicine
Following the news that Paracetamol is commonly overdosed and the cause of liver failure, I thought Robin's comment was very good :
Robin said…
It really doesn't help when generic drug companies are producing Paracetamol in different shapes and colours (pink, yellow, white ad blue).We have patients going doctors-shopping from one to another after their fever did not lower and have been overdose on paracetamol because each doctors prescribed different coloured tablets containing the same ingredients.Is this the same problem in Malaysia?
Doc said…
Hehe... Robin, this is certainly the problem here in Malaysia. The elderly Makcik (auntie) will come to you and say I take the white pill, the red pill and the blue pill...throughly believing that you as a doctor should know what they are. The blue pill could be Viagra for all I know!
Even more interesting is when the patient requests for "KK"."KK" are the words stamped on the generic paracetamol in the Government Hospitals. For your information "KK" stands for Kementrian Kesihatan (Health Ministry) and is stamped on most of the generic drugs in the public hospital!
posted by Doc @ 9:25 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Paracetamol poisoning is a serious problem in Singapore, especially in Children.
Mothers are highly excitable, even more than their crying baby and can go to 3 doctors in 1 week, if the child's fever does not come down.
As Family Physician, the most important role is to determine if this is the case and provide necessary "mother" counselling.
I remember one of my friend told his patient: "If the fever doesn't come down, don't panic, come back and I will give you stronger medicine. Even if you don't come back to me, please bring all your medicines to show the next doctor."
This is what I call responsible counselling.
Yes thats good advise. Sometimes parents need to know that it takes some time for the medicine to work and that doctor hopping is not the answer. By the time they hopped to the 3rd doctor, the first doctor's medicine might be working already.
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