Experienced flu and colds with pharmacists @Boticonsejo and @Medicadoo

What are the main misconceptions about the flu and colds? How to choose the right cold or flu medicine? What key role does the pharmacist play in this decision? How important is sleep when recovering from a cold or flu?Pharmacists and health communicators Erin Gonzalez Oates and Pablo GarciaKnown respectively on social networks as @boticonsejo and @medicadoo, they discussed these topics at the PHARMACEUTICAL MAIL discussion table sponsored by Laboratorios Vicks.

In the winter, patients go to pharmacies with the flu, colds and some preconceived ideas, many of which are false myths or even hoaxes.for Erin Gonzalez Oates“Sometimes they ask us for products that are not suitable for their needs because they have heard through family tradition – or seen on social networks – the many shenanigans of people who claim to work for them, and we have to deny these shenanigans at the counter.”

“We hear pranks every day,” adds Pablo García, “and the most common ones are cold-related pranks, such as catching a cold or the flu because you’re not dressed well or you’re barefoot. There are many others, like You have to ‘sweat’ it. Or the patient wants to be treated with antibiotics, which is a very serious issue that pharmacists are aware of, although I don’t think the public is as aware.”

Gonzalez OatesHe who owns a rural pharmacy in Campo de Mira (Alicante) remembers another very picturesque and common one: placing an onion near your pillow will help you breathe better at night. Garlic is another common ingredient in pranks, Garcia added, noting, “It’s very common for people to ask us for any medicine because people think all anti-flu medicines are the same. Or because it’s for me.” My father’s or my mother’s.”

For both speakers, the questions raised were critical for pharmacy-goers to make the right choice of the flu or cold medicine they need. The reason, as the pharmacist points out, is that “needs vary depending on when a cold or flu occurs. They can even change throughout the day, because at night, they are usually more intense¹.The questions we ask as pharmacists are whether the patient has a cough and If your symptoms worsen at night. Based on the answers, I will recommend one product over another, and I will explain well why I do it and for what symptoms it works. For example, only three out of 10 people who have a cold develop a cough.^2* And when they don’t, I recommend Ilvico. Since it does not have any antitussive properties, we can address the patient’s symptoms (in this case, fever, mild or moderate pain, and runny nose).³). Especially for patients receiving multiple medications, we avoid possible side effects and adverse reactions. “

ask questions

For Pablo García, pharmacists have to be “super curious.” This is our job. Among medicines that do not require a medical prescription, we are the last and only link in the health chain. We must do a good job of control. Questioning is key with medication, and asking patients questions such as whether their condition worsens at night will help us recommend one product or another based on their needs. “

“We are drug experts, and in addition to being able to recommend the best drug to our patients, we know most of them, we know what drugs they take, and we know what might be better or worse for them, ” pointed out the pharmacist.

Pablo Garcia recalled that another benefit of patients going to the pharmacy was that the pharmacist would spend time with him, checking on his medications, symptoms, etc. In many cases, this doesn’t happen in a doctor’s office. “For these reasons, the advice we give is appropriate because pharmaceutical services are integrated,” he concluded.

“In some cases, as suggested by González Orts, depending on the patient’s condition, it may even be possible to bring them to the personalized care area of ​​our pharmacy so that the case can be handled with greater peace of mind.”

Challenges when recommending

Pharmacists face many challenges when recommending anti-flu and anti-cold medications. The two believe the most important things to note are time management (depending on the dispensary), knowing what questions to ask and what products to recommend. “Patients have to tell the whole truth, which is sometimes difficult for them,” said the pharmacist, noting that citizens’ trust in the image of pharmacists is a plus.

Garcia pointed out that it must be done on a broad basis folder “In fact, in many cases, patients go to the pharmacy with a preconceived notion that it doesn’t matter which drug they buy because, more or less, they are all the same. But that’s not the case, just as not all Colds are all the same and the symptoms are not the same in all patients. You have to know how to tell and, as I mentioned before, you have to be very curious and try to get all possible information to make the right advice: for example, if a patient Without a cough, I would recommend an anti-cold medicine, such as Ilvico, which contains analgesics and contains ingredients for nasal congestion and fever³ There’s also caffeine, which makes you more active. ” So before dispensing flu medication ask, “Do you have a cough?” “Very important.

“A lot of times, people who come to my pharmacy will ask me to give them something. I tell them no, you have to understand what’s going on with them first: not everything will work for every situation, because it depends on what you’re doing in any particular situation. time symptoms appear. You may develop a cough, which only happens 3 out of 10 times². But you might just have a stuffy nose.For those who have a dry, irritating cough that prevents them from falling asleep at night, I recommend Ilvigrip night because it contains doxylamine, which helps you fall asleep and continue your normal rhythm the next morning,” says Irene González Orts. Ilvigrip night night Relieve fever, mild and moderate pain, nasal congestion and dry cough⁴.

The importance of training

Given the variety of options for selecting cold and flu medications, ongoing training is a critical tool for pharmacists to stay informed. For González Orts, a platform like Apovoice is particularly interesting “because it has short videos – which we appreciate – because we usually have very little time and a lot of work. I like it because it’s very comfortable, You can train yourself with videos that get to the point and tell you what you really need at all times.”

For Pablo García, pharmacists, in addition to asking questions, “have to be curious, keep learning, and retrain a lot. I really value all that pharmaceutical laboratories offer us Training. Because no one knows better than them what their products include and who they’re focusing on.”

As pharmacists emphasized, it should also not be forgotten that much of the training is also for other pharmacy office staff who also come into contact with patients.

Sleep is crucial

Many times, patients who come to the pharmacy with flu and cold symptoms experience sleep disturbances due to cold and flu symptoms.The reason is that your symptoms are worse at night¹. However, although this may seem paradoxical, patients do not perceive this as a factor that slows recovery and worsens quality of life.

The pharmacist’s role is crucial in determining whether this sleep disorder is caused by flu or cold symptoms. Additionally, it is important to communicate to patients that this problem must be addressed with products that are precisely used at night to relieve these worsening symptoms.

“Cold symptoms vary by time and throughout the day: symptoms are milder in the morning and nine out of 10 times worsen at night⁵. Therefore, patients often come to our pharmacy looking for a product that can treat these nighttime symptoms and allow them to get some rest.Therefore, treatment can be supplemented by VapoRub Ointment anti-flu or anti-cold medicines,” González Orts proposes. VapoRub Ointment⁶ Relieve cough and nasal congestion, cold symptoms that are worst at night⁷. In this case, ask “Do your cold symptoms get worse at night?”, will provide assistance in the recommendation process.

Pablo García emphasizes: “This is a product that is more than a hundred years old and constantly updated, and recent studies have shown that these therapeutic vapors contain active ingredients such as eucalyptus essence, camphor and turpentine, improving nasal congestion, congestion and cough⁸. Another study just published quantified that 86% of patients felt their condition improved after adding VapoRub ointment to their flu treatment.My experience is that the improvement is there compared to using a single therapy⁵“.

González Orts concluded by stressing that the goal is to make patients feel better. “If you give patients what they need and they notice an improvement, then when they ask for that product again, you won’t need to recommend that product to them.” “In pharmacies, advice given to patients There must always be wholeness,” concluded Pablo García.