Take a tablet "before a meal" - what package leaflet formulations actually mean
Created: 09/12/2022, 15:05
By: Romina Kunze
People who want to study the enclosed instructions for use beforehand should not rely on quick relief from their symptoms.
Because package inserts are anything but short and concise.
© Imago
Package inserts should provide information.
They rarely do, however;
because the thin slips of paper are not very user-friendly.
Criticism also comes from experts.
Frankfurt – Take one tablet each with plenty of water in the morning, at noon and in the evening – this is the unmistakable requirement of general practitioners when taking medication.
Luckily, one might think.
Because hand on heart: Who still bravely fights through the package insert these days?
Too incomprehensible, too small the font and too much unnecessary information.
Not to mention the almost impossible way of folding the thin paper.
FR.de reports: Specialists also confirm what many already know from their own experience: the enclosed patient information is not very consumer-friendly and is therefore often misunderstood.
"50 percent of the patients do not take the medicine as they should," says Thorsten Lehr, clinical pharmacist at Saarland University, to
spiegel.de
.
Who can blame them.
Because of the numerous technical terms, many users lose the desire to deal with it.
And the supplements thus miss their point;
namely to inform.
Package inserts are worded confusingly: not all liquids are the same
This is not only annoying, but also dangerous, according to expert Lehr.
Older people in particular would therefore unknowingly take pills incorrectly, either at the wrong time of day or in combination with other medications, the effect of which would be impaired.
Or they don't take them at all.
Even with the way the pills are taken, people could do a few things wrong.
Many experts have criticized the fact that the instructions for use are vaguely worded.
The preparations should be taken “on an empty stomach” and with “sufficient liquid”.
The fact that in plain English this means nothing other than: "Eat nothing for four hours beforehand and only drink water, and swallow the tablet with nothing else than cold or lukewarm water", borders on specialist knowledge.
Because "sober" is commonly understood as "not intoxicated" and "liquid" can by definition mean much more than just water.
Contrary to what is commonly used by many, tablets should not be taken with juice;
no matter how bitter.
In order for the tablets to take effect as quickly as possible, there is an insider tip that is not in the package leaflet.
Because the body position is also important.
Medical terms and formulations: This is in the package insert
Take on an empty stomach:
Four hours before taking you should have eaten nothing and only drunk water.
And: At least one hour before the next meal.
Take with plenty of liquid:
The medicine should only be swallowed with cold or lukewarm water (ideally still).
About the quantity: About a large glass full.
Addition in the description
"retard"
: A drug is effective over a longer period of time.
Addition in the description
"Forte"
: It is a strong drug in a higher dosage.
Take before a meal:
Do not take immediately before a meal.
Better: About 30 to 60 minutes before.
Take after a meal:
Many package inserts give an exact time (e.g. 90 minutes after a meal).
If not, the medicine should be taken about an hour after eating.
Take once a day:
Ideally, always at the same time.
Take Twice Daily:
Best taken every 12 hours;
For example, 7 a.m. in the morning and 7 p.m. in the evening.
This builds up a high level of active ingredients in the body.
Source: Federal Union of German Pharmacists' Associations
Package leaflet test run from the Saarland shows: There is another way
Together with his students, the expert Lehr has taken on package inserts for common and frequently prescribed medicines.
In a test, the lecturer and the medical staff-to-be streamlined the leaflet, stripped it of the technical jargon and translated the recommendations into a language that was easier to understand.
A subsequent test in pharmacies in Saarbrücken and the surrounding area showed that patients would get along better with the new package inserts.
"Foreign words can be avoided, important information can be highlighted," concludes Lehr.
And all without changing Europe-wide specifications and laws.
Because the problem is that pharmaceutical companies also want to protect themselves legally with the package inserts and therefore list all potential side effects;
whether they are probable or not.
And: All package inserts should correspond to a model specified by the European Medicines Agency.
Patterns that should actually standardize and thus simplify use.
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Problem with the incomprehensible leaflet also known to the EU
After all, Lehr and Co. are already getting support from Brussels.
"The leaflet must finally be more understandable," said Peter Liese, a doctor and spokesman for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in the European Parliament, back in 2017 to
spiegel.de.
So far, however, there have been no concrete specifications and changes from the EU.
It had to be researched further, it was said at the time from EU circles.
(Romina Kunze)