Effects of Counterfeit Medications

Counterfeits apply to generic and branded products with fake packaging and wrong or no active ingredients. No one is safe from these effects hence it essential to genuine effect.

Ineffective to healing

Fake medication does not have active ingredients necessary for healing. You could take is for a long time without relieving the illness. It is even worse than some contain harmful ingredients that end up aggravating the illness or causing the student to contract the new infection. Some patients contribute to the risk of buying fake medicine by seeking cheap drugs online of from unapproved pharmacists.

Resistance to treatment

The falsified medicine causes treatment failure as the body mechanism reacts badly to the substance. Counterfeits encourage drug resistance threatening health if individuals, population, and even future generations. Drug resistance is frequent with substandard products with a dose of an active ingredient but at a lower level with falsified products that criminals dilute to pass the screening. Drug resistance is a typical scenario when used for the treatment of pathogens with shorter life cycles. These are the protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Developing countries have more cases of drug resistance as patients take poor quality antimicrobial medication without professional supervision that could help in detecting the ineffectiveness of medication.

The scenarios depend on the ingredient. A drug will never make the patient get better if it does not have a harmful product but without the active ingredient. It can for instance in the case of antibiotics cause resistance and lead to misdiagnosis. A physician will unknowingly recommend the use of stronger antibiotics while believing that the first line drug does not work for the patient, yet the real problem is that the person has been taking a counterfeit of the medicine.

Harmful interactions with drugs

Have you ever taken some medicine and felt much worse? It is a case of harmful interaction with the drug probably due to an allergy in an ingredient. It can also happen if you take counterfeit medications if a wrong drug is a part of a bogus agent. Such could be potentially dangerous to specific populations who unknowingly take it. The adverse reaction could even extend to other medications that a patient could be taking. Counterfeits are known to cause respiratory paralysis and near death to some of the patients. They could lead to the prescription of alternative and less desirable therapies or drugs.

Death

Death can occur when a patient takes counterfeits containing harmful ingredients. Drug-laced with toxins causes similar risk as bacteria-laced water, boric acid, powdered cement or toxic paint. Counterfeits with harmful substances such are a headache to healthcare practitioners. For instance, about 500 children from around the world die from effects of taking counterfeit cough syrup laced with ethylene glycol antifreeze.

Counterfeit drugs are a danger in healthcare provision as they prevent quality treatment and therapeutic efficacy. They also put the patients, and caregivers at high risk of harmful reactions. Counterfeit products also cause harmful effects to the society by risking the safety of individuals and environment.

Counterfeit is a big problem taking up to 15 percent of all the drugs sold worldwide. Sale of counterfeits has been persistent since the 1600s. Avoid buying over the counter or prescription medicine on the internet from companies you do not know as it could be the deception that they are offering lower prices, yet they sell counterfeits. Buying medication from credible pharmacies with all the accreditations is important.