UNTOWARDS REACTIONS OF SULPHONAMIDES

Last week, a woman walked into the pharmacy with very deep sores on her lips. She could hardly talk because of the pain she was experiencing and had also been unable to eat. She explained that she had symptoms of malaria and approached a nurse to prescribe her some medications while also informing her that she reacts to Fansidar (sulphadoxine& pyrimethamine). Unfortunately for her, the nurse prescribed Laridox which contains the same active ingredients(sulphadoxine & pyrimethamine) as Fansidar which she was trying to avoid. She ended up at the hospital and was admitted for 3 weeks.

WHAT ARE SULPHONAMIDES?
Sulphonamides are synthetic antimicrobial agents (sometimes called sulpha drugs). Some sulphonamides are devoid of antibacterial activity. It is important to make a distinction between sulpha drugs and other sulphur- containing drugs and additives such as sulphate, which are chemically unrelated to the sulphonamide group and hence, do not cause the same hypersensitivity reactions seen in sulphonamides.

Examples of Sulphonamides include:

• Sulphamethoxazole (found in Septrin, Primpex, Bactrim, Emtrim)
• Sulphadoxine (found in Fansidar, Laridox, Maldox, Amalar)
• Sulphadiazine (Dermazin) 
• Sulphacetamide 
• Sulphonyureas 
• Chlorpropamide 
• Glipizide 
• Gliclazide 
• Glibenclamide 

SIDE EFFECTS OF SULPHONAMIDES
The most common hypersensitivity reactions to sulpha drugs are rash and hives. However, there are several life-threatening manifestations of hypersensitivity to sulpha drugs including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (in which people get blisters around the mouth, eyes or anus), toxic epidermal necrolysis, agranulocytosis, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If you have to take non-prescription medications, read the label and package ingredients carefully. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or other medicines.

Reference: Wikipedia

SLEEP DEPRIVATION MAY EQUAL WEIGHT GAIN

How many hours do you sleep per night on the average?

Today, lots of people are sleep deprived. Here in Lagos, Nigeria, we have people who are out of their houses as early as 4.30am trying to beat early morning traffic and don't get back in until about 10.30pm and eventually get to sleep by 12pm only to be up by 4am the next day.

On the average, we need about 8 hours of quality sleep per night. When we are sleep deprived and running on low energy, we tend to make poor food choices, and rely on foods with higher calories. According to Micheal Breus PhD, author of Beauty Sleep, your metabolism will not function properly if you are sleep deprived.

HOW DOES SLEEP DEPRIVATION AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT?

"This has a lot to do with our nightly hormones", explains Breus. The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the 'go' hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have less leptin. Invariably, more ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE SLEEP DEPRIVATION?

• Avoid eating, reading and watching TV in bed. 
• Turn off the lights in your room.
• Reduce caffeine intake and avoid caffeinated drinks at least 6 hours before bedtime. 
• Eat healthy. 
• Do not eat heavy meals within 4-5 hours before bedtime. 
• Avoid long- term use of over-the counter sleeping pills. 
• Reduce stress as much as possible.
• Use relaxation techniques, laugh more often.
• Exercise, but not more than 4 hours before bedtime. 

References:
Robin Widmar WedMD .