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HOW TO DISTINGUISH FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FROM DRUGS
Why distinguish them at all
More than 60% of the population of the CIS countries prefer to treat non-serious diseases on their own. When there are symptoms of colds, poisonings, general malaise, people diagnose themselves and buy the necessary medication. Also, 61% people buy drugs in pharmacies every month.
The drug has a constant chemical formula and is designed to eliminate a particular problem in the human body. It is necessary to distinguish dietary supplements from drugs. Food supplements have no therapeutic effect and are not able to eliminate the symptoms or root causes of the disease.
Supplements are based on vitamins and minerals, extracts of natural plants and more. Supplements only fill the body with a lack of trace elements, medications are designed to work with a specific problem.
To confuse them with each other and to take haphazardly is dangerous to health. Diseases without treatment become complex or chronic. If there is no disease, and the person takes medication instead of dietary supplements, the development of side effects, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, liver and other internal organs is possible.
How to distinguish food supplements from drugs
We pay attention to the inscriptions
Supplements differ from homeopathy and medicines in composition, purpose. Manufacturers are required to label the packaging so that the buyer can understand that it is not a drug, but a biologically active additive. Packages and advertising messages are marked with inscriptions:
- Not a medicine;
- Dietary supplements;
- Biologically active supplement.
Also in the description of dietary supplements there is no specific pharmacological action. Manufacturers use general wording to describe the action of the tool. For example, dietary supplements can normalize, improve, stimulate, promote, strengthen, and so on. Medicinal products in the descriptive part contain information about the specific effect that has on the body after taking the required dosage.
Manufacturers of dietary supplements are required to label their products, but due to the negative perception of additives in the minds of the masses and to mislead the consumer, these labels are often made inconspicuous. Carefully study the packaging, especially the backs and small print. There can be no inscriptions on the packaging of dietary supplements with the words: treats, indicated, irreplaceable, indicated / contraindicated.
Registration number
To distinguish food supplements from drugs by registration number, pay attention to the combination of letters and numbers:
Depending on the country of production, the abbreviation UA, RU, KZ, etc. is indicated at the beginning of the registration number for biologically active supplements. Medicines have a completely different labelling, at the beginning of the registration numbers are capital letters that reflect the type of drug.
Numbers of numbers in biologically active supplements are divided by points on groups. In the middle of the numbers of food supplements there are usually Y or E letters. The numbers of drugs are a series of numbers separated by a slash without dots.
The authenticity of the registration number can be checked online. If there is no number on the package at all, before taking food supplements you need to carefully check all the information about him. Enter the name and manufacturer of the tool in the search, check the legal information, reviews.
Supplements that are produced in large and official production, have registered cards with basic data. You should be wary if the search engine does not give anything on the registration number, most likely, the number is fake.
Points of sale
You can buy supplements at different points of sale:
• Pharmacies. Usually a separate shelf or showcase with the corresponding signature is given under additives.
• In grocery stores and supermarkets. Supplements do not have pharmacological properties, so large stores make separate shelves with them.
• In sports nutrition stores and fitness centers. Supplements are designed to maintain health, replenish microelement storage in the body. Proponents of proper nutrition often choose them in special stores.
• In online stores and online pharmacies. Special sections are also created for food supplements, which state that the buyer buys a supplement, not a drug.
See the doctor
The doctor will help to determine the food supplement or drug the patient plans to take. Some doctors prescribe maintenance supplements along with a course of medication. If you do not plan to take supplements, ask your doctor in advance what drugs are included in the list of your prescriptions.
You can also consult with your doctor about supplements that will be useful to the patient. The doctor will prescribe several tests to determine which elements need to be replenished, prescribe specific food supplements and dosages.
