Pharmacy is one of the best professions in the world and was rated by Forbes in January 2015 as the best health care profession in the USA. - Chinedum Babalola

Some drugs are expected to be taken after food, some are to be taken on an empty stomach. For drugs that should be taken in an empty stomach, studies have shown that when taken with food, there is an interaction which may reduce their effectiveness. Rather such drugs can be taken about 30 minutes before food.

Most allergic reactions occur within hours to two weeks after taking the medication and most people react to medications to which they have been exposed to in the past. This process is called “sensitisation.” However, rashes may develop up to six weeks after starting certain types of medications. Rarely, blisters and bleeding inside the skin or the inner surfaces of the intestines may occur. Unfortunately, if it is the life threatening anaphylaxis, it could be fatal. So, it is important to educate people about these possible reactions to drugs.

Also, one of my children also reacted to septrin syrup as a baby. At two years, when he was given Fansidar, an antimalarial drug that also contains Sulphur, he almost died. Because the tongue was red and the inside of the mouth was red, they suspected measles. Unfortunately, nobody suspected a reaction until much later that a consultant paediatrician doctor linked his condition with Stevens – Johnson syndrome. Based on this experience, I started a study on pharmaco-genetics, which entail looking at how gene can help predict a person’s reaction to a particular drug.