An antibiotic used for the treatment of urinary-tract infections and to prevent infection during surgery of the genitourinary tract. It is especially useful for treating kidney infections that are resistant to other antibiotics. It is available, on prescription only, as tablets, capsules, modified-release capsules, or a suspension.
Side effects: include gastrointestinal upset, breathing difficulties, rash,
and itching. Rare side effects are jaundice, inflammation of the liver, and
blood disorders. The drug should be withdrawn if signs of breathing
problems, jaundice, or liver problems occur.
Precautions: nitrofurantoin should not be taken by people with impaired
kidney function or by women at the end of pregnancy or who are breastfeeding.
Interactions with other drugs:
Magnesium trisilicate: reduces absorption of nitrofurantoin.
Probenecid: increases the potential toxicity of nitrofurantoin.
Proprietary preparations: Furadantin; Macrobid; Macrodantin.
A broad-spectrum antibiotic that is not related to any of the other antibiotics. It is used for treating bacterial skin infections and is especially useful for nasal infections, since it is active against methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that is resistant to many antibiotics and may be carried in the nostrils. Mupirocin is available, on prescription only, as an ointment to be applied to the skin
or nostrils.
Side effects: the ointment may cause stinging on application; contact
with the eyes should be avoided.
Precautions: mupirocin should be used with caution by people with
kidney disease.
Proprietary preparations: Bactroban; Bactroban Nasal.
An oestrogen antagonist used for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women in which oestrogens stimulate growth of the tumour. It is available as tablets on prescription only.
Side effects: include hot flushes, vaginal bleeding or discharge, sweating, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fluid retention, and chest or back pain. Vaginal bleeding or discharge or pelvic pain should be reported to a doctor promptly to exclude the possibility of cancer of the endometrium (womb lining).
Precautions: toremifene should not be taken by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or by those who have severe liver disease, hyperplasia (overgrowth) of the endometrium, or a history of severe thromboembolic disease.
Interactions with other drugs:
Anticoagulants: toremifene increases the effects of warfarin and
nicoumalone (acenocoumarol).
Antiepileptic drugs: the effects of toremifene may be reduced by
carbamazepine, phenobarbitone
Thiazide diuretics: increase the risk of high concentrations of calcium in the blood, especially in women in whom the cancer has spread to the
bones.
Proprietary preparation: Fareston.
A synthetic progestogen that is used as a progestogen-only orai contraceptive. In combination with an oestrogen, it is used to provide postcoital (‘morning-after’) contraception or for treating symptoms of the menopause and preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
Proprietary preparations: Neogest (contraceptive pill); SCHERING PC4 (combined with ethinyloestradiol).
A class II calcium antagonist that relaxes the cerebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain. It is used to prevent spasm of these arteries following a subarachnoid haemorrhage (bleeding into the
spaces around the brain caused by a rupture of one of the cerebral arteries), and thus prevents further interruption of the blood supply to the brain. Nimodipine is available, as tablets or a solution for infusion, on
prescription only.
Side effects: include low blood pressure, flushing, headache, and gastrointestinal upset (including nausea).
Precautions: nimodipine should be used with caution in patients with swelling of the brain, raised pressure within the brain, or poor kidney function.
Proprietary preparation: Nimotop.
A proprietary preparation consisting of a combination of the analgesics paracetamol and codeine phosphate and the antiemetic antihistamine buclizine hydrochloride in the form of pink tablets, packaged with a combination of paracetamol and codeine phosphate (yellow tablets), used for the treatment of migraine. Two pink tablets taken at the start of a migraine attack are followed by two yellow tablets at four-hourly intervals. Migraleve can be obtained without a prescription, but only from pharmacies.
Side effects: Migraleve causes drowsiness.
Precautions: Migraleve should not be taken by children under 10 years old, except under medical supervision.
A non-nucleoside antiviral drug that inhibits reverse transcriptase by binding directly to the enzyme, thus blocking the synthesis of retroviral DNA and preventing viral replication. It is used in
combination therapy for the treatment of infections in patients with advanced or progressive HIV disease. Nevirapine is available as tablets on prescription only.
Side effects: include rash (which should be reported to a doctor), nausea, fatigue, fever, headache, somnolence, and hepatitis.
Precautions: nevirapine should be used with caution in people with kidney or liver disease and in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Interactions with other drugs:
Ketoconazole: nevirapine reduces the plasma concentration of ketoconazole and the two drugs should not be taken together.
Oral contraceptives: their contraceptive effect is reduced.
Proprietary preparation: Viramune.
A proprietary combination of ibuprofen (an NSAID) and codeine (an opioid analgesic), used to relieve the symptoms of colds and influenza, rheumatic and muscular pain, backache, migraine, headache, toothache, and period pains. It is available as tablets and can be obtained without a prescription, but only from pharmacies.
Precautions: Solpaflex is not recommended for children.
A proprietary combination of nalidixic acid (a quinolone antibiotic), sodium citrate, citric acid, and *sodium bicarbonate (all alkalizing agents), used for the treatment of cystitis and other infections of the lower urinary tract. It is available, on prescription only, as effervescent granules.
Side effects: include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, visual disturbances, seizures, and allergic reactions.
Precautions: Mictral should not be taken by people with a history of epilepsy or seizures, poor kidney function, or by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. People who are taking Mictral should avoid
exposure to sunlight.
One of the female sex hormones produced by theovaries. It is used in hormone replacement therapy,
mainly for the local relief of wasting or inflammation of the vagina,
shrinkage or itching of the vulva (external genitals), or pain on
intercourse, in menopausal and postmenopausal women. Oestriol is
available as tablets or a cream on prescription only.
Proprietary preparations: Ortho-Gynest (pessaries or cream); Ovestin
(tablets or cream); HORMONIN (combined with oestradiol
oestrone