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DrugTalk
Week 5: Drug Dosage Forms

What is a drug dosage form?
Put simply, this is the physical form in which a drug is produced and intended for use.
There are four broad categories of dosage forms: solid, semi-solid, liquid, and gaseous.
Solid dosage forms include: tablets, capsules, caplets, powders, granules, and lozenges.
Semi-solid dosage forms include: ointments, creams, lotions, pastes, gels, suppositories and pessaries.
Liquid dosage forms include: solutions, suspensions, syrups, emulsions, and elixirs.
Gaseous dosage forms include: aerosols, inhalers, and nebulisers.

*This is a brief overview and subsequent editions will discuss these dosage forms in detail.* ✍🏽

DrugTalk
Week 4: OTC, Prescription and Controlled Drugs

On this week's edition of DrugTalk we'll talk about three legal categories of drugs: OTC, Prescription and Controlled Drugs. What does category mean, and entail? Let's break it down.

OTC drugs: This is an acronym that stands for "Over the Counter"drugs. This designation refers to those drugs and medical products that can be purchased at any pharmacy, drugstore, or supermarket with or without a doctor's prescription. They are used to treat or manage minor conditions like headaches, heartburn, allergies, etc. Examples include: common analgesics, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen; cough expectorants; vitamin supplements; and medical products like condoms, syringes, needles etc.

Prescription drugs: These are drugs that require a valid prescription from a licensed prescriber and must be dispensed by a pharmacist. They are used for specific, complex, and serious conditions after diagnosis by a physician. Examples are antibiotics and antihypertensives.

Controlled drugs: These are drugs that carry a high risk of addiction, abuse, tolerance or dependence. Hence, access to them is strictly restricted and available only with a prescription, with strict tracking afterwards. They are classified into categories or schedules based on their medical use versus potential for misuse. These drugs are often used to manage conditions such as pain or anxiety. Examples include: Opioids (such as morphine and fentanyl), benzodiazepines (like diazepam and lorazepam).

Summary:
OTC drugs: Do not require a prescription to procure. Used for minor conditions.
Prescription drugs: Generally refers to all drugs that require a prescription to purchase. Must be dispensed by a pharmacist
Controlled drugs: Drugs which access to are strictly restricted due to potential for abuse, tolerance or dependence.
*All controlled drugs are prescription drugs, but not all prescription drugs are controlled drugs*

DrugTalk

Week 2: Dose, Dosage, Dosage form, Dosage regimen

These four descriptions are related nomenclature often used in drug prescribing and dispensing. But what are the differences? Let's break it down simply

Dose: is the total amount of a drug administered at a single time. E.g 1,000 mg of paracetamol.

Dosage: covers the size (how much), frequency (how often), and number of doses (how long). E.g 1,000mg of paracetamol twice daily for 3 days.

Dosage Form: refers to the physical form in which a drug is produced. It consists of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and the excipients (inactive ingredients). Take paracetamol for an example: it is available in tablet, capsule, powder, syrup, suspension, and injectable forms. Other dosage forms include: solutions, inhalers, aerosols and sprays, creams, ointments, pastes, creams, patches, suppositories and pessaries, lozenges, emulsions,

Dosage Regimen: includes the dose, frequency, the route of administration, and the duration of treatment. Dosage Regimen is the whole treatment plan. E.g Paracetamol 500mg tablets, two tablets orally morning and night for 2 days.

Summary:
Dose: amount of a drug given at one time
Dosage: how much, how often, and how long
Dosage form: he physical product or appearance of the drug
Dosage regimen: the full administration plan or schedule.

Hope you enjoy this and look out for week 3!

Edition One

Read:

https://www.nairaland.com/8761946/what-drug-medicine

DrugTalk

Week 1: What is a Drug and a Medicine?

Many people use the nomenclature "drug" and "medicine" interchangeably and it's quite understandable. But are the terms completely the same? Let's discuss that.

A drug is any substance that when taken, alters the biological and physiological processes of the body,either for good or for bad. A drug may be therapeutic, experimental or recreational. It includes: medicines like paracetamol and aspirin, common substances like nicotine and caffeine, and recreational substances like alcohol and narcotics(e.g heroin).

A medicine, on the other hand, is a drug used to prevent, treat, mitigate or manage a disease, abnormal condition, or symptom. Simply put, a medicine is a drug with a defined therapeutic value. A medicine is prepared by combining active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and inactive ingredients (excipients) into a dosage form, which may be solid(tablet, capsules etc), liquid (solutions, suspensions) or gas(eg aerosols). Example of a medicine is paracetamol for treatment of mild pain and fever.

Bottom line is:
‌Every medicine is a drug; not every drug is a medicine.
‌A drug may be therapeutic, experimental or recreational; a medicine is therapeutic.
‌A drug may be used for positive or negative effects; a medicine is always used for positive effects. It used otherwise, it ceases to be a "medicine" but becomes a "poison".

Hope we've learnt something today ✍🏽😊

Good day friends,
I'm pleased to announce the launch of DrugTalk, today being October 1st, 2026.
The aim is to provide essential and accurate drug and health-related information in a simple, but effective way through the use of understandable language, short articles, and infographics. Everyone can benefit: healthcare professionals, students, and everyday people.
The articles will drop once a week, every Wednesday, starting on the 7th of this month. We will start with Nairaland and LinkedIn, and add other networks later on.
Pls, I encourage y'all to engage and benefit.
God bless you all❤️

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