How Dangerous Are Fake Medicines: Nowadays everything is adulterated and it is having bad effect on health. Cases of serious adulteration in food items and even medicines are coming to light. Last year, many people across the country died due to adulterated cough syrup. From time to time, rackets of fake medicines ranging from cancer to allergy and diabetes are also exposed. The situation has become such that it has become difficult for people to differentiate between genuine and fake medicines. The trade of counterfeit medicines has become a serious global problem. If the medicines taken for health are not genuine but are adulterated or fake, then they can become a direct threat to life.

Dr. Rakesh Gupta, senior physician at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, told News18. That counterfeit medicines i.e. counterfeit medicines can be fatal for patients. Cheap and substandard ingredients are often used in counterfeit medicines. Chalk powder, starch, flour, talcum powder or other cheap chemicals can be added to these. In some cases, pills are made by adding only color and flavor in the name of medicine, in which the actual active ingredient is either present in very small quantity or not present at all. Many times, wrong or harmful chemicals are also added to these medicines, which can prove to be poisonous for the body. Such medicines are not only ineffective, but can also cause serious harm.

Doctor Gupta said that the biggest danger of consuming fake medicines is that the patient’s disease does not get cured and the condition may worsen. If someone has an infection and takes fake antibiotics, the infection may increase and antibiotic resistance to the medicine may also develop in the body. Due to this, even the right medicines do not work in future. Taking fake medicines for serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes can prove fatal. Apart from this, poisonous chemicals present in fake medicines can harm the internal organs of the body.

According to experts, fake medicines can have adverse effects on liver, kidney and heart. In some cases, incidents of allergy, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness or even sudden death have been reported. This danger can be more serious for children, elderly and pregnant women, because their body is more sensitive. To avoid fake medicines, people should always buy medicines from licensed medical stores only. Be sure to check the batch number, expiry date, name of the manufacturing company and hologram on the medicine packet. Be careful of medicines available at very cheap prices. While purchasing medicines online, use only reliable and certified websites. If in any doubt, consult a doctor or pharmacist.