Many cases of drug poisoning are due to incorrect dosage.

The Department of Men's Skin Disease Treatment at the Central Dermatology Hospital (Hanoi) has recently continuously received patients with acute methotrexate poisoning, due to taking the wrong dose or schedule.

Among the hospitalized patients was a male patient over 50 years old, suffering from lichen planus, who arbitrarily took methotrexate 10 mg/day for 5 consecutive days (instead of 10 mg/week as prescribed by the doctor for outpatients). After 5 days of using the drug, the patient developed red lesions, edema, and burning pain in the genital area. However, the patient arbitrarily bought more drugs to continue taking for 5 days at the same dose, causing the lesions to progress severely.

Skin necrosis ulceration due to patient self-medicating with wrong dose of MCT

PHOTO: BSCC

At the Central Dermatology Hospital, test results showed that the patient's liver enzyme index was 4 times higher than normal. The patient was diagnosed with acute drug poisoning.

In addition to the above patient, there was a male patient with plaque psoriasis who was prescribed methotrexate 10 mg/week, but the patient arbitrarily took 10 mg/day continuously for 4 weeks, leading to drug poisoning with symptoms of widespread skin and mucosal ulceration and necrosis, bone marrow failure, rapidly progressive thrombocytopenia and leukopenia, and risk of systemic infection.

Another case is a 20-year-old male patient with acute lichenoid pityriasis and smallpox who did not comply with the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor. At home, the patient used methotrexate 5 mg/day continuously for 2 weeks, leading to mouth ulcers, nausea, blisters on the skin...

Specialist 2 Quach Thi Ha Giang , Head of the Department of Treatment of Men's Skin Diseases at the Central Dermatology Hospital, recommends that patients read the prescription carefully. Methotrexate is a drug that is always used weekly, never daily. Patients must strictly follow the doctor's instructions, do not arbitrarily change the dose or listen to other people's instructions; have regular check-ups (blood tests, liver and kidney tests) to monitor drug safety. If there are warning signs: mouth ulcers, skin ulcers, fever, unusual fatigue, go to a medical facility immediately.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhieu-ca-benh-ngo-doc-thuoc-do-su-dung-sai-lieu-185251007175030488.htm