Drug medications we consume often contain additives and preservatives that serve various purposes, understanding their role is crucial for maintaining our health and well-being. It’s important to know that these additives and preservatives are like ingredients in a recipe. It’s always good to get a true understanding of each ingredient in your medication including the additives and preservatives. This article focuses on understanding drug medication additives and preservatives.
Food Additives and Preservatives
We are most familiar with additives and preservatives added to our food during processing or preparation. Oftentimes we are told that they improve the quality, appearance, or shelf life of food. These additives and preservatives can include colorings, flavorings, emulsifiers, and thickeners that have detrimental impacts on your health and mental well-being. Food preservatives are added to prevent spoilage, inhibit microbial growth, and extend the shelf life of food products and can include antimicrobials. While this seems beneficial there are common illnesses that can develop from food additives and preservatives.
Medication Additives and Preservatives
Additives and preservatives are commonly used in medications to enhance their stability (how they stay the same over time), shelf life, and effectiveness. These substances serve similar roles to those in food products, helping to maintain the quality and integrity (drug medication integrity means making sure the medicine is free from contaminants, safe, and works as intended) of drug medication recipes over time. Some common additives and preservatives found in drug medications include:
- Fillers and Binders: These substances are used to give medications their proper form and texture.
- Simple terms: These are glue-like substances that hold medicines together. They make sure the medicine stays in the right shape and size. Examples include lactose, cellulose, starch, and sugars.
- Coatings: Coatings are applied to tablets and capsules to protect the active ingredients from moisture, light, and air, as well as to improve their swallowability.
- Simple terms: Just like how you might put a jacket on to stay dry, coatings are like jackets for medicines. They protect the medicine from things like moisture, light, and air, which can make the medicine not work as well. Common coatings include shellac, gelatin, cellulose derivatives, and polyethylene glycol.
- Preservatives: Preservatives are added to liquid medications, creams, and ointments to prevent microbial contamination and spoilage.
- Simple terms: These are chemicals that keep medicines safe from germs. They prevent tiny bugs from growing in the medicine and making it go bad. Common preservatives in medications include benzyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, and sorbic acid.
- Stabilizers: Stabilizers help maintain the chemical stability and potency of medications over time. They prevent degradation of the active ingredients due to factors such as temperature, humidity, and exposure to light.
- Simple terms: These are guards that make sure the medicine stays strong and effective for a long time. They stop the medicine from changing or breaking down, even when it’s stored for a while. However, each drug medication has a maximum life-time of effectiveness. After that time the drug medication no longer works. Examples of stabilizers include antioxidants like ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium metabisulfite.
- Flavorings and Sweeteners: These additives may be used to mask the taste of medications and improve patient acceptance, particularly for liquid formulations and chewable tablets.
- Simple terms: Sometimes medicines don’t taste very good, so flavorings and sweeteners are added to make them taste better. They can be like adding a little bit of sugar or flavor to make it easier to swallow. Common flavorings and sweeteners include artificial and natural flavors, sucrose, and artificial sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame.
We are falsely told that man made chemical additives and preservatives when used in appropriate amounts are generally considered safe for use in medications ; however, some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to certain additives. It’s important for patients to discuss any concerns or adverse reactions with their healthcare providers, especially if they have known allergies or sensitivities to specific ingredients.
The Importance of Regulatory Oversight
To ensure the safety of food additives and preservatives, regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Europe play a critical role. These agencies evaluate the safety of additives and preservatives through rigorous testing before approving their use in food products. They also monitor their safety through post-market surveillance programs.
Reporting Mechanisms to Regulatory Agencies
If you suspect that a food additive or preservative has caused adverse reactions or safety concerns, reporting it to the appropriate regulatory agency is vital. Here’s how you can do it:
- MedWatch (FDA): Use the FDA’s MedWatch program to report adverse events related to food additives, preservatives, or any other food products. Reports can be submitted online, by phone, or by mail using the reporting form available on the FDA’s website.
- Consumer Complaint Coordinator (FDA): Contact the FDA’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator at your local FDA district office to report safety concerns related to food products. They can provide assistance with filing a complaint and address your concerns promptly.
- CFSAN (FDA): Reach out to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) to report safety issues related to food additives or preservatives. Contact information for inquiries and complaints is available on the CFSAN’s website.
- FDA Food Safety Reporting Portal: Utilize the FDA Food Safety Reporting Portal to report foodborne illnesses, product defects, or other food safety concerns directly to the FDA. While it primarily focuses on foodborne illness outbreaks, you can use the portal to report other safety issues related to food products.
By reporting safety concerns to regulatory agencies, you contribute to the ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of our food supply and protect public health.
In conclusion, while food additives and preservatives play essential roles in our food system, it’s crucial to understand drug medication additives and preservatives. As informed patients you must remain vigilant about their safety to your health and well-being. Understanding the regulatory oversight process and knowing how to report any safety concerns empowers consumers to make informed choices about the foods and drug medications they consume. Together, we can work towards making better choices to remain safe and healthy.