Using Microsoft Excel®,we explained in simple terms how the times of taking drugs are determined to patients at a pharmacy counter,in the case of medicines for children.We highlighted the change in drug concentrations with time using pharmacokinetics parameters,such as time of peak concentration,half-life,and area under the blood concentration-time curve,whose values were indicated in the interview-form.
Prediction of the blood drug concentration curve was based on the one-compartment absorption model.We found that various drugs,such as aciclovir (Astric® dry syrup),oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu® dry syrup),clarithromycin (Clarith® dry syrup),cefditoren pivoxil (Meiact MS® fine granules),oxatomide (Celtect® dry syrup) and procaterol hydrochloride (Meptin® dry syrup),had characteristic concentration patterns that could be understood visually.We also noted that the indices provided by our simple evaluation using Microsoft Excel® enabled drug concentrations in blood-time profiles to be compared visually in the case of patients complying with medication schedules and those not complying e.g.in the case that schedules are modified,the patient misses taking medicine or takes more than 1 dose at once.It was also possible to examine the relationship between the predicted blood concentration patterns of drugs and their efficacy or safety for each medicine.This technique would be useful means of helping pharmacists to fully realize their role in the community pharmacy.
