RE: Interferon beta and dexamethasone20 Nov 2020 21:41
The British National Formulary is an independent professional publication that addresses the day-to-day prescribing information needs of healthcare professionals. Use of this resource throughout the health service helps to ensure that medicines are used safely, effectively, and appropriately.
It is divided into monographs that contain information for prescribers.
This includes Cautions and Contra-indications.
The drug chosen to treat a particular condition should minimise the patient’s susceptibility to adverse effects and, where co-morbidities exist, have minimal detrimental effects on the patient’s other diseases.
To achieve this, the Contra-indications, Cautions and Side-effects of the relevant drug should be reviewed. The information under Cautions can be used to assess the risks of using a drug in a patient who has co-morbidities that are also included in the Cautions for that drug—if a safer alternative cannot be found, the drug may be prescribed while monitoring the patient for adverse-effects or deterioration in the co-morbidity.
Contra-indications are far more restrictive than Cautions and mean that the drug should be avoided in a patient with a condition that is contra-indicated.