> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://doc.vapi.co/tr/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://doc.vapi.co/tr/en/getting-started/what-should-we-know-about-medications.md).

# What Should we Know About Medications ?

Before using vapi.co services, it can be useful to have some basic knowledge about pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements.

## What is drug ? 

Drugs are substances developed in various forms and used in living organisms for the treatment or diagnosis of specific diseases, as preventive measures, or to control symptoms.

Drugs consist of an [**active ingredient** ](#etkilesim-drug-interaction)and [**excipients**](#yardimci-madde-excipient-inactive-ingredient).

## What is a Dietary Supplement?

Dietary supplements are products developed and used to provide the body with nutrients that cannot be consumed in sufficient quantities. These supplements may include nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids.

## What are the Differences Between Drugs and Dietary Supplements?

\
Drugs are prescribed by physicians and are used for specific medical conditions [(indications)](#endikasyon-indication). They contain synthetic or natural active ingredients.

Dietary supplements are used independently of disease states to support healthy body functions and address nutritional deficiencies. They contain ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbal extracts.

## Terminology

### Drug-Related Terms

#### <mark style="color:red;">Etken Madde - Active Ingredient</mark>

The active ingredient is the chemical component responsible for the medicinal or therapeutic effects of a drug. It is known as the primary active substance of the medication.

*For example, the active ingredient of the drug Parol is paracetamol.*

A drug's active ingredient is the most critical component in its formulation, providing its therapeutic benefits. Because of this, it is prominently displayed on drug labels, and doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals pay close attention to it when prescribing or dispensing medication.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Yardımcı Madde - Excipient (Inactive Ingredient)</mark>

In drug formulations, components that surround or carry the active ingredient are called "excipients" (or inactive ingredients). Excipients can enhance the stability of the drug formulation, facilitate absorption, improve physical properties such as taste or color, and make administration easier.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Endikasyon - Indication</mark>&#x20;

Information specifying the conditions or diseases for which a drug or treatment should be used.

*For example: fever, headache, nausea, breast cancer...*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Kontrendikasyon - Contraindication</mark>

Information specifying the conditions or diseases in which a drug or treatment should **not** be used.

*For example, if a drug is stated to be contraindicated in flu infections, it must not be used in the presence of a flu infection.*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Doz - Dosage</mark>

Refers to the specified amount of a drug to be taken within a given period of time.

*For example, "3 times a day" is a dosage statement. It indicates that 3 units should be taken in a single day at equal intervals. On prescriptions, this is often expressed as "3x1".*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Yan Etki - Side Effect</mark>

Side effects are unwanted physiological or psychological reactions that can occur as a result of using a drug.

*For example: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea...*

Side effects are categorized based on their frequency of occurrence as follows: very common, common, uncommon, rare, very rare, and frequency unknown.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Kısa Ürün Bilgisi (KÜB) - Summery of Product Characteristics (SmPC)</mark>

The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) is an official document containing essential information about a medication intended specifically for healthcare professionals.

It covers topics such as indications, posology (dosage and administration), contraindications, warnings, side effects, storage conditions, shelf life, and drug incompatibilities.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Kullanma Talimatı (KT) - Patient Information Leaflet (PIL)</mark>

The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) is a document containing essential information intended for the person using the medication. Unlike the SmPC, it is addressed to the general public rather than healthcare professionals and is written in much simpler, accessible language.

It includes sections such as: what the drug is and what it is used for, what you need to know before taking it, how to take it, possible side effects, and how to store it.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Eşdeğer / Alternatif</mark> - Equivalent / Alternative Drugs

Drug equivalence is classified in several ways:

* **Pharmaceutical Equivalent:** A condition where two drugs have the same pharmaceutical form (tablets, capsules, etc.) and contain the same amount of the exact same active ingredient.
* **Bioequivalent:** A condition where two pharmaceutical equivalents demonstrate similar bioavailability and effects within specified limits after being administered at the same dose.
* **Therapeutic Equivalent:** A condition where two drugs containing the same active ingredient exhibit the same therapeutic efficacy and safety profile.
* **SGK Equivalent (Reimbursement Equivalent):** The equivalent designated by the Social Security Institution (SGK) for a drug covered under public reimbursement. It may not always match pharmaceutical equivalence criteria, as the classification is determined directly by SGK.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Jenerik / Orjinal İlaç - Generic / Original  Drug</mark>

**Original Drug:** The innovative drug developed, patented, and brought to market by the patent-holding company. In the pharmaceutical industry, the standard patent protection period is 20 years.

**Generic Drug:** A bioequivalent alternative drug that comes to market after the original drug's patent expires, manufactured to meet specific regulatory standards.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Anatomik Terapötik Sınıflandırma (ATC) - Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification</mark>

A classification system created and maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO). It categorizes active ingredients according to the organ or system on which they act, as well as their therapeutic, pharmacological, and chemical properties.

<figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/yoqXCLsgP4CqhklelIUV/blobs/AEhQb8SXanNCD48asJAi/image.png" alt=""><figcaption><p>Örnek ATC grubu</p></figcaption></figure>

#### <mark style="color:red;">Yeni Form Kodu (New Form Code - NFC)</mark>

A classification system created and maintained by EphMRA (European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association) that categorizes drugs based on their pharmaceutical form.

<figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/yoqXCLsgP4CqhklelIUV/blobs/LR4KanOVuP108tGU4kix/image.png" alt=""><figcaption><p>Örnek NFC grubu</p></figcaption></figure>

#### <mark style="color:red;">Gebelik Kategorisi - Pregnancy Category</mark>

Drugs are categorized into 5 groups to assess their safety profile during pregnancy:

**Category A:** Controlled studies in humans are available and have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus.

**Category B:** No controlled studies in humans; animal studies have failed to demonstrate a fetal risk.

**Category C:** No controlled studies in humans or animals, or animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but there is no evidence of fetal risk in humans.

**Category D:** There is positive evidence of human fetal risk. Should only be used after evaluating the benefit-to-risk ratio.

**Category X:** Fetal risk is proven in both human and animal studies. Use in pregnant women carries high risk and is strictly [contraindicated](#kontrendikasyon-contraindication).

#### <mark style="color:red;">Aç / Tok Kullanım - Administration Relative to Meals (Before/After Meals)</mark>&#x20;

Oral medications are categorized according to their timing relative to food intake.

These categories include on an empty stomach, on a full stomach, taken with meals, etc.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Uygulama Yolu - Route Of Administration</mark>

Drugs are introduced into the body through various pathways, which are referred to as routes of administration.

Examples of administration routes include oral, ear, eye, nose, intravenous, subcutaneous, and intramuscular. In the medical world, these routes are commonly referred to by their Latin or standardized terminology.

*For example: oral, otic, conjunctival, nasal, intravenous (IV), subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM)...*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Farmasötik Form - Pharmaceutical Form</mark>&#x20;

The pharmaceutical form defines the physical presentation of a medication. It is also referred to as the dosage form.

*For example: tablet, capsule, syrup, lotion, cream, ointment...*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Geçimsizlik - Incompatibility</mark>

Drugs can exhibit physical or chemical incompatibility when combined with certain other substances. Such medications must not be mixed together.

*For example, drugs containing the active ingredient ampicillin are incompatible with drugs containing active ingredients such as gentamicin or streptomycin. During administration, they should not be drawn into the same syringe or stored in the same container.*

#### <mark style="color:red;">Etkileşim - Drug Interaction</mark>

Interaction refers to the reactions that occur between medications (or other substances) after they are introduced into the body. As a result of these reactions, the efficacy of a drug may increase or decrease, or toxic reactions may occur. Drugs can interact with other drugs, foods, dietary supplements, disease conditions, or specific patient characteristics.

### İlaç Sektörüyle İlgili Terimler - Pharmaceutical Industry-Related Terms

#### <mark style="color:red;">Fiyat - Price</mark>

Each pharmaceutical product has several pricing tiers:

**Manufacturer Price:** The price at which the manufacturing company sells to wholesalers/distributors.

**Wholesaler Price:** The price at which wholesalers sell to pharmacies or hospitals.

**Pharmacy Price (Excl. VAT):** The selling price from the pharmacy, excluding Value Added Tax (VAT).

**Retail Price (Incl. VAT):** The final selling price at the pharmacy, including VAT.

**Public Price:** The reference price established for reimbursable drugs within the public healthcare system.

**Public Reimbursed Amount:** The actual portion of the drug price covered and paid by the Social Security Institution (SGK).

**Public Price Difference:** The out-of-pocket difference between the public price of a reimbursable drug and the amount paid by the SGK.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Barkod - Barcode</mark>

A unique 12 or 13-digit identification number used to distinguish products.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Firma - Company</mark>&#x20;

Companies are divided into two categories: Marketing Authorization Holders (MAH) and Manufacturers. In most cases, the manufacturer and the marketing authorization holder are the same entity. However, in certain cases, a marketing authorization holder may contract another company to handle manufacturing.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Piyasa Durumu - Market Status</mark>

Market status refers to the availability of a drug or dietary supplement in the commercial market. It can be categorized into statuses such as Active, Not Manufactured / Not Imported, or License Cancelled / Suspended.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Geri Ödeme - Reimbursement</mark>

A portion of medications is reimbursed by the Social Security Institution (SGK). Whether a drug is covered under reimbursement and the specific amount to be reimbursed are determined by SGK.

#### <mark style="color:red;">SGK Kamu Numarası - SGK Public Code</mark>

The Social Security Institution (SGK) assigns a unique public code to provide distinct identification for all drugs covered under reimbursement.

#### <mark style="color:red;">SGK Eşdeğer Kodu - SGK Equivalent Code</mark>

A coding system created to group equivalent reimbursable drugs in accordance with Social Security Institution (SGK) rules.

*For example: E403C, H101A...*

#### <mark style="color:red;">SGK Etken Madde Kodu - SGK Active Ingredient Code</mark>&#x20;

A coding system where the Social Security Institution (SGK) categorizes active ingredients based on specific rules (which may incorporate dosage, administration route, etc.) and assigns each a unique code. These codes are officially utilized in medical health reports.

*For example:*

**SGKEPL:** Albumin (human) 25%, Parenteral route

**SGKGCS:** Cabozantinib 140 mg, Oral route (Solid)

#### <mark style="color:red;">Sağlık Uygulama Tebliği (SUT) - Health Implementation Comnunique</mark>

An official regulatory communiqué that provides guidelines, pricing, regulations, and implementation details for the government's social health policies.

It specifies the conditions under which medications are reimbursed, as well as the criteria required for the validity of medical reports and prescriptions.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Reçete Türü - Prescription Type</mark>

In Turkey, medications can be prescribed under 7 different categories based on regulatory controls:

**White Prescription (Normal Prescription):** The standard prescription type used for the vast majority of non-controlled medications.

**Restricted White Prescription:** A type of prescription that must be issued by a medical specialist.

**Controlled Prescription (Subject to Control):** Prescriptions used for medications with a potential for misuse or abuse.

**Red Prescription:** A strictly monitored prescription type reserved for narcotic drugs.

**Green Prescription:** A monitored prescription type reserved for psychotropic substances.

**Purple Prescription:** A special prescription type designated for blood and blood product transfusions/treatments.

**Orange Prescription:** A special prescription type designated for blood clotting factors.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Soğuk Zincir - Cold Chain</mark>&#x20;

A temperature-controlled supply chain that ensures temperature-sensitive products are consistently maintained within a specified temperature range from manufacturing through to patient administration.

#### <mark style="color:red;">Uluslararası Hastalık Sınıflandırması (ICD-10) Kodları -International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) Codes</mark>

A disease classification system published and updated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and maintained globally (such as by the CDC in the US) to categorize diseases, symptoms, and clinical findings.

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