Drugs in our daily lives: the rarely noticed science

MOST of us interact with pharmacology long before we know how to pronounce it. It often begins with a simple paracetamol, famously known as Panadol, for a headache; an antihistamine for an allergy; or a cough syrup when the cough seems determined to outlast your patience. Many of us start the day with coffee (yes, caffeine is technically a drug), add a vitamin C after breakfast for that “just in case,” and end the evening with something for heartburn after gobbling dinner like a pro. Without realising it, we are living in a world quietly supported by pharmacology.