Demand for iodine medicines has risen significantly in the past few days, it was confirmed on Wednesday to agency Fena from municipal and private pharmacies in Mostar.
They pointed out that citizens read on the Internet that iodine could help in the event of a nuclear attack in Europe, which is causing increasing demand.
”Recently, the demand for iodine has greatly increased, people call on the phone and ask if we have it in stock. This is totally wrong and similar to the situation when people at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic were looking for and taking antibiotics on their own,” said the Mostar City Pharmacy.
”In the event of a nuclear attack, iodine would have an effective effect only if consumed half an hour before the attack. Taking it uncontrollably and immoderately could only harm,” it was explained from a private pharmacy in Mostar.
They do not have it in stock at the moment, and they also emphasized that it is very difficult to get it.
Namely, potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medicine, and dietary supplement. It is used as a medicine to treat hyperthyroidism, in emergencies radiation, and to protect the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are used.
According to the National Institutes of Health, excessive iodine intake can cause enlargement, inflammation, and thyroid cancer.
