Shelia Lewis: Smith County Extension

Prescription and non-prescription medications have made our lives better in many ways. While these medications may be very important for good health, they may also have unintended side-effects that might cause problems in the body.

Additionally, the more medications a person takes, the greater risk for medications interacting with each other in a bad way. This becomes a problem as people grow older since, on average, older adults are prescribed more medications than any other age group.

LEARN THE TERMS

Being able to safely manage your medications involves understanding a little bit about drugs, in general, and how to talk to your doctor, pharmacist and other health providers who might recommend medications.

The terms medicines, drugs, pills and many others may include:

Medicines from a pharmacist with a doctor's prescription.

Pills, liquids or creams without a prescription.

Vitamins minerals and/or dietary supplements.

Medicines that may be bought without a prescription are called over-the-counter medicines. This means that the Food and Drug Administration has deemed these safe to take without a doctor's written order. However, mixing certain medicines can cause problems, so be sure to let your doctor know about all the prescription and over-the-counter drugs you are taking. Just because it is safe enough to be sold over-the-counter does not mean it is completely safe for you to take.

When getting a prescription filled, there may be a choice between either a generic or brand-name drug. Generic and brand-name medicines are alike because they act the same way in the body and they contain the same active ingredients. Generic drugs may cost less; however, not all drugs are available in the generic form.

Tell the doctor or nurse about all the medicines you take whenever a new drug is prescribed. Remind your doctor or nurse about your allergies and any problems you have had with medicines. Find out the right way to take the medicine before you start using it.

ASK QUESTIONS

Here are some of the questions you may want to ask. It might help to write down the answers:

What is the name of the medicine and why am I taking it?

How many times a day should I take it and at what time?

Should I take the medicine before, after or between meals? Is there anything I should avoid eating when taking this medicine?

When should I stop taking the medicine?

What if I miss a dose?

What side effects can I expect? What should I do if I have a problem?

Your pharmacist is also an important part of your healthcare team. He or she can answer many questions you may have about your medicine.

For example, a pharmacist can tell you how and when to take your medicine, whether a drug may interact with or affect another medicine you are taking and any side effects you might have. Also, the pharmacist can answer questions about over-the-counter medications.

Try to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy or chain of pharmacies so your records are in one place. The pharmacist will help keep track of all your medications and will be able to tell you if a new drug might cause problems. When you have prescription filled:

Make sure you can read and understand the name of the medicine and the directions on the container and the warning stickers on the bottle. If the label is hard to read, ask your pharmacist to use larger type.

Check that you can open the container, if not, ask the pharmacist to put your medicines in bottles that are easier to open.

Tell the pharmacist if you have trouble swallowing pills. Do not chew, break or crush tablets without first finding out if the drug will still work.

Ask about special instructions on where to store a medicine. For example, should it be kept in the refrigerator?

By having some additional knowledge about terms and instructions, you can manage your medications better, reducing the risk of medication error. Also, by better compliance with your medications you are more likely to experience better health while reducing your overall health-care costs. In the next article we'll discuss how to organize your medications and keep track of them.

This information has been researched and complied by our gerontology specialist for consumer awareness.


Shelia Lewis is a Smith County Extension agent in family and consumer sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at sk-lewis@tamu.edu.

Shelia Lewis
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