Medications

National Advocate
Volume II, Number 3 Fall 1996

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Before Taking Medications

Medications are powerful and can be harmful if not used properly. These tips will help reduce medication-related problems:

• Ask your doctor to not only tell you what a medicine is for, but ask him or her to write it down, too. If not, you might forget what the doctor says, especially if more than one medicine is being taken. Your doctor should also tell you when to take it, for how long and if it should be taken in a special way (e.g., with food or plenty of water).

• Use the same pharmacy to buy prescriptions as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications. This way, a complete record of medicines can be kept in one place. This is especially important if more than one doctor has been writing your prescriptions. Your pharmacist can also spot possible harmful combinations of medicines.

• Tell your doctor and have him or her record all medicines that are being taken. This includes OTC items like vitamins, aspirin, and laxatives, as well as any medicine another doctor has prescribed.

• Ask your pharmacist to clearly mark each vial with all necessary instructions.

• Always keep medicines in their original containers.

• Let your doctor know about past reactions to certain medicines. Tolerance levels may change with age. For instance, as some people age, they may show greater sensitivity to some medications such as painkillers or tranquilizers.

• Ask about the possible side effects of a medication. If you are experience some, call your physician immediately. Often, just a change in dosage is all that is needed.

• Never take or give someone elses medications.

• Throw away all medications that have expired.

• Don't stop giving prescription medications even if they feel better. Check with your doctor first.

Understanding A Prescription

If you can't understand your doctor's prescription, much less read his or her handwriting the following information will be helpful. Listed are frequently used abbreviations that are meant to give directions to both the pharmacist filling the prescription and to the patient taking the medication:

• ad lib. - Freely, as needed
• a.c. - Before meals
• b.i.d. -Twice a day
• caps - Capsule
• gtt.- Drops
• h.s. - At bedtime
• p.c. - After meals
• p.o. - By mouth
• p.r.n. - As needed
• q.4.h. - Every 4 hours
• q.d. - Daily
• q.i.d. - Four times a day
• q.o.d. - Every other day
• t.i.d. - Three times a day
• Ut dict., UD - As directed

Questions To Ask About Medications

Make sure you get clear answers to these questions before you take any medications:

• What is the name of the medication?

• What will it do?

• When should it be taken?

• How long should it be taken?

• Are there side effects?

• Should I take it with meals?

• Is there a generic equivalent?

• Will it interfere with other medicines they are taking?

• Should they stop taking it if they feel better?

• Is there anything that should be avoided while taking this medicine (e.g., sunlight)?

Seven Golden Rules Of Prescriptions

Popping a pill into your mouth or spooning down that elixir may be hazardous to the their health if you don't observe some basic rules:

• Report adverse reactions, especially unexpected side effects, to your physician. Not everyone responds to medication in the same manner.

• Because two or more medications taken within 24 hours period may interact negatively, tell your doctor about all medications being taken. One medicine may slow down or speed up the effect of the other. If you don't know which medications are being taking bring them (in their original containers) to your doctor for review.

• Ask your pharmacist about food and drug interactions. Some foods may affect the rate at which a medication works, or may prevent it from working at all. Some combinations may have even more dangerous consequences. For example, when MAO inhibitors (prescription drugs used to treat depression are consumed with cheese and other foods containing tyramine, dangerously elevated blood pressure levels may result).

• If they are having laboratory tests performed, be sure to inform the physician of all medications, including nutritional supplements, they have been taking. Certain test results can be influenced. If they have been administered a medical self-test, ask your pharmacist about possible drug influence.

• Always ask your physician if a generic equivalent would be okay to use. Generics are usually less expensive than the brandname version and may be equally effective. There are certain situation in which a special brand of medication may be required in order to ensure a consistent effect. This is particularly important with medications for the heart and lung, and for hormonal disorders.

• Tell your doctor if:
  • They have ever experienced an allergic reaction, and to what

  • They are pregnant or breastfeeding

  • Another doctor is also prescribing

  • They have diabetes or kidney or liver disease

  • They are regularly taking vitamins, birth control pills, insulin, or other medications

  • They are using alcohol, tobacco, or illegal ("street") drugs

Over-The-Counter Medications

Taken by millions of people, over the counter (OTC) drugs are widely advertised in magazines and on TV. Generally less potent than prescription drugs, they can be taken without the authorization of a doctor. Ask these question before buying an OTC drug:

• Am I trying to cover up symptoms that need to be evaluated by a doctor?

• Will continued use cause a new problem?

• Are there unwanted side effects from these drugs? (e.g., headaches, rashes)

• Do I already have a similar product at home?

Often, reading the package labels, looking up the name of the drug in the Physician's Desk Reference for Nonprescription Drugs or asking the pharmacist can help you answer these questions. Keep in mind that when taken in large quantities, an OTC drug might equal the dose of a medicine that is available only by prescription. If you are unsure whether a particular OTC medication will help or harm you, call and check with your doctor before you purchase it.

Overhauling Your Medicine Cabinet

Who knows what mysterious bottles lurk on the shelves of your bathroom medicine cabinet? If it has been more than a year since you last house cleaned your cabinet, it's certainly time to take inventory. Here's how:

• Take out the entire contents of the medicine cabinet and get some clear idea of what your really need to keep.

• Check expiration dates. Throw out all out dated medicine. If you're uncertain about a particular item, call your pharmacist and ask what the shelf life is.

• Are all medications in original containers and labeled clearly? If not, into the trash they go. It's dangerous to store medicines in anything but their original containers. Some medicines come in tinted glass, for example, because exposure to light may cause them to deteriorate.

• Discard old tubes of cream that have hardened or cracked. Throw out any liquid medicines that now appear cloudy or filmy.

• Discard all unnecessary medications by flushing them down the toilet, and keep all others locked in a high cabinet.

• Keep a container of syrup of ipecac handy in case of accidental poisoning. Call the poison control center before giving syrup of ipecac.

Credits

Reprinted with permission from the National Advocate. Originally from The American Institute for Preventive Medicine's Self Care... Your Family Guide To Symptoms and to Treat Them. Dr. Don R. Powell, Ph.D. Published by People's Medical Society.