Managing Medications

Prescription and non-prescription medications have made our lives better in many ways. However, the more medications a person takes, the greater the risk of medications interacting with each other in a bad way.

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

When getting a prescription, there may be a choice between a generic or name brand drug. Generic and name brand medicines are alike because they act the same way in the body and 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.

Questions to Ask

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?

Over-the-Counter Medicines

Medicines that may be bought without a prescription are called over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. This means that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed these safe to take without a doctor’s order. However, mixing certain medicines can cause problems, so be sure to let your doctor know about all the prescription and OTC 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!

Filling Prescriptions

Your pharmacist is also an important part of your health care team. He or she can answer many questions you may have about your medicine. Try to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy or chain of pharmacies so your records are in one place. When you have a prescription filled:

• Make sure you can read and understand the name, 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?

Summary

Remember, medications that are strong enough to help you can also be strong enough to hurt you if they are not used the right way. By having some additional knowledge about terms and instructions, you can better manage your medications and reduce the risk of medication error. You are also more likely to have better health and lower overall health care costs.

For more information, visit:

• Ohio State University Extension Senior Series
• NIH Senior Health - Taking Medicines