Taking Prescription Medication
- Know these important points about any prescribed medication:
- How to store it (Does the medicine need to be in a cool place?)
- The specific time of day it should be taken
- What foods, drinks, other medications or activities to avoid while on the drug
- What results, reactions or side effects you might expect from the medication, and what to do if you have reactions or side effects
- What to do in case you miss a dose
- Specific side effects if you become pregnant
- What to do if you get sick from something else or have to go to the hospital
Take your medicine exactly as prescribed; don't run out of pills even for one day.
A recent study found that more than 80 percent of adults age 57 and older take at least one prescription drug a day and that about half of them regularly mix drugs with over-the-counter medications and supplements.
Interactions between prescription medications and over-the-counter medications are somewhat common and fairly mild as long as people are aware of them and taking appropriate steps to use the medication safely. Occasionally, problems arise. A recent study found that about 1 in 25 older adults may be experiencing a major drug interaction.
To protect themselves from the harm of drug interactions make sure that anyone who is advising someone to take medications is fully aware of all medicines that person is taking and that includes prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements.
There are good and bad reasons for the upsurge in medication use.
One good reason for taking more medications is that a single medication may not fully control a condition. When a disease is understood thoroughly, it may be possible to control it from several different directions. For example, high blood pressure can be lowered by relaxing arteries, by diminishing the rate and strength of heart contractions and by eliminating fluid from the blood vessels. So someone with hypertension might take three or more medications to address one problem.
Another good reason is that when doctors prescribe a medication they must balance risk with benefit. If there is risk of a dangerous side effect, it must be outweighed by some great benefit, such as the possibility of controlling a devastating illness. Recently, pharmaceutical companies have made newer, safer medications. Doctors may now treat a condition that has not yet become severe, since the risk of side effects is smaller. For example, before modern antidepressants became available, psychiatrists worried about serious side effects of earlier antidepressants. A patient had to be very depressed before medication was considered. Now that we have safer antidepressants, we are more likely to treat milder depression.
Another legitimate reason for increased medication use is an aging population with its gradual accumulation of medical ailments.
A less benign reason for increased medication usage is the strong incentive for pharmaceutical companies to persuade physicians to prescribe. The companies have also begun to directly encourage patients to request their products. Since 1997, pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to advertise to the public; this has increased prescriptions in proportion to the advertising. Doctors are also targeted. Every week I receive solicitations to participate in efforts to encourage me to order more medications. Some involve offers to pay me to tell them how I decide which medication to prescribe; some are paid surveys to find out how I influence other doctors’ choice of psychiatric medications; some are invitations to attend a ‘free’ dinner-lecture by an “expert” chosen to be sympathetic to their product. I turn these solicitations down. I believe patient care decisions should be made based on unbiased research and scientifically demonstrated effectiveness and safety: not clever marketing strategies.
With so many medications used, you should make sure all your physicians know all of your current medications (bring an accurate list, or a paper bag of all pill bottles including over-the-counter pills and nutritional supplements). Doctors should be able to justify why each medication needs to be continued, rather than eliminated.
Prescription Medications:
A Guide to Drug Management, is a compact reference to drug links compiled by the acknowledged experts in the field. The list contains information on over 100 individual, clinically significant drugs & interactions, grouped alphabetically. The Top 100 Drug Interactions focuses on the drug interactions that really matter. Insignificant or drug interactions unlikely to produce patient harm are not included. Drug interactions have been reported to be the fourth leading cause of death in hospitalized patients. Drug interactions cause significant injury to patients, sometimes even permanent damage, often leading to an increased cost of care. This list will help you and your healthcare provider avoid the risk of a dangerous drug-drug interaction. Each drug interaction description includes a brief summary of the interaction. Unlike most drug interaction publications, The Top 100 Drug Interactions offers clear management options, so you can select an appropriate way to avoid potential adverse effects caused by drug interactions. Herbal drugs to consider that would avoid the interaction are not included. . A table listing the metabolic pathway and any enzyme induction or inhibition for over 320 common drugs is can be found by checking the links below. The index lists drugs by both their generic and trade names for easy reference. The list is updated monthly to ensure timely information is always available. Because patients are being exposed to a rapidly expanding universe of drug, nutrient, and complimentary medicine treatments, it is important for everyone to take more responsibility to avoid dangerous combinations of drugs. We have compiled this list to be accessible to patients as well as health care practitioners who use or prescribe drug therapy. Be sure you inform your health care providers about all the treatments you are using. Finally, bring along your copy of The Drugs Medications Interactions when you go for treatment so your provider can check your medicines for potential interactions.
