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COMMON QUESTIONS
Tips for Taking Medicines
This section answers your health related questions
about taking medicines.
Tips for Taking Medicines: How to Get More Benefits
with Fewer Risks
Whether prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), no medicine is without
risk. Besides benefits, medicines may cause side effects, allergic reactions,
and dangerous interactions with foods, drinks, or other drugs.
For prescription drugs, a patient's first step to
safe and effective treatment is to ask the doctor questions with each
new prescription. For example:
- What is the medicine's name, and what is it supposed to do?
- How and when do I take it, and for how long
- While taking this medicine, should I avoid certain foods or dietary
supplements? Caffeine, alcohol, or other beverages? Other medicines?
Certain activities, such as driving or smoking?
- Will this new medicine work safely with prescription and OTC medicines
I'm already taking?
- Are there side effects, and what do I do if they occur?
- Will the medicine affect my sleep or activity level?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- Is there written information available about the medicine? (At the
very least, ask the doctor or pharmacist to write out complicated directions
and medicine names.)
It's wise to write down the answers to these questions immediately, to
make sure you'll remember all the details. Some patients need to overcome
being nervous about asking these questions, says FDA's Ellen Tabak, Ph.D.,
of the Food and Drug Administration's division of drug marketing, advertising
and communications. "There is a feeling among some patients that it will
be a bother."
But in Tabak's research before coming to FDA, patients who asked questions
were more satisfied with their medical visits. Pharmacist Michael Cohen,
president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Warminster,
Pa., adds, "If you can't ask questions comfortably, get someone to do
it for you. There are patient advocates in the hospital, and relatives
or friends on the outside." And, "to prevent mix-ups, patients ought to
insist that the medicine's purpose be put on the label," Cohen adds.
Here are more tips for helping your medicines work
as safely and effectively as possible:
- Keep a record of all your current medicines, including their names
and regimens (dose, time, and other instructions for taking). Write
down any problems you have with the medicine so you can discuss them
with your doctor or pharmacist.
- Using adequate light, read labels carefully before taking doses.
- Ask the doctor's or pharmacist's advice before crushing or splitting
tablets; some should only be swallowed whole.
- Contact the doctor or pharmacist if new or unexpected symptoms or
other problems appear.
- Never stop taking medicine the doctor has told you to finish just
because symptoms disappear.
- Ask the doctor periodically to reevaluate long-term treatments.
- If you have questions, talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using
an OTC medicine the first time, especially if you use other medicine.
- Carefully read OTC medicine labels for ingredients, proper uses, directions,
warnings, precautions, and expiration dates.
- Discard outdated medicine.
- Store medicine in the original container, where the label identifies
it and gives directions. If, however, you choose to use an OTC convenience
container, ask the pharmacist whether the container will affect the
stability of your medicine.
- Never store medicine in the bathroom. Unless instructed otherwise,
keep it away from heat, light and moisture.
- Never store medicine near a dangerous substance, which could be taken
by mistake.
- Never take someone else's medicine.
- Tell your health professional if you: -are breast-feeding or are,
or may be, pregnant -are allergic to drugs or foods -have diabetes or
kidney or liver disease -take other prescription or OTC medicines regularly
-follow a special diet or take dietary supplements -use alcohol or tobacco.
Children and Medicine
- Keep all medicine out of children's reach. Some medicines, such as
iron supplements, are very toxic to children.
- Use child-resistant caps, and never leave containers uncapped.
- Examine dose cups carefully. Cups may be marked with various measurement
units and may not use standard abbreviations. Follow label directions.
Never substitute a cup from another product.
- When using a dosing syringe with a cap, discard the cap before use.
- Never guess when converting measuring units-from teaspoons or tablespoons
to ounces, for example. Consult a reliable source, such as the pharmacist.
- Never try to remember the dose used during previous illnesses; read
the label each time.
- Check with the doctor or pharmacist before giving a child more than
one medicine at a time.
- Never give medicine to children unless it is recommended for them
on the label or by a doctor.
- Never use medicine for purposes not mentioned on the label, unless
so directed by a doctor.
- Check with the doctor before giving a child aspirin products. Never
give aspirin to a child or teenager who has or is recovering from chickenpox,
flu symptoms (nausea, vomiting or fever), or flu. Aspirin may be associated
in such patients with an increased risk of Reye syndrome, a rare but
serious illness.
Protect Against Tampering
- Read the label about the product's tamper-evident features.
- Look at the package for tampering signs such as broken seals, puncture
holes, or open or damaged wrappings.
- Look at the medicine. Never take medicine that is discolored, has
an unusual odor, or seems suspicious in some other way.
- Return suspicious medicine to the store manager or pharmacist.
- Look again when you take a dose. Never take medicine if you're not
alert or can't see clearly.
(Source: "Using Your Medicines Wisely: A Guide for the Elderly, "
National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Dixie Farley is a staff writer for FDA Consumer.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA Consumer, the magazine of
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, provides a wealth of information
on FDA-related health issues: food safety, nutrition, drugs, medical devices,
cosmetics, radiation protection, vaccines, blood products, and veterinary
medicine. For a sample copy of FDA Consumer and a subscription order form,
write to: Food and Drug Administration, HFI-40, Rockville, MD 20857.
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