Managing Your Medicine
People often take multiple medicines at the same time.
As you get older, your body can react differently to medicines. For instance, a change in your digestive system can affect how quickly your medicine makes it to the bloodstream. Changes in your weight can also have an effect on the amount of medicine you need to take. The body changes that come with aging can also lead to a bigger risk for drug interactions.
Managing medicines can be costly and hard to track, especially for people who are homebound or living in rural areas. Taking different medicines all at the same time can raise the risk for side effects and other unintended problems.
If you aren’t keeping close watch on your medicine intake, you could get sick or put your life in danger. Here are a few things to keep in mind to help you manage your medicine.
What to Do About New Medicine
Talk with your doctor before starting any new prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medicine or supplement.
Be sure your doctor knows everything else you’re taking, including medicines prescribed for you by a specialist. Give your doctor and pharmacist an up-to-date list of your allergies, too, so they don’t give you a prescription that could cause an allergic reaction. Talk about any problems you’ve had with other medicines, like:
- Rashes
- Trouble breathing
- Indigestion
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Mood changes
Ask your doctor if you should change or stop taking any of your other prescriptions, OTC medicines or supplements while using this new medicine and share that information with your pharmacist.
Mixing a new drug with medicines or supplements you’re already taking might cause problems. Mixing a drug to help you sleep (a sedative) and a drug for allergies (an antihistamine), for example, can slow your reaction time. It can make driving a car or operating machinery dangerous.
When starting a new prescription, confirm whether it’s replacing an existing medicine and if you should stop taking something when you start taking your new medicine. Be sure to write down:
- The name of the drug
- The dose or how much to take
- Why it’s being prescribed for you
- Any special instructions for how to take the medicine – this information is on the bottle or prescription label
Watch for Side Effects
Side effects are unwanted or unexpected symptoms after you take medicine. They could be minor, like a headache or a dry mouth. They could also be life-threatening, like severe bleeding or liver or kidney damage. You should check with your doctor and stay up to date on any lab work that might detect side effects.
Some side effects may get better with time. Others might only happen once in a while. Some may be ongoing while you’re on the prescription.
If you have side effects, don’t stop taking your medicine before you talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Write down the side effect and medicine so you can report them accurately. Call your doctor right away if you think something’s wrong. They may be able to change your prescription or have you deal with side effects in other ways.
Safety Tips
Use these tips to be sure you take your medicines the right way.
- Keep an up-to-date list of all medicines and the prescribing doctor and contact information in your wallet. Mark the date when you update the list.
- Follow label instructions exactly as noted. Read all medicine labels and don’t take a larger dose than what’s recommended. It could be dangerous or deadly.
- Be extra careful with pain medicine. Anyone can become addicted to prescription pain medicines.
- Don’t share. Don’t take medicines prescribed for another person or give yours to someone else.
- Take them on time. Use meals or bedtime as reminders to take your medicines. Or you can use:
- Charts
- Calendars
- Weekly pill boxes
- Timers you set
- Notes to yourself
- Reminder apps on smartphones
- Turn on the lights when you’re taking them. Don’t take medicines in the dark. You might make a mistake.
- Report any problems. Call your doctor if you have trouble with your medicines or supplements.
- Tell your doctor about alcohol, tobacco and drug use. They can affect how your medicines work. Be honest about how much you use these substances.
- Ask your family and friends for help. Bring a friend or relative with you to your appointments, if you need help understanding or remembering what the doctor tells you.
- Check with your doctor before stopping. Take prescription medicine until it’s finished, or until your doctor says it’s all right to stop. Note that some medicines are supposed to be taken only as needed.
- Maintain your medicines. Pay attention to instructions, like if your medicine needs to be refrigerated, and expiration dates. Your doctor’s office or pharmacy can give you directions on how to safely discard them.
