Prescription Medicines and You

Overview

Taking medicines is not always as simple as swallowing a pill. It can involve many steps and decisions each day. Whether you are using a medicine yourself or helping a child or an adult, it is easy to get off track. Perhaps you:

• Did not take all of your medicine because you started feeling better.
• Did not have a prescription filled or refilled (and did not tell your doctor).
• Forgot to take one or more doses a day.
• Took more or less medicine than your doctor told you to take.

This guide can help you avoid errors like these and get the most from your medicines. It explains:

• How to get and follow a treatment plan that is right for you.
• What you need to do to take your medicines safely.
• How to get help when you need it.

This guide also has tips to make it easier to talk with your health care professionals (doctor, pharmacist, nurse, and others) about your medicines.

Stay in touch with your health care professionals while taking your medicines.
Doctor _____________________ Phone _____________________
Doctor _____________________ Phone _____________________
Pharmacist _________________ Phone _____________________
Pharmacist _________________ Phone _____________________
Nurse _____________________  Phone _____________________

Get Involved

Work with your health care professionals before, during, and after taking medicines-to give and get information, and to get help if you need it.

Why should you take this active role?

1. Because using medicines in the right way is very important to your health. With proper use of medicines, you can:

Get the medicine's full benefits. For example, if you take too little of a medicine to lower your cholesterol level, you will not reduce your cholesterol as much as you could.

Avoid dangerous problems. Some people end up at a hospital emergency room because they took too much or too little of a medicine, took it the wrong way, or mixed the wrong medicines, foods, and drinks. Improper medicine use can make you worse instead of better.

Reduce your chances of having side effects.

2. Because decisions you make about your medicines can affect your schedule, your diet, your finances, and other parts of your daily life.

3. Because most medicine problems can be avoided or solved-if you talk with your health care professional about what is happening.

How to Get Involved

Taking an active role in medicine use is a three-step process:

1. Take part in decisions about your treatment.
2. Follow your treatment plan.
3. Watch for problems and get help in solving them.

This article has ideas to make each step easier.

1. Take Part in Decisions About Your Treatment

When Donna's doctor told her she had high blood pressure, Donna asked what she could do to lower it. While blood pressure control was important to her, so were other things-like not being bothered by medicine side effects when at work. Donna talked about her concerns, and she also told her doctor about the medicines she takes for her arthritis. Together, they came up with a plan Donna felt she could follow, which included a new medicine and some changes in her diet.