Tips for Taking Medicines

Whether prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), no medicine is without risk. Besides benefits, medicines may cause side effects, allergic reactions, and 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, prescription and OTC?
  • 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.

Page 2 General Drug Safety Tips

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