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Managing Your Medicines:

A Patient's Guide to Saving Time and Avoiding Mistakes

Tyler Graham, PharmD Candidate 2010

Bernard J, Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University

Prepared during Consumer Health Information Corporation Clerkship
McLean, VA

 

Have you ever had a question you wanted to bring up to your doctor, but once you went in for your appointment you forgot to ask? The average primary care physician visit lasts anywhere from 18 to 20 minutes. Do not be fooled, this is not as much time as it seems when your health is on the line.

The best way to take full advantage of your appointment is to come prepared. Since most people take more than three drugs and 10% of seniors take 7 or more drugs, preparation is the key to having your drug questions answered. Start at home by gathering all your drugs to take with you to your next doctor’s appointment.  

 

Why You Need to Organize the Drugs You Take 

Decrease your medicine risks

When drugs are not used correctly these are some of the problems that can occur:

  • Drug dependence from overusing habit-forming drugs such as pain medicines. Serious side effects from a drug.
  • Serious infections can come back if the antibiotic is not taken for the full number of days.  This is because the bacteria causing the infection are not killed and can and come back stronger when antibiotics are not taken for the full amount of time.

 

Decrease your medicine costs

Patients who stay on a drug schedule will lower their healthcare costs.

  • Studies have shown that of all medication-related hospital admissions in the U.S.,
    33% to 69% are due to patients not taking their medicines correctly.
  • This results in large healthcare costs. The estimated healthcare cost is $200 billion a year.

Get the most benefit from your medicines    

Prescription drugs are very effective and are cheaper than being admitted to a hospital.  However, they are only effective if people take them correctly.        

  • Sticking to a drug schedule is the number one reason for treatment success.
  • Studies have shown that this will help improve a variety of disease states such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.

 

Steps to Getting Organized 

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review all of your medicines

  • Bring in all your prescription, dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs you are taking. Discuss each one with your pharmacist or doctor.Make sure you are informed about all of your drugs before leaving the session.You may discover that you are taking two drugs that are doing the same thing or causing drug interactions.
  • During the review session, be sure to write down what each drug is used for, why you were prescribed the drug, when to take the drug, and if you need to take the medicine with food or on an empty stomach, and the early warning signs of any possible side effects. Include over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements.

 

Keep a drug list and drug diary

  • A list of your prescription drugs can be obtained from your pharmacy. The pharmacist can also help you make a schedule of when to take your drugs. Make copies of your drug list and keep one with you at all times. Give one copy to your emergency contact person and keep another copy at home. Update the list every time you begin a new drug or stop a drug and keep a record of any side effects you feel. Discuss any concerns you have with your doctor or pharmacist.
  • An example of a drug list and diary can be found at http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/pain/my_medication_diary.pdf

 

Link taking your drugs to your daily routine

  • Try to take your drugs with things you do every day. This will help you remember to take your medicines on time. For example, if you have to take a medicine in the morning before breakfast, ask your doctor if you can take your medicine before or after brushing your teeth in the morning.
  • If you have a drug that needs to be taken with food, find out if you can take the medicine with the same meal every day.

 

Use a weekly pill box

  • Use a weekly pill box to plan your doses for the coming week. This will save time and help you remember to take your drugs at the same time. Some pharmacies have weekly pill boxes for patients free of charge. If you take different drugs throughout the day, try to find a pill box that has separate sections for morning, afternoon, evening, and night time for each day.
  • The pill box will also help you remember if you have missed taking your medicine or if you have already taken your dose. By simply glancing at your pill box, you will know if you have already taken a dose or if you need to take a dose. A pill box has prevented many people from missing doses or taking extra doses.

 

Always go to the same pharmacy

  • Find a pharmacy or pharmacist you trust and who will answer your questions. Do not go to different pharmacies to have your prescriptions filled. You need to go to the same pharmacy so the pharmacist knows your medical problems and all the medicines you are taking are in the computer. This keeps all your drug information in one location and the pharmacist can make sure you are not receiving drugs that could interact. Always going to the same pharmacy enables the pharmacist to be alert to duplicate prescriptions, drug interactions and other problems.
  • Most people will see their primary doctor plus one or more specialty doctors. Make sure each doctor has a copy of your medicines list. Do this because, when you have more than one doctor writing prescriptions for you, you could end up having more than one prescription written for the same type of drug. This could lead to taking double the dose of the same drug and this could be dangerous.

 

Take a checklist of questions to your doctor

  • Make a checklist of the questions you want to ask and take it with you when you go to your doctor’s appointment. Be sure to write down the answers to your questions when the doctor is talking so that you can refer to this when you go back home. Always talk to your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have. Tell your doctor about all the prescriptions, dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs you are taking to help them avoid mistakes. The doctor is there to help you. Do not let your opportunities slip away at doctor visits.
  • A sample checklist can be found at http://apps.humana.com/marketing/documents.asp?file=646685

 

Get organized and plan ahead when it comes to managing your medicines. Make sure your medicine schedule works for you. Ask your doctor and pharmacist to help develop a daily plan that fits into your daily routine. Your medicine schedule needs to be easy to follow. This is the only way you can get the most benefit from your prescription medicines. A good medicine plan will also save you time and help prevent costly mistakes.

 

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