Most patients don’t know enough about their prescription medicines
You’ve just brought your prescription to the Pharmacy. And if its the first time you have had these particular medicines. Depending how your, Health care Professional, plans to treat you, you could receive, Tablets, Capsules, Sprays, Liquids, Ointments, Creams, Suppositories, Inhalers or Injections. You may not quite remember what the prescriber said about using them most effectively.
Ask Questions about your Medicine?
You will have an opportunity to ask your Doctor, Nurse or Pharmacist lots of questions when you have your consultation and receive your prescription form. If you are still unsure just ask to speak with the Pharmacist when your Medicines are handed out to you.
If you’re not familiar with your dispensed drugs, you may want to know things like
- When will the medicine start to work?
- Are there any side effects or risks?
- Can I continue to take my “Over the counter” treatments?
- Can I still have a drink of alcohol in the evening?
- Are there alternative options?
- How to use the medicine for best effect?
- What if I miss a dose?
- Can I become dependent?
- Are there any long term effects?
- Will it affect my normal routine, like when at work?
- Do I need another prescription next month?
If you regularly take several medicines together (Polypharmacy)
Patients with complex treatments may take more than three medicines during the day and have difficulty remembering when and what they took. As mentioned above try to know a little about the medication you take. All medicines normally come with an information sheet, called a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL). This is a general description of what the item eg Tablet, contains, its effects, recommended dose, what to do if you miss your dose and a list of side effects and how common they are.
Tell the staff at the Chemist if you have any special need or requests and they may be able to help. So, if you have several tablet bottles with a child proof click lock cap and you suffer with Arthritis they can simply switch the cap to a plain type that is a lot easier to open.
You can ask to buy a Dosette box where you can have seven days tablets placed ready to use. You can also tell if you miss any. Alternatively ask for a chart with your medicines names on and tick boxes for each day. This is a good idea if you have a carer who can mark when you have taken a dose.
Sometimes the writing on the label is too small. Ask for larger print labels. When a patient takes multiple oral medication, and your memory is not what it was ask your pharmacy team to discuss medication wallets. These have four or five slots per day and last for a week at a time.
Try not to chew, crush or dissolve Tablets unless advised to do so. Some tablets and Capsules are a slow release design and not swallowing whole with a glass of water will change how the medicine works.
Long term conditions
Long term conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Stroke, Asthma, Depression, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Dementia, may involve a friend or family member helping you take your medicine correctly.
When using things like insulin or Warfarin use a medical alert bracelet or other identification device to inform others in case of accident.
The Chemist delivery service can help with a reliable medicine delivery along with offering dosing aids and probably extra advice to use any aids as mentioned above.
How to store your Medicines
There are a few things patients can do to keep their prescription drugs safe and use within the expiry date.
Keep out of sight of children or animals.
Store in a locked or “out of a child’s reach” cupboard.
Try to keep original packaging.
Keep in cool dark & dry area away from bright sunlight
Always read the label
Sterile eye drops have a short expiry when opened, write down when you opened them.
Find out if there are any dietary restrictions with your medications
Some foods can alter how your body processes you medicine. Like drinking Grapefruit juice while taking Simvastatin could lead to side effects. There are anti-inflammatory drugs like Aspirin that should be taken after food. Some antibiotics like penicillin are better taken on an empty stomach. Always ask your Pharmacist before starting a new diet or food supplements just to make sure there will be no problems.
Do you know about other services
The Local Community Pharmacy is a great place to find out information about other services and specific information about types of medicines you may be taking.
There are usually leaflets to pick up free about many conditions and how they are treated. These will help build your understanding of your own condition.
Today’s medicines are very effective when taken as directed. So, if you are unsure always ask.
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