Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Meds
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Meds
- Read the prescription label each time you take your medicine.
- Always take yourmedicine for the full length of your prescribed treatment and at the correct time.
- Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter (non_prescription) medications.
- Never stop taking your medication without your doctor's awareness. Certain medications can cause problems if they are suddenly stopped and others have lasting effects, so you will not know the final outcome of stopping until days to weeks later.
- Discuss any bothersome side effects with your doctor or pharmacist before you stop taking the medication. Many times, simply altering how you are taking your medicine (with or without food, night or morning, etc) will help or your doctor may switch to a different medication that treats the same condition.
- Never increase the amount of medicine you are taking. Increasing the dose will not make the medication work faster or better. Medicine is designed to be taken at certain times and at a specifiec strength to be effective and have minimal side effects. Increasing the dose will not make it more effective, it will ony increase the likelyhood of severe side-effects.
- Do not take less medication that what the doctor prescribed. This will not allow the condition to be correctly or in some cases, can actually make things worse.
- Never share your medication with anyone else. Other people may have underlying conditions, allergies, and other issues that could interact with your medication and cause harm.
- Never compare medications based on labeled strength. If your medicine is 2mg and your friends is 500mg, which does not mean that their medicine is either better or too strong. The medication strength is based on years of research and is specific to each drug.
- Continue taking your medicine even if you "feel better". Some conditions like hypertension do not have any telltale signs. If you stop taking your blood pressure medication you may not feel any different, but you are putting yourself at risk. Also, some drugs can lasting effects, if you stop taking these products, you will not know the outcome for days, even weeks.
Always ask your doctor or pharmacist any questions concerning your medication or condition. They are there to help you mantain a positive, healthy life but can not do it without your constant involvement and communication.
Continue to:
My Books
