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Medicines assist united states of america live longer and healthier. But, taking them the incorrect way or mixing certain drugs can be dangerous. Y'all need to be conscientious to proceed track of your medicines and use them safely.

What Are Medicines? What Are Drugs?

Medicines, often referred to as drugs, can exist:

• Prescriptions. What you can get just with a doctor's society (for example, pills to lower your cholesterol or an asthma inhaler)
• Over-the-counter pills, liquids, or creams. What you buy without a prescription (for example, pills for headaches or chew tablets for heartburn)
• Vitamins, eye drops, or dietary supplements.

Make sure your doctor knows most ALL the medicines you take. This includes those prescribed by other doctors, equally well every bit vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, and over-the-counter drugs you apply every at present and so.

What You Demand to Know About Your Medicines

Talk with your doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider before starting a new medicine. Go over your allergies and any bug you have had with other medicines, such as rashes, problem breathing, indigestion, dizziness, or mood changes.

Y'all volition as well want to discover out whether you'll need to change or stop taking any of your other prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs while using this new medicine. Mixing some drugs can cause unpleasant and sometimes serious problems. For instance, it is dangerous to use aspirin when taking a claret-thinning medicine.

Because of this, it is important to keep a list of all prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies yous take. Print and make full out the Tracking Your Medications: Worksheet to assist yous keep rails of your medications.

When starting a new medication, make sure to write down the proper name of the drug and why information technology's being prescribed for you. Also, make annotation of whatever special instructions for how to take the medicine.

How Can a Pharmacist Assist?

A pharmacist can reply many of your questions nearly prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Try to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy so your records are in one place. This volition help alert the pharmacist if a new drug might cause a problem with something else you lot are taking. If y'all're not able to employ just one pharmacy, show the pharmacist at each pharmacy your listing of medicines and over-the-counter drugs when you drib off your prescription.

When you have a prescription filled:

• Tell the pharmacist if you accept trouble swallowing pills. There may exist liquid medicine available. Do not chew, break, or beat tablets without first finding out if the drug will still work.
• Make sure you lot tin can read and understand the name of the medicine as well as the directions on the container and on the color-coded warning stickers on the canteen. If the label is hard to read, ask your pharmacist to use larger type.
• Check that you can open the container. If not, ask the pharmacist to put your medicines in bottles that are easier to open.
• Enquire about special instructions on where to store a medicine. For example, should it be kept in the refrigerator or in a dry place?
• Cheque the label on your medicine before leaving the pharmacy. It should accept your name on it and the directions given by your doctor. If information technology doesn't, don't take it, and talk with the chemist.

Check the label to ensure you are not allergic to whatever of the ingredients. Make certain your dr. and chemist accept an upwards-to-engagement list of your allergies so they don't give y'all a medicine that contains something you lot are allergic to.

Learn how to read a prescription label in the free booklet Safe Apply of Medicines: Take Your Medicines the Correct Way—Each Day!

Talk with your doc or pharmacist if you have questions nearly the written information that comes with your prescription.

Side Furnishings

Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that occur when you take medicine are called side effects. Side effects can be relatively pocket-size, such as a headache or a dry rima oris. They tin also be life-threatening, such as severe haemorrhage or irreversible damage to the liver or kidneys. Medications' side effects also can affect your driving.

If you experience side effects, write them downwardly then you lot can study them to your doctor accurately. Call your doctor correct away if yous accept any problems with your medicines or if you are worried that the medicine might exist doing more than harm than good. He or she may be able to change your medication to some other that will work but too.

Keeping Rails of Your Medicines

Here are some tips to assist y'all keep track of all your medicines:

• Make a list. Write down all medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements. The list should include the name of each medicine, corporeality you lot accept, and time(s) you accept it. If it'south a prescription, also note the physician who prescribed it and reason it was prescribed. Prove the listing to all of your healthcare providers, including physical therapists and dentists. Continue i re-create in a rubber place at home and one in your wallet or pocketbook.
• Create a file. Save all the written information that comes with your medicines and go along it somewhere you can hands refer to it.
• Check expiration dates on bottles. If a medicine is past its expiration engagement, you may be able to dispose of information technology at your pharmacy, or, cheque with your doc virtually how to safely discard it. Your doctor tin also tell yous if you lot volition demand a refill.
• Go along medicines out of reach of young children. Avoid taking medicines in forepart of them, as they might try to copy you. Likewise, if your medicines are kept in bottles without child safe caps because they are difficult to open, be extra careful virtually where you shop medicines.

Taking Medicines Safely

Here are some tips to assistance you lot have your medicines safely:

• Follow instructions. Read all medicine labels. Make sure to have your medicines the right way. For example, don't use an over-the-counter coughing and cold syrup if you only have a runny nose and no cough.
• Use the right corporeality. Don't take a larger dose of a medicine thinking it will help you more than. It can exist very unsafe, even mortiferous. And, don't skip or have half doses of a prescription drug to save coin. (Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you can't afford the medicine. There may be assistance. Read Saving Money on Medicines for more information.)
• Take medicine on time. Some people utilize meals or bedtime as reminders to take their medicine. Other people use charts, calendars, or weekly pill boxes. Y'all tin can also fix timers and write reminders to take your medication.
• Turn on a light. Don't take medicine in the dark; otherwise, y'all might make a error.
• Report problems. Call your medico correct away if you have whatever trouble with your prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or if you are worried that it might be doing more impairment than good. There may be something else you can take.
• Tell your doctor near booze, tobacco, and drug use. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can affect how well your medicines work. Exist honest with your doctor about how much you lot use.
• Check before stopping. Take prescription medicine until it's finished or until your physician says it's all right to stop. Annotation that some medicines are supposed to be taken just "every bit needed."
• Don't share. Practice not take medicines prescribed for another person or requite yours to someone else.

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For More than Information Well-nigh Using Medicines Safely

This content is provided past the NIH National Establish on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and upwardly to appointment.

Content reviewed: June 26, 2019

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Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/safe-use-medicines-older-adults

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