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Medicines help usa live longer and healthier. Only, taking them the wrong style or mixing sure drugs can be dangerous. You demand to be conscientious to keep track of your medicines and use them safely.

What Are Medicines? What Are Drugs?

Medicines, often referred to as drugs, can be:

• Prescriptions. What you can go but with a doctor's club (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 case, pills for headaches or chew tablets for heartburn)
• Vitamins, eye drops, or dietary supplements.

Make certain your physician knows about ALL the medicines yous take. This includes those prescribed by other doctors, every bit well as vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, and over-the-counter drugs you use every now and and so.

What You lot Need to Know About Your Medicines

Talk with your md, nurse, or other healthcare provider before starting a new medicine. Get over your allergies and any problems you lot have had with other medicines, such as rashes, trouble breathing, indigestion, dizziness, or mood changes.

You will besides want to discover out whether yous'll need to change or cease taking whatsoever of your other prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs while using this new medicine. Mixing some drugs tin can crusade unpleasant and sometimes serious problems. For example, it is dangerous to use aspirin when taking a blood-thinning medicine.

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

When starting a new medication, make certain to write down the proper noun of the drug and why it's beingness prescribed for yous. Also, brand note of whatever special instructions for how to take the medicine.

How Can a Pharmacist Help?

A chemist tin answer many of your questions about prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Effort to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy so your records are in ane place. This will help alert the pharmacist if a new drug might cause a problem with something else you lot are taking. If you lot're not able to use but one pharmacy, evidence the pharmacist at each pharmacy your list of medicines and over-the-counter drugs when you drop off your prescription.

When you take a prescription filled:

• Tell the pharmacist if you have trouble swallowing pills. There may be liquid medicine bachelor. Do not chew, pause, or crush tablets without outset finding out if the drug will yet work.
• Make certain you tin can read and understand the proper noun of the medicine likewise as the directions on the container and on the color-coded warning stickers on the bottle. If the label is difficult to read, ask your pharmacist to apply larger type.
• Check that you can open the container. If non, ask the pharmacist to put your medicines in bottles that are easier to open up.
• Ask about special instructions on where to shop a medicine. For case, should it be kept in the refrigerator or in a dry identify?
• Bank check the label on your medicine before leaving the pharmacy. It should take your proper noun on it and the directions given by your doctor. If it doesn't, don't take it, and talk with the pharmacist.

Cheque the characterization to ensure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Make sure your physician and pharmacist have an up-to-date list of your allergies so they don't requite you a medicine that contains something y'all are allergic to.

Learn how to read a prescription characterization in the free booklet Safe Utilize of Medicines: Take Your Medicines the Right Way—Each Solar day!

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if yous have questions about the written data that comes with your prescription.

Side Effects

Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that occur when you take medicine are chosen side effects. Side effects can exist relatively minor, such as a headache or a dry out mouth. They can also exist life-threatening, such as severe haemorrhage or irreversible damage to the liver or kidneys. Medications' side furnishings also tin bear on your driving.

If you experience side effects, write them downward so yous can report them to your doctor accurately. Call your doctor right away if you have whatever problems with your medicines or if you are worried that the medicine might be doing more harm than good. He or she may be able to change your medication to another that will work just as well.

Keeping Track of Your Medicines

Here are some tips to aid you continue track of all your medicines:

• Make a list. Write downwardly all medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements. The list should include the name of each medicine, amount you take, and fourth dimension(s) yous take it. If it'due south a prescription, also note the doctor who prescribed it and reason it was prescribed. Bear witness the list to all of your healthcare providers, including physical therapists and dentists. Keep 1 re-create in a condom place at home and one in your wallet or pocketbook.
• Create a file. Save all the written information that comes with your medicines and keep it somewhere you can easily refer to it.
• Bank check expiration dates on bottles. If a medicine is past its expiration date, y'all may be able to dispose of it at your pharmacy, or, check with your doctor about how to safely discard it. Your md tin as well tell y'all if you will need a refill.
• Continue medicines out of reach of young children. Avoid taking medicines in forepart of them, equally they might try to copy you. Also, if your medicines are kept in bottles without child prophylactic caps because they are hard to open up, be extra conscientious about where you lot shop medicines.

Taking Medicines Safely

Here are some tips to help you lot accept your medicines safely:

• Follow instructions. Read all medicine labels. Make sure to accept your medicines the right manner. For instance, don't use an over-the-counter coughing and cold syrup if you only have a runny nose and no coughing.
• Use the right amount. Don't take a larger dose of a medicine thinking it volition help y'all more. It can exist very dangerous, even deadly. And, don't skip or take half doses of a prescription drug to salve coin. (Talk with your doctor or chemist if you tin't afford the medicine. There may be help. Read Saving Coin on Medicines for more information.)
• Accept medicine on time. Some people use meals or bedtime as reminders to take their medicine. Other people use charts, calendars, or weekly pill boxes. Yous tin can also prepare timers and write reminders to accept your medication.
• Turn on a light. Don't take medicine in the night; otherwise, y'all might make a mistake.
• Report problems. Call your doctor right away if you have any trouble with your prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or if you are worried that information technology might exist doing more harm than good. There may be something else you tin can take.
• Tell your doctor about alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can affect how well your medicines piece of work. Exist honest with your physician virtually how much yous employ.
• Check before stopping. Take prescription medicine until information technology'due south finished or until your doc says it's all correct to stop. Note that some medicines are supposed to be taken just "as needed."
• Don't share. Practice not accept medicines prescribed for some other person or give yours to someone else.

Read about this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For More than Information About Using Medicines Safely

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Crumbling (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and upwardly to date.

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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