Articles about medication safety are cropping up
every day and each with the same or a different take on medication safety. M.L. Dehm, writing for the Herald (Tuesday 4,
28, 2009) writes about making medication safety your business and makes some
very good points.
I work with seniors and it doesn’t
take many assessments or room visits to key in on how casual people are about
their medications. It is because seniors often take so many medications that it
is especially importation that they develop good habits both in regards to
taking them and in handling them properly.
Medications are confusing
and your doctor and pharmacist may contribute to that confusion by using the
common names and generic names for them interchangeably.
Your doctor needs to know
about any over-the-counter drugs or dietary supplements that you may be taking. Just because a medication is over-the-counter
does not mean that it is safe to take with your prescription. Dietary supplements and herbals could
increase or decrease the effectiveness of the medications that you are taking.
Do not take expired drugs. We are all guilty of saving pill bottles in
case they are reordered at a later date.
Reorganize your medicine cabinet frequently and dispose of outdated or
discontinued medications. Many
pharmacies offer disposal services.
While you are cleaning out your cabinet, make a list of everything you
are taking and keep that list on you at all times. You can download a free medication record
from Women’s Heart Foundation.
Take your medication exactly
as ordered. If a change is made get your
new instructions in writing rather than trusting your memory. Know what your pills look like and what they
are for. If you are instructed to take a
half of a pill, be sure the pharmacist or a responsible person cuts them in
half for you. Pills are often very small
and difficult to handle let alone cut in half.
Remember keep a list in your
wallet or purse at all times and include everything that you take, even
vitamins and fiber capsules.
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