|
Tips
for Taking Medicines
How to
Get the Most Benefits with the Fewest Risks
Whether
prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), no medicine is without risk.
Besides benefits, medicines may cause side effects, allergic reactions,
and interactions with foods, drinks, or other drugs.
For prescription
drugs, a patient's first step to safe and effective treatment is
to ask the doctor questions with each new prescription. For example:
|
|
- What is the
medicine's name, and what is it supposed to do?
- How and
when do I take it, and for how long?
- While taking
this medicine, should I avoid:
- certain
foods or dietary supplements?
- caffeine,
alcohol, or other beverages?
- other
medicines, prescription and OTC?
- certain
activities, such as driving or smoking?
- Will this
new medicine work safely with prescription and OTC medicines I'm
already taking?
- Are there
side effects, and what do I do if they occur?
- Will the
medicine affect my sleep or activity level?
- What should
I do if I miss a dose?
- Is there
written information available about the medicine? (At the very
least, ask the doctor or pharmacist to write out complicated directions
and medicine names.)
It's wise to
write down the answers to these questions immediately, to make sure
you'll remember all the details.
  
|
|
|
