ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — If you are taking medications right now, you may be making mistakes and not even realize it. The whole point of taking prescription medications is to get healthier and make you feel better. But if you don’t read the small print, you may not know the mistakes you could be making. You could even be making the situation worse! Here are some questions you need to be asking your pharmacists before you pop that next pill.
High blood pressure, low blood pressure, Diabetes, infections, viruses. There’s an endless list of reasons people are prescribed medication. Last year, there were nearly six billion prescriptions filled, and with that comes a lot of risk – harmful interactions between medicine and food and beverages or changes in mood. So how do you minimize your risk? Ask your pharmacists the right questions.
One important question you should ask: What is the medicine for? Pain relief? Reducing fever or inflammation? Also ask how to take the medicine. Time of day, with food, without food, can it be crushed or split? And double check the dosage. Over 40% of errors that result in death are because of the wrong dose. And be aware of the side effects and record them.
It’s also important to know where to store the medication. Most people keep their medications in the absolute worst place—the bathroom. Moisture can easily degrade medications. Just remember, if you don’t know, just ask.
Another question to ask: What do you do if you miss a dose? Also ask if you need to finish the entire prescription, even if you feel better.
Sources:
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-often-should-you-ask-for-a-raise-2062775
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/guide-how-to-ask-for-a-raise
https://www.singlecare.com/blog/5-questions-you-should-always-ask-your-pharmacist/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2656/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196135#types
https://www.thehealthy.com/healthcare/drugs-medicine/pharmacist-medication-errors/
https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/publications/miss_dose.pdf
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Keon Broadnax, Producer; Bob Walko, Videographer and Editor.
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