Focus for This Month
Talk About Your Medicines Month
Every October is Talk About Your Medicines Month. The goal is to empower patients to reduce medication risks, boost medication benefits, and provide tools to stay safe when it comes to your medications.
Five Key Points
understand your medicines
manage your medicines
communicate with your health care provider
use caution with pain medicines
storage and disposal of medicines
Understand Your Medicine
It’s important to understand how and when to take your medications and to make sure that your use is appropriate for your condition. Are there any side effects or concerns about taking prescription medicine with other medications you are taking? Is this something you could become addicted to?
Manage Your Medicine
Many of us take at least one prescription, and some as many as three or more. Changes in our bodies, such as gaining or losing weight, can change the way prescription drugs work. Occasionally review your list of medicines with your healthcare provider to make sure things are working as they should and no unexpected changes have occurred. It is possible that a drug we were initially prescribed several years ago may have come from a different pharmacist or doctor than your current provider. It is also possible that your health has changed since the start of the prescription.
Communicate with Your Healthcare Provider
Here are some questions you may want to ask your healthcare provider about any medication you are taking. Be sure to also include discussion of any over-the-counter medications or supplements.
Are there any generics available?
What happens if I miss a dose?
What does four times a day mean, practically?
What side effects could this medication cause, and how should I handle them?
Is this medication available in a different form?
What do I need to know about how to store this medicine?
Should I take this once-daily medicine in the morning or at night?
Should I take this with food or on an empty stomach?
Is there any pamphlet available about this medication?
How will I know if this is working?
Do I need any follow-up appointments related to this medication?
Use Caution with Pain Medicine
If you are 65 or older, you might be more prone to side effects from pain medications. It is important to know some of the safety concerns. Getting relief responsibly should be a priority. There are different types of Over The Counter (OTC) pain medicines. Make sure you choose the pain reliever that is right for you. Check the medicine ingredients and follow the drug facts label.
The same active ingredients (acetaminophen and NSAIDs) are found in hundreds of commonly used OTC and prescription medicines. If you take more than one medicine with the same kind of active ingredient at a time, your chance of harmful side effects is increased. Check each label and take ONLY 1 medicine that contains the same kind of active ingredient at a time.
Bring a list of all medications you use to your healthcare visits.
Ask your healthcare provider to review all your medicines with you or necessity.
Before you get a new medication, ask if one of the medicines you are already taking might be causing the problem.
Storage and Disposal of Medicine
The best way to dispose of most types* of unused or expired medicines (both prescription and over-the-counter) is to use a take-back option.
drop off the medicine at a drug take-back location, or
mail your expired or unused medicines using a pre-paid drug mail-back envelope.
If these options are not readily available, follow these guidelines:
If your medicine is on the FDA flush list, your next best option is to immediately flush these potentially dangerous medicines down the toilet.
If your medicine is not on the flush list, you should follow these instructions to discard the medicine in your trash at home.
*Check out the Medication Disposal Q&A for more information including how to dispose of needles and syringes. Some products with uncommon dosage forms (e.g., sprays, lozenges) have product-specific disposal instructions. Review the instructions that came with your prescription or contact your health care professional (e.g., pharmacist, doctor) to find out how to properly dispose of these medicines.
REFERENCES
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
https://www.bemedwise.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/make_notes.pdf
https://www.healthinaging.org/medications-older-adults/medications-work-differently-older-adults
https://www.getreliefresponsibly.com/pain-medicine-safety
https://www.bemedwise.org/talk-about-your-medicines-month/
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs
