Some suggestions for wise, safe use of medicine apply to all medicines.
INFORMATION YOU SHOULD PROVIDE
Always give the information listed in 1 and 2 below to your physician, dentist or other health-care professional so that they can prescribe medications properly:
Your Complete Medical History
Tell the important facts of your medical history dealing with medicines. Include allergic reactions, side effects or adverse reactions you have experienced in the past.
Describe the allergic problems you have, such as hay fever, asthma, eye watering and itching, throat irritation and reactions to food. People who have allergies to common substances are more likely to develop side effects or adverse reactions to drugs.
List all prescription and non-prescription drugs. Don’t forget common ones such as laxatives; vitamin or mineral supplements; skin, rectal or vaginal medicines; antacids; antihistamines; cold and cough remedies; aspirin and aspirin-containing pain pills; motion sickness remedies; weight-loss aids; salt and sugar substitutes; caffeine (in coffee, tea, cola drinks and cocoa); oral contraceptives; sleeping pills; or “tonics.”
KNOW THIS INFORMATION BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICINE
- Generic names and brand names of all the medicines you take. Write them down to help you remember. If a drug is a mixture of two or more generic ingredients, learn the names of each.
- Uses for each medicine you take.
- How to take each medicine—for example, with or without water, or with food.
- When to take.
- What to do if you forget a dose.
- How each drug works in your body.
- Time lapse before drug works.
- Symptoms and treatment of overdose.
- Possible adverse reactions and side effects and what to do if they occur.
- Interactions with other drugs and other substances such as alcohol, food, beverages, cocaine, marijuana and tobacco. When mixed with some medicines, these substances can sometimes cause life-threatening interactions.
- Know all warnings and precautions that apply to special circumstances, such as:
- Reasons not to take the drug in the presence of some medical conditions. These reasons are called contraindications.
- Special considerations for elderly patients, pregnant or breast-feeding women, infants and children.
- Implications for prolonged use, exposure to sun and sunlight, driving, piloting aircraft, hazardous work, flying in airplanes.
- Instructions before discontinuing the drug.
OTHER SAFETY TIPS
- Before taking any prescribed medicine, discuss plans with the doctor that you may have for elective surgery, pregnancy, and breast-feeding.
- Don’t hesitate to ask questions about a drug. We will be able to provide more information if we are familiar with you and your past medical history, especially regarding medicines.
- Never take medicine in the dark! It is always possible to take the wrong one. Recheck the label before each drug use.
- Notify our office about any new or unexpected symptoms you develop while taking medicine. You may need to change medicines or have a dose adjustment.
- Store all medicines out of children reach. Keep drugs in a cool, dry place, such as a kitchen cabinet or bedroom. Avoid medicine cabinets in bathrooms—they get too moist and warm at times. Keep medicine in its original container, tightly closed. Don’t remove the label! If directions call for refrigeration, keep cool but don’t freeze.
- Don’t save leftover oral or injectable medicine to use later. Discard it before or on the expiration date shown on the container. Dispose of it safely to protect children and pets.
- Study any information you can find about the specific drugs you take.
- Don’t take any drug prescribed for someone else.
- Prior to any surgery (including oral surgery or simple dental procedures), tell the doctor or dentist about all medicines you take or have taken in the past few weeks.
- If you become pregnant while taking any medicine, including birth-control pills, tell the doctor immediately. Avoid all drugs when you are pregnant, if possible.
[Source: Griffith's Instructions for Patients. 6th edition. 1998]
