As October winds to a close it’s important to remember that this month is national Talk About Prescriptions Month. This year is the 33rd annual event, that was started by the National Council on Patient Information to help citizens become more aware about the prescriptions they take.
Why is it important to know all you need to know about prescriptions? Because misuse can have deadly consequences. And according to a 2015 study, millions of Americans don’t fully understand how their medicine works. The study found that 44% of Americans did not follow instructions on their prescriptions, or did not understand them.
As opioid addictions continue to rise, there is more emphasis in recent years about encouraging people to understand their medicines, and not abuse them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2017 there were 142,000 drug overdoses in the United States. It is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. While many of these people are deliberately misusing prescription drugs, accidents also frequently happen. 72,000 people in 2017 had accidental prescription drug overdoses in the United States.
Better communication between healthcare providers and patients can help reduce these numbers. It’s important to ask questions and be honest with healthcare providers when talking about prescriptions. Another great resource is the pharmacist. The pharmacist is as informed (if not more so) than your physician about prescription drugs, their side effects, and how to take them.
Some important questions to ask:
What are the side effects and how can they impact me?
What is the proper dosage for each medicine I need to take?
What time of day should I take the medicine?
Is there anything I should avoid (activities, diet, other medicines) while taking this prescription?
Should I take the medicine with food, or on an empty stomach?
How should the medicine be stored? Is room temperature okay or should it be in the fridge?
When will it start working and how will I know?
How long do I need to take the medicine?
What is the brand name/generic name and the purpose of the medicine?
In many cases the doctor or pharmacist will tell you these questions without you asking. But as doctors take on more patients, they are spending less time with the individual patient. So it’s on the patient now more than ever to be informed and prepared to ask questions.
Knowing what the risks are will help you make an informed decision about the medicines you are taking, and will help reduce the risk of complications that will cause you even more health problems.
Travel Care Air is an air ambulance provider, servicing international and domestic clients since 1980. For more health tips follow Travel Care on Twitter.
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