True or False: You Don't Need to Read Warning Labels for Over-the-counter Drugs

Medicines assistance us live longer and healthier. Only, taking them the wrong style or mixing certain drugs tin be dangerous. You lot demand to be careful to keep runway of your medicines and use them safely.

What Are Medicines? What Are Drugs?

Medicines, oft referred to as drugs, can be:

• Prescriptions. What you can get only with a md'south order (for instance, pills to lower your cholesterol or an asthma inhaler)
• Over-the-counter pills, liquids, or creams. What you buy without a prescription (for example, pills for headaches or chew tablets for heartburn)
• Vitamins, centre drops, or dietary supplements.

Brand sure your doctor knows well-nigh ALL the medicines yous accept. This includes those prescribed by other doctors, also as vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, and over-the-counter drugs you employ every now then.

What Yous Need to Know Most Your Medicines

Talk with your doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider before starting a new medicine. Become over your allergies and any problems you take had with other medicines, such as rashes, trouble animate, indigestion, dizziness, or mood changes.

Yous will also desire to find out whether y'all'll need to change or stop taking any of your other prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs while using this new medicine. Mixing some drugs can cause unpleasant and sometimes serious problems. For example, it is unsafe to apply aspirin when taking a blood-thinning medicine.

Because of this, it is important to continue a list of all prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies y'all take. Print and fill up out the Tracking Your Medications: Worksheet to help you keep track of your medications.

When starting a new medication, make sure to write downwards the name of the drug and why it's being prescribed for yous. Also, make note of any special instructions for how to take the medicine.

How Can a Chemist Help?

A pharmacist can answer many of your questions about prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Endeavour to have all your prescriptions filled at the same chemist's shop then your records are in one identify. This will help alert the pharmacist if a new drug might cause a problem with something else you are taking. If you're not able to use just one chemist's, show the pharmacist at each pharmacy your list of medicines and over-the-counter drugs when you drop off your prescription.

When you have a prescription filled:

• Tell the chemist if you have trouble swallowing pills. At that place may be liquid medicine available. Practice not chew, break, or crush tablets without first finding out if the drug will still work.
• Make sure you tin read and understand the proper noun of the medicine besides equally the directions on the container and on the color-coded warning stickers on the bottle. If the label is hard to read, ask your chemist to use larger type.
• Bank check that you can open the container. If non, ask the pharmacist to put your medicines in bottles that are easier to open.
• Enquire about special instructions on where to store a medicine. For example, should it be kept in the refrigerator or in a dry place?
• Check the label on your medicine before leaving the pharmacy. It should accept your name on it and the directions given by your doctor. If information technology doesn't, don't take it, and talk with the pharmacist.

Check the label to ensure you lot are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Make certain your md and pharmacist have an up-to-appointment list of your allergies and then they don't give you a medicine that contains something y'all are allergic to.

Learn how to read a prescription label in the free booklet Safety Utilise of Medicines: Have Your Medicines the Right Way—Each Day!

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if yous take questions near the written data that comes with your prescription.

Side Effects

Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that occur when you take medicine are called side effects. Side effects can be relatively modest, such as a headache or a dry oral fissure. They tin can also be life-threatening, such as astringent bleeding or irreversible harm to the liver or kidneys. Medications' side effects also can affect your driving.

If you experience side effects, write them down so yous can report them to your md accurately. Call your doc correct abroad if yous have any bug with your medicines or if yous are worried that the medicine might be doing more damage than good. He or she may exist able to alter your medication to another that will work just as well.

Keeping Runway of Your Medicines

Hither are some tips to help yous keep track of all your medicines:

• Make a list. Write downwardly all medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements. The list should include the name of each medicine, corporeality you lot have, and time(southward) yous take it. If it's a prescription, also annotation the md who prescribed it and reason it was prescribed. Show the list to all of your healthcare providers, including physical therapists and dentists. Keep one copy in a rubber identify at dwelling house and one in your wallet or pocketbook.
• Create a file. Salvage all the written information that comes with your medicines and proceed it somewhere you tin hands refer to it.
• Cheque expiration dates on bottles. If a medicine is past its expiration engagement, you may exist able to dispose of information technology at your pharmacy, or, check with your doctor about how to safely discard it. Your doctor can also tell you if you will demand a refill.
• Keep medicines out of attain of young children. Avoid taking medicines in front of them, every bit they might try to copy you. As well, if your medicines are kept in bottles without child safety caps because they are hard to open, exist extra careful virtually where you store medicines.

Taking Medicines Safely

Here are some tips to help y'all accept your medicines safely:

• Follow instructions. Read all medicine labels. Make sure to take your medicines the correct way. For case, don't use an over-the-counter cough and cold syrup if y'all simply take a runny nose and no coughing.
• Use the right amount. Don't take a larger dose of a medicine thinking it will assistance you more. Information technology can be very dangerous, even deadly. And, don't skip or take one-half doses of a prescription drug to salvage money. (Talk with your dr. or chemist if yous can't afford the medicine. There may be help. Read Saving Coin on Medicines for more than information.)
• Have medicine on time. Some people use meals or bedtime as reminders to take their medicine. Other people use charts, calendars, or weekly pill boxes. You can as well prepare timers and write reminders to take your medication.
• Turn on a lite. Don't take medicine in the dark; otherwise, you might make a fault.
• Report problems. Call your doc right away if you have any trouble with your prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or if you lot are worried that it might be doing more than harm than good. There may be something else you tin can accept.
• Tell your doctor about alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs tin can bear on how well your medicines work. Be honest with your doctor most how much you use.
• Check earlier stopping. Take prescription medicine until it's finished or until your physician says it's all right to stop. Annotation that some medicines are supposed to exist taken just "every bit needed."
• Don't share. Do non take medicines prescribed for some other person or give yours to someone else.

Read nigh this topic in Castilian. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For More than Data About Using Medicines Safely

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure information technology is accurate and up to engagement.

Content reviewed: June 26, 2019

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Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/safe-use-medicines-older-adults

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