When it comes to prescription medications there can sometimes be a fine line between the good the do for you and the bad that can happen. Some medications can cause other medications not to work and some foods can cause medications not to work. Not to mention that fact that some medications can have long-term negative effects on your health.
Normally the good a prescription does for you outweighs the possible bad effects. But you do need to know if your meds are going to cause complications with your diet, with your other meds, and if you miss a day or take that at different times each day.
Keeping Track Of Medications
First of all, it is important to keep track of your medications. You should have a medication record you keep with your medical insurance cards. This should list the pills you take (including non-prescription ones you take on a regular basis), what strength the pills are, how many you take, and when you take them.
This list not only helps you, but it also helps in case of emergencies. You can’t always expect one doctor to have a record of all your meds, especially if you see more than one doctor. This also makes it easier for you to ask your doctor and your pharmacist questions about the various meds you’re on.
Food And Prescriptions
One question you always want to ask, both your doctor and the pharmacist, is if there are any chances one of your medications could cause problems with another one. Antibiotics have been believed to cause birth control to be ineffective, but not everyone knows that this may or may not be true, so ask.
Some foods can also cause certain medications to be less potent. Find out if any of your medications should have you skipping the pineapple and grapefruit for breakfast.
Taking Them Correctly
If you are not taking your medications the way they were prescribed they might not be doing their job properly. To be effective at the rate they are supposed to be, for example, birth control needs to be taken at the same time each day. If you take a prescription without a meal when it clearly states to take it with one, it could cause stomach upset and you may even vomit up your pill, which means you essentially didn’t take your pill for the day.
Part of taking medications correctly also means not quitting them without speaking to your doctor first. Some medications can cause major issues if you quit them cold turkey. Make an appointment and talk to your doctor so they can safely help you wean off your meds if getting off them is the right option for you and your health.