Your Health Matters
By Claudia Parks, R.N.

Last week I wrote about the importance of having an available list of all your medicines and brief medical history that you take with you to share with your doctor(s) or in case of an emergency. If you didn't get the chance to read this article- you can go online unionsentinel.com then click on Arts and Leisure and page down to Your Health Matters. This is such an important subject- enough can't be said!

We know that doctors are very busy and really don't seem to have the time to make sure many of their patients- especially the elderly--understand their medications and how to take them. In defense of the physician, they will ask the patient if they understand and 70% of the time they shake their head yes, and go out of the office and not have a clue! Some patients will ask the pharmacist all about the treatment- who can be helpful but doesn't know the "patient's history"!

The more questions you ask, the better informed you'll be. Many Patients feel that if their physician suggests a medicine, they have to take it. One of the first questions you should ask your doctor, "Is this medication really necessary?" Another question patients should ask is the drugs cost and if there is a generic form or alternate brand. Doctor's also recognize that some patients "like" to take medicine and want the newest status drug on the market! I have to share a funny while sitting with my husband in the barbershop one day. Several men were discussing their medications and it was a competition of who was taking the most pills and the best and latest on the market! One of them, you would have thought was selling stock in the drug companies! I was speechless when it turned out that the man was actually on fourteen different daily prescription medications.

Your physician should also prepare you for possible side effects of the medication. Some can cause adverse symptoms if you stop taking them suddenly. You should always ask your doctor what types of side effects are common and what you should do if the side effects become unbearable. Once again in defense of the physicians, if they discuss the side effects too much- some patients will develop every one of them! This is when it is very important that you have a trusting and knowledgeable relationship with your family doctor.

There are several advantages to having only one pharmacy. When you use a single pharmacy, it will have on record other current prescriptions and can check for possible interactions. However, it won't have a record of the OTC medications you take- so be cautious.

If you use the same pharmacy consistently, the pharmacist who assists you will also be more apt to notice if something is odd about the prescription being filled and alert you to a potential problem. If you change your pharmacy often, it won't have information to recognize a change in pattern in what you are taking.

Before you buy a new vitamin, herb or other OTC medication, show your pharmacist the list of medications you are taking and he or she should be able to tell you if there will be any interactions. Before you leave your drugstore, you should:

+ Make sure the name of the drug on the label matches the one your physician gave you (if the prescription is new)

+ If the prescription is a refill, make sure the pills in the bottle look like the ones you've been taking (generic forms may alter slightly or a drug company may have changed the look of the medication, so it may still be the correct medication)

+ Understand how you are supposed to take the medication (how often, with or without food, if it is three times daily- does this mean every eight hours? Etc.)

+ Make sure you read and understand how to adhere to any warnings on the medication bottle

The explosion of the Internet has affected how people learn about and purchase medications. Some people see the Internet as a way to get the medications they need at a reduced price, but they should understand that what they are getting might be unsafe or out-of-date. If you buy medicines on the Internet, check the web site for the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program and seal of approval to make sure the site is properly licensed and has been successfully reviewed and inspected by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (www.nabp.net).

For More Information: www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/ medAndYouEng.htm

The best way to be a good healthcare consumer is to be aware and be involved!

Claudia Parks, RN, is a former doctor's office and emergency room nurse and retired as an educator from Fulton County Schools. She writes Your Health Matters as a public service; the information here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Claudia and her husband now make their home in the north Georgia Mountains, near Blairsville.Claudia can be reached at yhm@windstream.net