As we age, the number of prescription and over-the-counter medications we use tends to go up: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more than 20% of American adults age 40 to 79 use five or more prescription drugs.
The more medications you take, the more prone you can be to drug interactions, errors or other issues that can quickly become serious. 鈥淏etween 10 and 20 percent of hospital admissions are related to problems with medication,鈥 says Kirk Dennis, PharmD, a pharmacist at RUSH. Dennis talks with people every day about how to manage their medications safely, and shared his list of the top five things everyone should know.
1. Carry a list of your current medications.
Because providers need to know what you鈥檙e already taking before they evaluate you or prescribe anything new, 鈥測ou should always have a document with you that lists all your medications 鈥 including supplements and over-the-counter drugs 鈥 along with their dosages and how often you take them,鈥 Dennis says. If you have a smartphone, you can keep your list updated in a notes app or take a photo of your written list.
2. Use the same pharmacy for all your prescriptions.
Seeing multiple specialists can mean juggling multiple prescriptions. 鈥淚f all of your medications are at a single pharmacy, we can make one phone call to get any information we need,鈥 Dennis said. 鈥淒ifferent providers might want to send prescriptions to different pharmacies, but let them know up front that you have a preferred pharmacy.鈥
3. Your pharmacist is there to help.
Dennis tells the story of a friend who recently started taking a medication whose label said 鈥渢ake four tablets daily鈥 鈥 but she didn鈥檛 know if she was supposed to take them together or throughout the day. 鈥淣obody told her that she should take all four at once in the morning,鈥 he said, so she asked her pharmacist for instructions. 鈥淟abels can be super confusing sometimes, and your pharmacist is a great resource,鈥 Dennis says.
4. Take medication as directed, for as long as you鈥檙e supposed to.
鈥淲e often hear people say, 鈥榃ell, I felt better, so I stopped taking my medication,鈥 for everything from blood pressure medication to antibiotics,鈥 Dennis said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 stop taking a medication without talking to your provider first.鈥 And, he added, don鈥檛 crush pills or open capsules unless your pharmacist okays it; doing so can affect medication鈥檚 effectiveness and safety.
5. Don鈥檛 ever take anyone else鈥檚 medication.
If you鈥檙e having back pain after gardening, don鈥檛 reach for your spouse鈥檚 prescription pain medication. 鈥淚t can be tempting to just take whatever鈥檚 in the house, but you always need to be evaluated by a provider before you start any medication,鈥 Dennis says. If you need help with the cost of your medication, ask your pharmacist about discount programs or financial assistance provided by drug manufacturers.
