Welcome back!
Our recent emergency reminded me how important medication safety is to a person’s health and well being. When Dad fell down a stairwell several months ago, he was out of town at the time. EMTs took him to their local hospital, and over his three-day stay in ICU his usual medications were changed. Then he was sent to a rehab facility for what ended up as a ten-day stay. While at the rehab facility, another doctor drastically changed his medication including taking him off insulin injections, giving him pills instead.
During his first week back home, he visited his three doctors, two specialists and his primary care provider, all of whom he has seen for many years. Two of the doctors changed some of the medications while other medications stayed the same.
During all of this, some of the prescriptions got mixed up at the drug store as the pharmacists tried to figure out just which medications he was supposed to be on. Now, three months later, we just had two prescriptions refilled that Dad started taking, then found out he was not supposed to take. What a mess this has all turned out to be due to his unexpected emergency, multiple doctors and the hospital/rehab stays.
In the meantime, I recently came across several articles regarding medication safety and decided to share a few of the “rules” so that others may stay safe when taking their medications.
- Create a complete list of all medications including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins, and herbals. Carry a copy with you at all times. Review frequently and update immediately when a change is made. If out-of-town physicians change medications, make sure your primary care physician knows about the changes.
- Know what you are taking, why you are taking it, the potential side effects, and what foods to avoid while taking the medication.
- Report side effects or allergic reactions immediately to your health care provider.
- Do not drink alcohol while taking medication due to possible adverse reactions. Read the labels for other instructions such as no grapefruit juice.
- Take medications as prescribed. Do not double up thinking that will be better for you than what was prescribed. You can easily overdose. If you miss a pill, do not double up when you take the next dose.
- Take the medication as long as the doctor tells you to. Take all the medication prescribed, refilling as directed.
- Use a chart or container system if you take numerous pills at various times to avoid confusion or missed dosages.
- Keep medication stored in a safe area away from children and confused adults. Store in a cool, dry location.
- Never take medication prescribed for someone else.
- Always read the labels and enclosed warnings, especially when taking a new drug. It is always a good idea to review enclosed patient information, especially if you only renew the prescription every three months.
How to dispose of drugs
Recently, I came across these Federal guidelines for disposing of medications that are no longer needed.
- Remove the drugs from their original containers.
- Mix the drugs with an undesireable substance such as coffee grounds or kitty litter.
- Put the mixture into an empty can or sealable bag and throw it in the trash.
- Check the prescription label or patient information before flushing medication down the toilet.
- If there is a pharmaceutical take-back program in your community, you can take your unused drugs to them for proper disposal.
Prescription drugs are nothing to fool around with, especially as we grow older and our prescription list lengthens. Following the above tips will help you stay on track with your prescription regimen. We want all of you to stay healthy and safe. Following these medication safety tips should do just that.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Michelle Seitzer // Nov 25, 2009 at 1:24 pm
This is a fantastic article with a lot of solid, practical advice that everyone should follow. Sorry your dad had to go through such a rough time – thanks for sharing what you learned through that experience to help others. I’m sure there are many in similar situations.
2 Mary // Dec 8, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great hints for medications. I say do it for yourself as well as your elder. My job is a “safety nerd” for a hospital and you really should never flush medications down the toilet. This affects the water supply for your local area. In fact here is a great article on this http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/46052.html
By far the best course of dispsosal is mixing the meds with undesireable items. The used kitty litter is my favorite.