Until you are eighteen years old, your parents probably will be the ones making the tough choices about your health care. However, it’s good to prepare yourself for the day when you’ll be responsible for making those decisions yourself. For this reason, I strongly encourage you to be part of what your parents and doctors are discussing now. Don’t be a quiet observer like a fly on the wall, but an active participant in the process. Ask questions about the things you don’t understand. If you want to talk about with your doctor about something, don’t be too embarrassed or shy to do so.
When it comes to the medicine and treatments you receive, asking plenty of questions is not only your right, it’s your responsibility. For example, some of the things that need to be asked when given a new prescription are:
➢ How much do I take at one time?
➢ How many times a day should I take it?
➢ What time of day do I take it?
➢ How long do I take it?
➢ How is this medication going to help me?
➢ What kind of side effects should I watch out for?
➢ What are the long-term side effects?
➢ Do I need to eat something before I take this medicine?
➢ Are there any other special instructions?
➢ How will this medication interact with my other prescriptions?
Having the answers to these and other questions is very important. Knowing how many pills to take and when, will keep you from accidentally overdosing. Taking too little can prevent the medication from working correctly. Understanding how your prescriptions are supposed to help you, allows you to be aware of any changes in the way you feel. Keeping your doctor informed about such things enables him/her to determine whether or not the medication is doing the job it’s meant to.
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