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.
Showing posts with label 03) Know Your Medications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 03) Know Your Medications. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2012
Side Effects and Your Medications
Some medications can leave you feeling tired and groggy when you first start taking them. It’s important, under the direction of your doctor, to continue taking the medication despite how it may make you feel in the beginning, unless, of course, something is seriously wrong. Obviously you should consult your doctor immediately if you begin having a severe reaction to the medicine. Having said that, often your body simple needs several days, or even weeks, to adjust to it. Eventually, your body will adapt and those negative side effects will begin to diminish. Talk to your doctor if they don’t.
Knowing what side effects to watch out for is of great value. At the age of nine I was once prescribed a certain medication. Behavioral changes were one of the reactions my parents were told to watch out for. While taking this medication, I became unusually short tempered and acted in abnormal ways. After running away from home in a fit of rage and, days later, shooting my B.B. gun at the boy next door—thankfully I missed—my parents quickly took me to my doctor to have my medication changed.
This is a good example of why it’s wise to keep your family informed about the medications you’re taking and the side effects they can cause. If a prescription or treatment is impairing you in some way, you may not always be aware of it. Your loved ones may have to alert you and your doctor to the things that are wrong.
Knowing what side effects to watch out for is of great value. At the age of nine I was once prescribed a certain medication. Behavioral changes were one of the reactions my parents were told to watch out for. While taking this medication, I became unusually short tempered and acted in abnormal ways. After running away from home in a fit of rage and, days later, shooting my B.B. gun at the boy next door—thankfully I missed—my parents quickly took me to my doctor to have my medication changed.
This is a good example of why it’s wise to keep your family informed about the medications you’re taking and the side effects they can cause. If a prescription or treatment is impairing you in some way, you may not always be aware of it. Your loved ones may have to alert you and your doctor to the things that are wrong.
Managing Your Medications
Whether your parents give them to you or you do it on your own, knowing how to manage your medications is a huge part of controlling your illness. Managing your medication means being responsible. This includes taking them as directed, knowing at all times what you’ve taken, when you’ve taken them, and making sure you don’t ever overdose. It also means being honest with your physicians. Each of your doctors must know what the other is prescribing. This helps prevent the mixing of medications that shouldn’t be taken together.
As a teen, you may not have too many prescriptions to juggle, but as an adult that could change. I currently have eleven prescriptions. Some I take in the morning, others in the evening. Some I take daily, others every other day or every three days. Some, like my pain medication, I take four times a day. I have one medication I alternate between taking one and two tablets each day. How do I keep track of it all? It’s simple. I have an organized system that works and I’m careful.
I was going to try to explain the system I use to keep track of all my medications. However, after reading it to my mother, she laughed uncontrollably and was confused by my explanation, which included dice and several week-long pill-boxes. She said, “It sounds like a crap shoot.” So instead of sharing my system, I’ll simply say, it’s important to find a method that works for you.
As a teen, you may not have too many prescriptions to juggle, but as an adult that could change. I currently have eleven prescriptions. Some I take in the morning, others in the evening. Some I take daily, others every other day or every three days. Some, like my pain medication, I take four times a day. I have one medication I alternate between taking one and two tablets each day. How do I keep track of it all? It’s simple. I have an organized system that works and I’m careful.
I was going to try to explain the system I use to keep track of all my medications. However, after reading it to my mother, she laughed uncontrollably and was confused by my explanation, which included dice and several week-long pill-boxes. She said, “It sounds like a crap shoot.” So instead of sharing my system, I’ll simply say, it’s important to find a method that works for you.
The Medication Rule of Three
If you have young siblings, relatives, children, or friends that visit your home, it’s essential to think of safety first. Live by my mother’s Medication Rule of Three. That is, keep all of your medications: (1) out of sight, (2) out of mind, and (3) out of reach of other people. You can’t be too cautious, especially when there are little children in the home. A little bit of safety can go a long way in preventing tragedy.
The Medication Rule of Three applies at all times, even if you don’t have children in your home. Often you have to follow these rules to protect your prescriptions from people who may want to help themselves.
Tylenol #3, Vicodin, Percodan, and others are common pain relief medications Sickle Cell patients use. As sad as it is, many people are addicted to these types of pills; which is a growing problem in our country. In the year 2008, more than 14,000 people died from overdosing on prescription painkillers. People can often hide their addictions, even from close friends and family members. For this reason, if somebody learns you have such medications in your possession or in your home, and they ask for some, you must tell them no. By keeping your medicine out of sight, others won’t be tempted to take them from you when you’re not looking.
For instance, I often entertain friends in my home. I am careful to not leave my pain medication bottles out in plain view on the coffee table beside the candy dish. Instead I keep them in my room (out of reach) and in a drawer (out of sight). This puts my pain pills “out of the minds” of my guests, and I don’t have to worry about them coming up missing—the pills that is, not my guests.
Lastly, consider these two things. First, if a friend asks for some of your medicine, and though you may know he or she is not an addict, remember your medication is prescribed just for you. You aren’t a doctor. You have no way of knowing how somebody else’s body will react to medicine that’s been adjusted specifically for you. Though your body may respond one way to certain medicine, another person’s body could have a very different reaction. Second, giving your medication to others means you have less when you really need it.
The Medication Rule of Three applies at all times, even if you don’t have children in your home. Often you have to follow these rules to protect your prescriptions from people who may want to help themselves.
Tylenol #3, Vicodin, Percodan, and others are common pain relief medications Sickle Cell patients use. As sad as it is, many people are addicted to these types of pills; which is a growing problem in our country. In the year 2008, more than 14,000 people died from overdosing on prescription painkillers. People can often hide their addictions, even from close friends and family members. For this reason, if somebody learns you have such medications in your possession or in your home, and they ask for some, you must tell them no. By keeping your medicine out of sight, others won’t be tempted to take them from you when you’re not looking.
For instance, I often entertain friends in my home. I am careful to not leave my pain medication bottles out in plain view on the coffee table beside the candy dish. Instead I keep them in my room (out of reach) and in a drawer (out of sight). This puts my pain pills “out of the minds” of my guests, and I don’t have to worry about them coming up missing—the pills that is, not my guests.
Lastly, consider these two things. First, if a friend asks for some of your medicine, and though you may know he or she is not an addict, remember your medication is prescribed just for you. You aren’t a doctor. You have no way of knowing how somebody else’s body will react to medicine that’s been adjusted specifically for you. Though your body may respond one way to certain medicine, another person’s body could have a very different reaction. Second, giving your medication to others means you have less when you really need it.
Keep a List of Your Medications
Each time you go to the doctor or are admitted into the hospital, you’re going to be asked details about the medications you’re taking. I have found it helpful to have a list of all my prescriptions. It’s a list I create on my computer, which I update regularly, print out, and carry with me. On it I detail the name of each prescription, what the dosage is, how often I take it, the name and phone number of the prescribing doctor, as well as the phone number of the pharmacy where I get it filled. I also list the medications I’m allergic to and the phone numbers of family members to contact in case of an emergency.
If I go on a trip with friends, family, or if I spend a lot of time with a particular person, I give them a copy of that list. I also make sure everybody in my house knows where to find it. That way, if I became sick and unable to speak for myself, others have that vital information to give the doctors in the E.R.
Having that list handy when visiting my physician makes things a little more convenient. Rather than trying to recite from memory the pharmacy of medications I’m taking, I simply hand the nurse my prepared list. You may find it useful to make a similar list of the things you are taking. If you are fortunate enough to have a smart phone, it’s easy to use various apps to create a list of your medications. Since you are likely to always have your phone on you, it makes it very convenient to always carry your list of medications with you.
If I go on a trip with friends, family, or if I spend a lot of time with a particular person, I give them a copy of that list. I also make sure everybody in my house knows where to find it. That way, if I became sick and unable to speak for myself, others have that vital information to give the doctors in the E.R.
Having that list handy when visiting my physician makes things a little more convenient. Rather than trying to recite from memory the pharmacy of medications I’m taking, I simply hand the nurse my prepared list. You may find it useful to make a similar list of the things you are taking. If you are fortunate enough to have a smart phone, it’s easy to use various apps to create a list of your medications. Since you are likely to always have your phone on you, it makes it very convenient to always carry your list of medications with you.
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