This month we have been talking a lot about safety. Medication safety is very important. Unfortunately, it is not something that is talked about often. Almost everyone takes some type of medication in one form or another. Maybe it is over-the-counter or maybe it is prescription, but either way, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that you get the best results from your medication and stay safe.
In nursing school, we learned about something called the “rights of medication delivery”. Right person, right drug, right time, and right route are just a few of them. These are not only important for nurses to know, but they apply to everyone.
Right person: It is important that you only take medication that is prescribed to you. Even if you have the same condition or symptoms as a friend or family member, don’t take someone else’s medication. Other people’s medication is tailored to them and may be the wrong dose for you. It could also interact with other medications that you are taking causing potentially serious problems.
Right drug: Before you take any medication make sure that what you have in your hand is what you are wanting to take. Many medication bottles and even the medications themselves look similar. Even though you may think that you grabbed the correct bottle, it is important to make sure. This advice even applies to over-the-counter medications. About 6 months ago I was at my parent’s house and had a headache. When I went into the medicine cabinet to grab some Tylenol, the medication in the bottle looked strange. Some of the pills were white and some were blue. I thought that the blue ones looked wrong, so I looked it up quickly on my phone. Sure enough, they were NOT regular Tylenol. They were Tylenol PM. Someone had put them in the same bottle as the plain Tylenol by accident. When I mentioned it to my dad, he was not aware that they were in there. That error could have been very dangerous. What if someone grabbed those thinking that they were regular Tylenol and then got in the car to drive somewhere? There could have been serious consequences. The moral of the story is to always pay attention to the medicine that you are taking.
Right time: It is important to know how often to take your medication, and what to do if you miss a dose. Taking certain medications too close together can result in having too much of the drug in your system. This could be dangerous. Some medicines are best taken before or after meals. Some need to be taken in the morning and others are best before bed because they may cause drowsiness. Talking with your pharmacist or health care provider about when to take your medications will help keep you safe and help you to get the most out of your treatment.
Right route: Each medication has a specific way that it should be taken to get the best results. If you are not using your medication correctly you will not receive the maximum benefit. This may even cause a flare-up. Talk to your health care provider or pharmacist and ask them to demonstrate the proper technique. For information about inhaler use as well as specific inhalers, check out the Foundation’s educational video library.
Storing your medications properly is very important. If there are any special storage needs with your medicines (like refrigeration) it will normally be listed in the information from your pharmacy when you pick up the medicine. If you are not sure, ask your pharmacist. In general, it is best to store medicines in a cool dry place, away from moisture and heat. This makes storing them in a medicine cabinet in the bathroom or over the sink/stove not a safe option because of the fluctuation in heat and humidity. As always, make sure that you are storing medication out of the reach of children and pets.
Pay attention to the expiration dates on your medication, especially those that you do not take every day. It is not a good idea to take expired medication because the medicine can break down over time. This can cause the medicine to not work as intended, which can lead to flare-ups. Another danger of taking expired medicines is that when the chemicals break down, they could end up becoming toxic in some situations which could lead to serious side effects.
What are some things that you have done to stay safe while taking medication?
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