Are you taking certain medications on a daily basis? As you get older, more medications are being prescribed to you. While these medications are helpful, the responsibility of managing your medicines may be complex for some people, especially for seniors.
Keeping multiple medicines can be confusing even if you take them daily. Sometimes, you forget about which one need to be taken once or twice a day. Missing a few doses or accidentally taking up double doses may seem like a minor concern at first but it can actually affect your health in the long run. Taking the wrong medicine dosage can cause allergic reactions to your body.
Furthermore, taking the wrong combinations of medicines is dangerous, especially when they have an adverse reaction when interacting. To prevent medication mishaps in the future, below are five things you need to remember when taking your medications.
- Follow Your Doctor’s Prescription
Medicines are best taken when the doctor initially prescribes them. Avoid taking medications on your own accord without consulting a medical expert. Not only it’s dangerous, but you can’t also guarantee the medicine’s effectiveness. Another advantage of consulting your doctor is that you can ask them questions if you’re unfamiliar with some of the medicines. Ask them what they specifically do to your health. This way, you’re aware of each medication’s purpose and determine if certain medicines can cause allergic body reactions.
- Get Rid of Your Old Medications
When you’ve been prescribed with medications in the past, it’s inevitable to have old medications that are left stocked in your cabinet. If these old medicines aren’t useful anymore, take them out of your medicine cabinet. You can get more info here on how to properly disposed medicines and make sure that it’s safely disposed of away from children. This way, you can avoid mixing your current prescriptions with the old ones, which may cause wrong dosages.
- Avoid Alcoholic Beverages
Once you’re on medication, you must avoid alcoholic beverages. These drinks contain potent intoxicating agents that can quickly disable the effects of the medicines. Plus, some medications react negatively when mixed with alcohol, which can also be dangerous to your health and liver.
- Never Skip Any of Your Medication
Always remember to never skip any of your medications, especially antibiotics. Skipping medicines a few times can significantly affects your medicine’s effectiveness. When you miss medication, the viruses or bacteria that your body’s been fighting off become immune to the medicine. Moreover, it also allows them to spread easier and become resistant to any medications that you’re taking. Thus, it slows down your recovery and makes you more prone to other illnesses.
- Less Is Good
If the doctor has prescribed you multiple medicines, including antibiotics, you should avoid taking too many vitamins. Focus on the prescribed medication from your doctor as they’re issued to address specific areas of your health. Oftentimes, the vitamins you take aren’t prescribed by your doctor and your reason of taking them is to maintain your health. Taking multiple medications and vitamins altogether will not only damage your liver, but there’s also a greater risk that can create contradicting side effects on your health.
Conclusion
Your prescribed medications are beneficial in keeping your body healthy and robust against illnesses. Following the mentioned things above can help you keep track of your medications and help create a medication management plan that suits you and your lifestyle. You’re in charge of your health care so ensure to do your best to take good care of it.
