OTTAWA – Canada Safety Council is offering medication management tips to avoid unintended consequences or side-effects.
Here are a few tips to help keep multiple medications under control.
Keep medication list updated
A comprehensive, up-to-date medication list is crucial to safe medication management. Keep a detailed record of your medications and prescription drugs, including the name, dosage, frequency, and its purpose.
Share the list with doctors and family members.
Know your medications
Ask your doctor about the purpose and potential side effects of each medication, along with details about how it should be taken.
Being an active participant in your health decisions will enable you to be more informed.
Use a pill organizer
These containers are usually labeled with the days of the week, sometimes including times of day, making it easy to see if you’ve taken your medications as prescribed.
A pill organizer reduces the risk of accidentally ingesting more than one dose or of missing the dose altogether.
Set medication reminders
Setting medication reminders helps ensure a consistency in your medication routine, a habit which is essential for their effectiveness.
Consider alarms, notes, or some form of hard-to-miss mnemonic device to remind yourself that it is time to take your medication.
Be aware of interactions
Certain medications can interact with each other, leading to negative side effects or reduced efficacy.
This is one example of why it can be helpful to be actively involved in understanding what medications you’re ingesting — knowledge and foresight, along with communication with your doctor, can ensure that any potential interactions are caught before any kind of incident occurs.
