What to Know Before Taking Your Medication

It is important to know what kind of medicine you are going to take. It is even more important that you know certain things before taking your medication.

When our health is at risk, we turn to our medication. While it is important to know what we should take, it is also essential to know how to take these prescribed medications. Being knowledgeable is important when it comes to what we put in our body.

Here is a guide from 4 Corners Pharmacy on some things you should know before taking your pill:

1. Always know by heart the instructions of your prescribing physician. It is important that you know how many times you need to take your medication in a day, how long you need to take each of your medication and what are the possible side effects of each of them. Educate yourself on the medicines you are taking and make sure you take them how your doctor advised you to.

2. Always disclose your allergies to your prescribing doctor. Make sure that you tell your doctors if you have any concerns regarding taking certain medications. While it may seem like a hassle, inquire about medication compounding with your pharmacy and how they can assist with risks of allergic reactions. Get your doctor’s approval and, then, get your medication compounded.

3. Side effects of medications vary with different people. After consulting with your doctor regarding these medications, also make sure you have inquired with your pharmacist. You can also consult with your pharmacist about ways to reduce the effects of the medications. If there are higher risks of dangerous side effects, return to your prescribing physician before you make further decisions regarding your medications.

4. Make sure you know if you must take your medication before or after meals. If you need to take your medication before meals, always keep an interval of taking your medication an hour or two before eating. If you need to take your medications after eating, make sure you take your medicines thirty minutes to an hour after. This advice from your prescribing doctor is to improve the effectiveness of your medications.

5. When taking your medication, it is important to take it with water. It is not advisable to take soda or flavored drinks as there may be chemical reactions or allergic reactions when taking medication. It may also be a hindrance to the effectiveness of the medicines you are taking.

6. As an additional tip, always take medications after small sips of water. This will help reduce choking and coughing due to dry throats. Make sure that the water is lukewarm since it could help best with dissolving medications for appropriate effectiveness.

You have the right to refuse to take certain medications. You can talk to your prescribing physician regarding this matter before you inform your pharmacy of certain changes. If you are skeptical about certain medication and they make you feel uncomfortable, you can always say ‘no’.