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Avoiding Medication Errors Herbs and vitamins
Bring an updated list of all your
child’s medications to every doctor, every time. Whether it is the dentist,
pharmacist, psychiatrist or ENT - everyone treating your child needs to know
about all of the medications being taken. Include a complete list of allergies (medications, food or other) with the
list of medications. It is always good practice to use the same pharmacy for all medications so
your pharmacist is aware of all medications and can serve as another check on
interactions or allergies. Also, with one pharmacist knowing all the conditions that are being treated
can help identify potential problems the prescribing physician may have missed
or may not be aware. Subscribe to and have your child wear a MedicAlert bracelet or necklace and
keep the information up to date wtih the company. Ask the doctor to tell you exactly how much is to be taken, when, and how
often/long then repeat it back to him or her for clarification. If the doctor’s
handwriting is questionable, be sure to take your own notes on the dosing
information to compare with the pharmacy label. Some drugs have names that are very similar to other drugs, either the generic
or brand name. Be aware of this and watch for prescription fill errors. It can
be important to know the physical aspects of the drug that has a similar name as
well as ‘your’ medication. Some medications are known by more than one brand name. Example, Wellbutrin,
an antidepressant, is marketed as Zyban for smoking cessation. This FDA site is updated frequently –
Drug Products Associated with Medication Errors Is this a combination medication? Be sure you know what all of the ingredients
are that it contains to ensure there is not an allergy or other problem with one
of its components. What numbers or letters are imprinted or stamped on the pill? Is it partially scored, scored on one or both sides or not at all? Open the bottle and look at the pills while standing at the pharmacy counter.
Once you leave, it is usually state policy that the pharmacy cannot exchange or
otherwise accept a medication back from a patient. Don’t be afraid to question the pharmacist if you feel you’ve been given the
wrong medication or dose. You are perfectly within your rights as a consumer to
request to see the bottle from which the prescription was filled. With specific foods such as milk? Are there any stringent requirements for dosing times such as three times a
day – does that mean at meals or every 8 hours? Sometimes this can make a HUGE
difference in the efficacy. What should you do if you miss a dose? What if you are queasy and become ill shortly after taking the medication? Should you change the way you take your medication if you are sick? Do you need to avoid certain foods or medications for any period of time
before or after taking it? For example, some medications can’t be taken less
than 2 hours, before or after, an antacid or milk. Should you avoid certain activities such as driving heavy equipment while
taking this medication? If this is a liquid medication, use a calibrated cup or other measuring device
from the pharmacy department, not a household spoon as overmedication often
occurs when using a spoon from the kitchen drawer. Are there side effects that you may get but go away in time? What side effects require medical attention? What degree of side effects are acceptable and where should you draw the line?
For example, tremor can be a common side effect but at some point it can be
severe enough to make it difficult to write legibly or walk a straight line. Another possibility is a desired or helpful drug interaction where one
medication combined with another produces a synergistic effect - enhancing the
results of one or both medications equaling a sum effect that is greater than
what could be achieved on either medication dosed without the other. Or, when
one medication can reduce the required dose of another such as when Depakote and
Lamictal are dosed together, Depakote increases Lamictal levels so a much lower
Lamictal dose is required. There are some medications that interact negatively with certain foods. For
example, many medications are not to be taken with grapefruit or grapefruit
juice. Is this treating psychosis or mood? What should be the desired results and how soon should they be seen? Does this medication treat the same thing as another medication you’re taking?
If replacing another medication, does the old medication have a specific
discontinuation method or can it be stopped cold turkey? Can the new medication be given while the old one is still being taken or must
the old one be completely discontinued before starting the new one? Does it require refrigeration? Most medications have some degree of chemical alteration when exposed to high
heat or moderate heat over a period of time. Many medications are affected by humidity and require storage in some place
other than the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. This is a very common place
where medications are stored for many people and usually the worst place to keep
any medication. |
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