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10 steps for taking medicines properly

Medication-related problems can result in illness or hospitalisation. To help avoid this, the following 10 steps are provided to help you to use medications safely and effectively:

What are medicines?

• Medicines include prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs as well as herbal and dietary supplements. Some of these can interact with both prescription and OTC drugs and cause potentially serious side effects. Always tell your doctor or pharmacist about any supplements you are taking, and about recreational drugs you may be using. (Also see our topic Non-prescription and complementary medicines)

Food and drug interactions

• Some foods and beverages may increase or decrease drug effects. For example, calcium-rich products such as milk and cheese can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics. Grapefruit juice shouldn't be consumed if you're taking some drugs. (Also see our topic Pharmacy labels - what do they mean?)

What if you can't swallow your pills?

• Ask about alternative preparations. Dissolving, cutting or crushing pills to swallow them might change how the pill works and could render it less effective. Talk to your pharmacist about it. Many medications are available in liquid, sprinkle or chewable form. Some pills can be dissolved in specific liquids. (Also see our topic Medicines - how are they delivered?)

How to store medicines

• Store your medications in a medicine cabinet out of reach of children. It is best to keep this outside the bathroom, as steam from showers and baths may affect the effectiveness of some drugs. If your pills are moist and powdery, that's an indication they've been affected by humidity and/or changing temperatures. Talk to your pharmacist before using. (Also see our topic Medicine safety tips)

Dosing in children

• A child's weight is the best way for a pharmacist to determine the appropriate dosage for OTC drugs. Parents should keep accurate track of their children's weight.

Read the package insert

• Package inserts are supplied with most medicines. (Details for specific medicines are also available in the Consumer Medicine Information CMI leaflets provided by Medsafe.)

Learn about what each medicine contains

• Ask about the active ingredients in your medications. That will help you avoid mixing the active ingredients of a prescription medication with an OTC drug containing the same active ingredient, a situation that can lead to an overdose.

Is the drug safe in the elderly?

• Elderly people may react differently to some drugs due to age-related physiological changes. This is especially true if people have cardiac, psychiatric, respiratory or gastrointestinal disorders.

Can "pill organisers" help?

• Pill timers, organisers, pillboxes and specialised pill packaging (available from pharmacies) can help people better manage their medications. (Note that it is important the pharmacist decides which medicines are stored in "pill organisers". For some medicines, the original sealed foil or blister packaging is there to protect the medicine from the atmosphere and moisture - without the protective packaging the medicine can quickly be damaged and lose its effectiveness.)

Do you have other questions?

• When in doubt, always consult your doctor or pharmacist. They can answer questions about your medications and instruct you on how to get the most benefit from them.

Original material provided by Health Scout, edited by everybody. Reviewed March 2006.