Protect Yourself Against Medical Prescriptions

You have to protect yourself against medical prescriptions by asking either your doctor or pharmacist the right questions.

Many times patients will take the prescription and trust there doctor knows what he's doing. And that is great! But when it comes to your health and the drugs you take, you need to participate by asking him questions.

Today, too many prescription medications cause serious side effects, and can interact badly with other medication you're taking. Even vitamins and certain foods can interact with your medication, so ask your questions.

Don't rely on your doctor or pharmacist to voluntarily give you this information, even if they are suppose to, because a lot of times they don't.

Some questions to ask...

The Medication's Name:
A lot of times you are prescribed drugs with names you can't pronounce. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to pronounce it for you. There is a good chance that you will one day need that information.

The Side Effects:
Like I mentioned earlier, some drugs may have serious side effects, and you want to know what signs to look for. Your doctor or pharmacist should also explain how you minimize these effects.
Something as simple as the sun sensitivity can cause problems.

The Medication And Allergies:
Ask if the drug contains anything you might be allergic to. Even though your doctor and pharmacist is suppose to have this information, a lot of times they may not take note of your allergies, so remind them by asking them.

The Length Of Time You Must Take The Medication:
Sometimes they will tell you, but again maybe they won't. Either way, you need to find out. If you stop taking certain medications too soon, it limits the effectiveness, and if you take it too long, it may cause unwanted side effects.

The Right Time To Take The Medication:
It may not matter, but a lot of medications are best taken at night, before you go to bed. So ask the question, because they might tell you it's best taken in the morning.

Taking Food With The Medication:
Ask what foods the medication can and can not be taken with. You may need to take it with food, milk or water. You may also need to avoid taking your medication with certain foods. Some medications
tell you not to take with citrus fruit because of the acid, and some will tell you not to take certain vitamins because the medication negates its' usefulness.

Storing The Medication:
You need to know how to store your medication. The last thing you want to do is store it improperly, and have it loose its' potency.
Medication is too expensive for this to happen.

The Medication May Have A Generic Version:
Find out from your doctor only! If your pharmacist recommends one, please check with your doctor before buying the generic version.

Your doctor knows your medical history a lot better, and will be able to tell you if this is what he wants for you. If he does, then this is the route to go. Especially if the generic is giving you the same benefit as the non-generic brand. However, be sure, because a lot of generic brand medications don't provide the same level of treatment as the brand medications do.

Necessity Of Medication:
Find out if the medication being prescribed is necessary. Sometimes doctors will prescribe medication just to appease you. I'm talking about non life threatening illnesses where over-the-counter medication will do just as great, and they are
cheaper.

Samples To Take:
When your doctor prescribes a new medication for you, ask him for samples instead. This will eliminate spending money on a medication that may not work.

It is very important to protect yourself against medical prescriptions. Too much can go wrong due to side effects, and the side effects may not show up until it's too late to reverse them.

I' sure you've heard of certain medications having side effects of heart problems, kidney and liver problems, and even diabetes. This is the major reason why your prescriptions should be a concern to you, because it's your life we're talking about, and medication can destroy it instead of improving it.