Medications for Safety

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) governs the drug to be safe enough for approval when the drug's benefits outweigh the known risks for the use of labeled.

Doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and you make up your health care team. To reduce the risks resulting from the use of medications and get the most benefit, you need to be an active member of the team.

To make medication use safer:

talk
LaSalle questions
Find facts
Assess your options
Read the label and follow the instructions
Spoke to us

For more information your health care team knows about you, the best team could care plan that's right for you.

Team members need to know your medical history, such as diseases and medical conditions (such as high blood pressure or diabetes), and operations and was you.

They also need to know all the medicines and treatments used, either all the time or only for some time. Before adding something new, talk it over with your team. Your team can help you with what mixes well and what does not.

It helps to give a written list of all medications and treatments your all your doctors, pharmacists and other team members. Keep a copy of the list for yourself, and give a copy to a family member.

Be sure to include:

Prescription, including any samples doctor has given you
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, or medicines that can be bought without a prescription (such as antacids, laxatives, or pain, fever, and cough / cold medicines)
Dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbs
Other treatments
Any allergies, and any problems they may have with the drug
Anything that can have an impact on your use of the drug, such as pregnancy, breast-feeding, difficulty swallowing, difficulty remembering, or cost
LaSalle questions

Team can your health care provider can help you make better choices, but you have to ask the right questions. When you meet with a team member, you have the questions written down and take notes on the answers. You may also want to pick up a friend or relative to help you understand and remember.

Found Facts

Before you and your team decide on medical or prescription medication OTC, learn and understand a lot about it as you can, including:

Brand and (chemical) generic names
Active - ingredients to make sure you do not use more than one drug with the same active ingredient
Inert ingredients - if you have any problems with the ingredients in medicines, such as colors and flavors, and starches, sugars
Uses ( "indications" and "contraindications") - why it will be used, and when should / should not be used as medicine
Warnings ( "reserves") - the safety measures to make sure the medicine is used in the right way, and to avoid harm
Possible interactions - substances that should not be used while using this medication. Find out whether other prescription and OTC medicines, food and dietary supplements, or other things (such as alcohol and tobacco) can cause problems with the drug
Side effects ( "negative feedback") - unwanted effects that the drug can cause, and what to do if you get it
Possible tolerance, dependence, or addiction - problems that some drugs can cause, and what you can do to avoid them
Overdose - what do you do if you use too much
Trends - the usual dose. What to do if you miss a dose. Special directives on how to use this medicine, such as whether it should be taken with or without food
Storage - instructions on how and where to keep medicine
Expiration - history, after the drug may not work or may be harmful to use
Pharmacy, library, a library, and the maker of the drug, and the Internet has made medicines to consumers information. If you have questions, your health care team asks.

Assess your options - the balance between the benefits and risks

After getting all the information, think carefully about your choices. Thinking of beneficial effects as well as unwanted effects are possible. Decide which are most important to you. This is how you weigh the benefits and risks. Expert advice from your health care team and your information, which gives the team can help guide you and your team in the decision-making is right for you.

Read a label and follow the directions

Read the label to find out what the active ingredient (s) is (are) in medicine. The active ingredient in the prescription or OTC medications may be other drugs that you use. Using too much of any active ingredient may increase the chance of unwanted side effects in them.

Read the label each time you buy OTC or fill your prescription medication. When buying OTC, and read the "Drug Facts" label carefully to make sure it is the right medicine for you. Prescription and OTC drugs do not always mix well with each other. Dietary supplements (such as vitamins and herbs) and certain foods and beverages can cause problems with your medications as well. Ask your pharmacist if you have questions.

Before you leave the pharmacy with a prescription, make sure you have the proper medicine, knowing the appropriate dose to use, and know how to use it. If you have bought medicine before, make sure that this drug has the same shape, color, size and packaging. any thing else? Ask your pharmacist. If the medicine tastes different when you use it, tell your health care team.

Read and save all the information that you get with medication.

Read the label each time before using this medication. Make sure it's right in five ways:

The right medicine
Appropriate for the patient
In the proper amount
right on time
In the right way (for example, instead of chewing swallow pills)
Follow the directions on the label and your health care team. When you are ready to use this medicine, make the most of the benefits and reduce the risk by following the instructions.

If you want to stop the medication and the doctor told you to use or use it in a different way of guidance, talk to one of the team members. Some drugs take longer to show they are working. With some drugs, such as antibiotics, it is important to complete the prescription, even if you feel better sooner. When you stop using certain medications, you should reduce the dose gradually to prevent unwanted side effects in them.

Report to the team

Pay attention to how you feel. If you have an undesirable effect, say your health care team immediately. There may be a need for a change in dosage or change in medicine.