Understanding the Medication you Take

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norasanzo

New Member
I am curious to here your responses regarding the medications your doctors prescribe to you. I am a caregiver to my father and we were having a discussion about his prescriptions and it blew me away that his doctor did not take the time to explain his medications. My dad still takes them every day without knowing why or what each pill is even for.

General question here: On a scale 1-5, with 5 being the most, how well would you say you understand all the medication you take?

Would love any comments or discussion around this.
 

My doctor is about the same and he doesn't appreciate it when you ask more than one or two brief questions about what he is prescribing, LOL!!!

I read the canned disclosures that come with the prescriptions and do some research online to try and stay up to date with what I'm taking and why I'm taking it.

I suppose I'm a 3+ or a 4-.
 
Also about a 3 or 4 but most of that I've learned on my own from internet searches and not from doctors or the multi-page package inserts.
 

Luckily, I don't have to take any drugs, but I have done some research on Drugs.com for a couple of old neighbors who have to take drugs. In the most extreme case, I had a neighbor who was prescribed 9 different drugs after he had a stroke 3 years ago. I found good evidence for some major drug interactions with several of the drugs he had been told to take. I gave him a good summary of what I found, and he went back to the doctor and got his prescriptions cut back to 5. Had he stayed on all nine, I'm sure he would have had some major complications.

I would recommend that anyone who takes drugs do some research on sites such as Drugs.com, WebMD, MayoClinic.com, etc. The number of doctors getting kickbacks from the drug companies is amazing.
 
You are questioning the wrong person. Pharmacists are much better qualified to answer your questions about prescription medications.

I have a great pharmacist. She insists on sitting me down once a year and reviewing each of my medications with me, telling me what each is for and discussing side effects and any concerns that I have. She then types up a list for me that i carry with me at all times in case I am incapacitated by an emergency.

When I pick up my prescriptions, each bottle is opened for me to verify before acceptance.
 
@Timetrvlr I appreciate this feedback, but I would say that his doctors do not even tell my father to consult his pharmacist. I feel as though doctors should be able to explain why they are giving certain medications. Am I wrong to expect that?
 
@DonM I simply just don't understand how people like you and myself are expected to understand everything that is prescribed, that is not something that fall in the hands of the caregiver. I do realize a big part of it is literacy but I believe that doctors should strive for better communication skills when it comes to prescribing medications (even if they are part of kickbacks from companies). Would you agree?
 
Timetrvlr said:
You are questioning the wrong person. Pharmacists are much better qualified to answer your questions about prescription medications.

I have a great pharmacist. She insists on sitting me down once a year and reviewing each of my medications with me, telling me what each is for and discussing side effects and any concerns that I have. She then types up a list for me that i carry with me at all times in case I am incapacitated by an emergency.

When I pick up my prescriptions, each bottle is opened for me to verify before acceptance.
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I get my meds by mail order but my daughter is a pharmacist who monitors my meds. I am lucky to have a doc that explains the why of giving me a script. His nurse goes over my meds each time I see him and then I ask him questions. But your pharmacist is the one you need to speak with. My daughter gladly talks with her patients about their meds and often catches mistakes the doctor makes and does not hesitate to call the doctor to be sure he realizes that the patient is allergic to something or might interact with another med. Doing mail order I can always call the pharmacist there with a question but since I have one in the family I don't need to .
 
norasanzo said:
@DonM I simply just don't understand how people like you and myself are expected to understand everything that is prescribed, that is not something that fall in the hands of the caregiver. I do realize a big part of it is literacy but I believe that doctors should strive for better communication skills when it comes to prescribing medications (even if they are part of kickbacks from companies). Would you agree?
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The biggest problem concerning communications with doctors is the increasing shortage of doctors...especially family/primary care. Most of them are booked up days/weeks in advance, and have little time to sit down and explain everything to a patient. When prescribed a drug, a person almost has to do their own research, or find a pharmacist who is familiar with drug interactions and side effects, etc., in order to insure that they aren't being given something that will make problems worse.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ool-association-warns/?utm_term=.9e9de8e2b860
 
My doctor takes the time to explain the reasons for prescribing a medication, it's pros and cons, and to call him
immediately if I have an adverse to it. My pharmacist also explains any new medications when giving them to me.
I have also consulted the internet, usually the mayo clinic for more information.
 
I am a BIG 5. I go on line and research as I did this morning a new prescription that I was given. I also will get some input from a pharmacist. I think the individual has to accept some responsibility for both the food and the pills they consume as long as they are mentally capable of doing so and if not then there CAREGIVER should. Age should not be a factor.
 
Lon said:
I am a BIG 5. I go on line and research as I did this morning a new prescription that I was given. I also will get some input from a pharmacist. I think the individual has to accept some responsibility for both the food and the pills they consume as long as they are mentally capable of doing so and if not then there CAREGIVER should. Age should not be a factor.
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I agree, Lon. Even though my doctor is great and I have a drug expert in the family, I still research on the net and call my daughter with questions. She has been doing this for 25 years and of course she has to have so many CE hours each year to keep her license. She amazes me how she keeps up with her patients and their meds. One patient brought her a huge sack of home grown tomatoes and she gifted a lot of them to me as she knows they are my favorite in the summer. She doesn't accept gifts as many are offered but this was an exception from a long time and grateful patient.
 
I am also a 5. I also always ASK my doctor to explain the whys and wherefores of any new drug. I'm also a big internet researcher for drug interactions, side effects, etc. I figure it's my body and before I take any new pharmaceutical I need to understand it. There have been drugs I've refused to take because of what I've learned. And once my pharmacist pointed out that I should NOT take a certain antibiotic that had been prescribed, because it was in the family of an antibiotic I am allergic to -- something my doc didn't spot when prescribing it. Pharmacists are a great source of information, and a second pair of expert eyes on your prescriptions.
 
Lon said:
I am a BIG 5. I go on line and research as I did this morning a new prescription that I was given. I also will get some input from a pharmacist. I think the individual has to accept some responsibility for both the food and the pills they consume as long as they are mentally capable of doing so and if not then there CAREGIVER should. Age should not be a factor.
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Don, that is great to here that you fully understand what you are taking and I totally agree with you that the individual must take responsibility. At the same time, I want to comment that I think doctors should not be allowed to prescribe medication that they fully do not understand. However, the role of the pharmacist is becoming such a larger one in today's society so I will be interested to see where things go. It is hard as a caregiver to explain medications to my father when I am not with him 24/7. Doctors and nurses must work to provide proper language for their patients.
 
Aurora said:
My doctors have told me very little about my medicines.
Only what it is for. For the rest, ask your pharmacist.
I give them a 2
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Aurora, thank you for your input. I will be doing my research finding a proper pharmacist to rely on for my father.
 
Before the internet I used a PDR & medical dictionary. The problem with both doctors & pharmacists is that I don't think many fully account for lifestyle or numerous other variables which might speed up, slow down or impede absorption. I've read numerous reports and been told that there is better absorption with certain drugs and vitamins at night before bed. Partly because since digestion is a blood consuming process there is more blood available since the body isn't doing anything else. Yet many meds are prescribed morning, evening, before or after meals etc. Some studies say caffeine impedes absorption. It was many years but the medical industry finally realized that fish oil was or acted like an anti inflammatory and started telling people no fish oil 3 days before the operation. Also take into account supplements other than food like other vitamins. When on chemo and related drugs I know people have been told no vitamins including extra vitamin C.

One must educate and update themselves & be fully aware of their own body just to ask questions.
 
My insurance company called a few months ago and asked me if I would like a phone consultation with one of their pharmacists to go over my meds. It was very informative. She spent about an hour on the phone with me discussing my meds. She suggested changing my cholesterol meds to another one and told me to discuss it with my doctor. I did. He was adamant about my staying on the one he prescribed. After further research, I see that the medicine I take costs them more than the one they want me to take. Since they are both the same cost to me, I stayed on the one the doctor put me on.

I think I have a pretty good grasp on my meds. I do look everything up on the internet and look for contraindications and interactions.

I'd have to say I'm a 4.9
 
jujube said:
My insurance company called a few months ago and asked me if I would like a phone consultation with one of their pharmacists to go over my meds. It was very informative.
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Are you certain it was a representative of your insurance company? Someone who indicated they were calling from my insurance company called me a few months ago and also tried to convince me to ask my doctor to change one of my meds. After questioning her closely, she admitted she worked for a drug company and was trying to boost sales of a particular drug. When I questioned her as to how she knew I was taking a particular drug, she hung up. I had recently begun using a different drug store and suspect they had shared a customer list with a salesman.
 
helenbacque said:
Are you certain it was a representative of your insurance company? Someone who indicated they were calling from my insurance company called me a few months ago and also tried to convince me to ask my doctor to change one of my meds. After questioning her closely, she admitted she worked for a drug company and was trying to boost sales of a particular drug. When I questioned her as to how she knew I was taking a particular drug, she hung up. I had recently begun using a different drug store and suspect they had shared a customer list with a salesman.
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Nope, definitely Blue Cross calling.
 

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