Be wary if you’re making any of these medication mistakes. It can be dangerous!
Maybe this will sound unreal, but research found that most people don’t take their medication the proper way because they find it rather challenging. More precisely, 50% of patients don’t follow the medication instructions, and this leads to many medication mistakes that can have negative consequences, and sometimes they can even turn out to be deadly.
All of this is especially true for older people. Many of them find taking the medication according to the doctor’s instructions difficult, and they end up taking it in inappropriate ways that can affect their health. Also, they take more medicine than the average person, and it is extremely easy to get it mixed up.
Time, dosage, instructions—all medications have them, and you have to respect them if you want to get the best outcome. But sometimes this can get overwhelming and, in the end, lead to medication mistakes.
According to a study, nearly 15% of elderly people who need treatment from a doctor or a hospital each year have a medication problem; in almost half of these situations, the problem might have been avoided.
Let’s see what the most common medication mistakes are and learn how to avoid them. Your health is the most important thing!
1. When you miss a pill, you double up just to be sure.
This probably happened to you—missing a pill can happen to the very best of us, and indeed, this can be dangerous, but do you know what can be even more dangerous? Doubling up to make sure the treatment goes well.
This is one of the biggest medication mistakes, and you should never modify your dosages on your own. This is an action only a medical provider can take care of, and your role is to respect exactly what they are telling you to do.
If you are not sure if you took a pill or not, check with your pharmacist before you take the second dose or simply skip that dose. Also, the time you take your pill is important. If there’s a medication you take more times per day, take the pill only if it’s closer to the time you need to take the next dose.
The best solution to avoid this one of the medication mistakes is the good old pill holder. It has compartments for every day of the week, and this can make things easier for you and keep track more effectively.
2. Splitting pills that aren’t meant to be split
If you have problems swallowing pills, crushing and splitting might seem like some harmless and effective solutions, right? This also applies to those who want to change the dosage. In reality, doing this has a lot of risks and is one of the most dangerous medication mistakes.
Not all medications are made to be split or crushed, and many of them have coatings or structures that control how the drug is released and absorbed by your body. When you affect the integrity of such a pill, you are jeopardizing its effectiveness or leading to unintended effects.
Some examples of pills that are not meant to be crushed or split are extended-release medications (the active ingredient is slowly released over time), enteric-coated tablets (have a special coating that protects them from stomach acid), and special formulations (these are made to be absorbed in specific parts of the digestive tract).
Always check the medication instructions before taking them for the first time, and don’t hesitate to ask your doctor if your pills can be crushed or split. Better safe than sorry.
3. Mixing medication with the wrong food
Eating certain foods or taking certain supplements along with your medication can have some unexpected effects because they can interfere with how the drug is absorbed in your body.
Let’s start with dairy products and antibiotics. Milk, cheese, and yogurt all contain calcium, and this mineral can bind to antibiotics and prevent it from being fully absorbed into your system. When this happens, the effectiveness is reduced. Try to avoid dairy products for a few hours before and after you take your antibiotics.
We have some diabetic drugs, such as metformin, that can interact with fiber. This will slow down its absorption and, as a result, make it harder to control blood sugar levels. Now, you can eat food that has fiber but avoid fiber supplements.
One of the most famous foods that causes interaction with your medication is grapefruit juice. Combining it with some drugs is one of the medication mistakes, and you should know what happens behind the scenes. This juice contains compounds that inhibit an enzyme responsible for breaking down certain drugs in the digestive system. This can lead to higher levels of the drug remaining in your body and, over time, cause liver damage and muscle breakdown.
4. Keeping meds in the bathroom
Something that really makes a difference is whether you keep your pills on the bathroom counter or not. Keeping them there is among the medication mistakes, and because of this, you should do your best and avoid doing so as much as possible.
But why is the bathroom so dangerous? Well, this is a place where frequent temperature changes happen on a daily basis, and this is not good for your medication. If you ever read the instructions on most of them, it is written that your medication should be kept in a place with a stable temperature, and the bathroom is for sure not one of those places.
Besides the heat exposure, there is also the humid environment. This humidity can cause your pills to break down or clump together, which can alter their effectiveness. A good example is the medication that dissolves faster than it needs to because of the humidity, and this makes it less potent before you even take it.
Ok, so the bathroom is the worst place to keep your pills; what is a good place? Dresser drawers or bedroom cabinets are both appropriate for storing medication because these locations are typically dry, dark, and have a stable temperature.
Also, when you are traveling, make sure to always keep your medication in your carry-on bag rather than in checked luggage. Checked baggage areas are not temperature-controlled, and this means a higher chance that your medications will be exposed to extreme temperatures.
Pro tip: Do you know those medication bottles that have a cotton ball inside stuffed into the top? Make sure to pull it, because over time it will pull the moisture from the outside into the bottle.
Have you ever made any of these mistakes? If yes, now you know how to avoid them and take better care of your health.
Make your life easier and avoid medication mistakes by having your own pill case. Never miss a dose again! This one is a good choice and has an amazing price on Amazon: EZY DOSE Push Button (7-Day) Pill Case, Medicine Planner
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