Comprehensive Elder Law Services

Medication Confusion

On Behalf of | Dec 8, 2020 | HEALTH CARE |

Here’s something I never really thought about before: There is no uniformity in how prescription medication directions are written. An article I read recently talked about this problem, and how it contributes to people not properly following medication regimens. Here is an example:

Let’s say you have 2 prescriptions. One bottle says to take one pill every 12 hours. The other bottle says to take one pill twice a day. Do you take them at the same time? In many instances, you can, but a lot of people will take them at different times, thus making a harder schedule. Now, if you only take 2 medications, this might not be all that hard to manage, but what happens when you take 6 medicines?

Since reading the article, one thing I noticed about my own prescriptions is that there is no uniformity in the warning labels. I recently got a prescription refilled at the same pharmacy that’s been filling it for years. The old bottle had 3 different warning labels on it: warning of dizziness, warning not to smoke while taking the medication, and warning of headaches. The new bottle had no warning labels at all. Now, I’m pretty sure the medication didn’t change, so why did the labels change?

It’s really important to carefully review your medications and the directions, and if you do have any questions about how to take them, talk to you doctor or your pharmacist, because they are the people who can help you simplify and understand the directions.

Kim