By Liz Taylor
Growing Older
Q: I recently visited my mother, who is getting on in years. She was
confused about whether she should take the white or the pink pill after
lunch. I looked at her medications and was shocked to see 12 prescriptions
from three pharmacies. Each had its own dosing schedule -- two, three,
four times a day, as well as "as needed." How can even a young person keep
this straight and take their medicine safely?
A: "Medication has the potential to do amazing good, but it can also
cause harm," says Dr. Vicki Rackner, a surgeon and patient advocate, whose
company, Medical Bridges, helps people become better informed about their
health care. To take medications safely, Rackner suggests:
- Know each medication's name, dose and the reason you're taking it.
Keep this list in your wallet or purse.
- Have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. This keeps
your data in one place and allows your pharmacist to catch potential drug
interactions.
- Take medication only as directed, and take it for as long as it was
prescribed. Don't just stop when you feel better.
- Know your allergies (a reaction to a medication that is a threat to
your health).
- Medication can do harm. If you have a new symptom, your drug may be
its cause.
- Use your pharmacist as a resource. You can prevent many needless
problems simply by asking: Do I need to take my pill with food? What are the
possible side effects? Is it safe to cut this pill in half?
- Remember that herbal remedies and vitamins are medications, and
belong on the list.
- Understand that over-the-counter medications can cause interactions
with prescription drugs.
Rackner advises periodically having your doctor or nurse review your
medication list by asking, "Are all these medications still needed?"
Medical care has become so segmented, it's common for patients to have several
specialists caring for individual organs -- but nobody to oversee the "big
picture."
Managing a complex medication schedule is difficult at any age, but
becomes more so as we get older. So it's important to figure out a
foolproof system. For a small number of pills, use a "medi-set" (available at
grocery or drugstores) to lay out your pills for each day, one week at a time.
For larger quantities, you need to be more inventive. One idea is to glue
paper cups to a piece of cardboard, with a cup for each dose each day of
the week. Be sure to keep all medications out of the reach of children.
Q: At Christmas, I couldn't believe how frail my mom has become since
I last visited. She lives in a small town in New York, and I need to
figure out what services are available there.
A: One of the biggest changes that's happened to families in the past
50 years is the geographic gap between aging parents and their adult
children. No longer living down the street or on the neighboring farm, we're often
forced to stay on top of their health long-distance, one of the hardest
of all jobs in elder care.
Contact us if you have any questions.
