Advice from Your Pharmacist

As individuals age, the likelihood of them taking daily prescription medication increases. Often, seniors take multiple prescriptions and find it necessary to adhere to a strict prescription regimen. If any questions arise about medications, it’s important to remember that a pharmacist receives more training in drugs than any other medical professional, and this includes the doctors and nurses who are prescribing these medications. So, chances are when you ask a pharmacist a question about a medication, they are more likely than even your general practitioner to know the answer.

What do pharmacists want you to know?

• Don’t ever share your prescriptions. Although, this might seem obvious, it’s very important because the individual “borrowing” the medicine might have an allergy or some other dangerous health condition related to the shared prescription.
  
• Take only the prescribed amount of OTC medications. Even though you can buy them directly, without a prescription, these medications still have safe amounts listed on them. Follow them unless otherwise stated by your doctor.
  
• No flushing. Even if they are expired, don’t flush medication down the toilet because many of them don’t break down entirely in water, resulting in traces of medications in drinking water. Ask area pharmacies if they have a “take back” program for medications.
  
• The bathroom is not the place to store your prescriptions. Due to the moisture level and widely fluctuating temperatures, the bathroom is probably the worst place to store medications because it will weaken them or cause them to be ineffective before their expiration date. Instead, keep them in a nightstand or high kitchen cabinet (where children can’t reach them).
  
• Ask before splitting. Many pills are just not meant to be split in half. People split their pills for many reasons, but some won’t be as effective when split, or are time-release pills that require pill to be ingested at once.

Always Best Care Senior Services has been providing quality in-home care to seniors in the United States and Canada since 1996. Their compassionate caregivers provide a number of services that help seniors with daily tasks to maximize their independence and quality of living. If you live in the Greater Cleveland area and are interested in In-home senior care services in Grafton, or other home health care services in Lorain County, call 440-791-7177 today for a free consultation.