Should You Still Be Taking That Medicine?

Should You Still Be Taking That Medicine?

Should You Still Be Taking That Medicine?

Is a Pill Box filled with Medicine that is not needed?

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Med-Q Pill Box filled with Medicine that is not needed?

  Whats in your Pill Box and should you still be taking that medicine   

Why do people need a pill box filled with medicine. First of all, almost 50 percent on men and women are  taking prescription drugs for longer than is recommended or safe.  Journal Annals of Family Medicine.Researchers issued a study.  Furthermore, according to the study of over  50,000 adults, there is a big problem.  The study investigated patients who were taking antidepressants.  In addition, taking proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs).  PPI’s are  used to treat heartburn as well as stomach acid problems. For example,l bisphosphonates that are used to treat osteoporosis as well as trying to reduce  bone density loss.

These medications should not be taken indefinitely. 

To illustrate, most health care professionals care about taking that medicine

will only prescribe them for a certain “definite” period.  However,  the reports writes uncovered that about 45% of men and women taking these prescriptions were on them for significantly longer than is recommended.

taking that medicine

What can happen when your pill box is overloaded?

To begin with, medication compliance is a major issue.  The problems range form forgetting pills to over dosing in quantity or time.  For example, the medications shown above, if they are taken for too long, they can will often get much less useful.  Furthermore, more likely to cause serious negative  side effects. Even more harmful, the study authors  found some shocking information.  Indeed,  taking too many prescriptions pills elevates the chances that people will end up on medications that have negative, or dangerous  interactions with the other pills that are being ingested.

In many ways, it’s a systematic problem

The qustion to ask, “Should You Still Be Taking That Medicine”.  Dee Mangin is a family physician and a professor of family medicine at McMaster University and the University of Otago,  She was one of the lead author of the report.

Our whole medical system is geared to starting things, but completely invisible in the prescribing system is a setup for stopping things,” says Mangin. “For many drugs, the original reasons for taking them become lost in the mist of time.

taking that medicine
Pill Box filled with Medicine

 Should You Still Be Taking That Medicine or is the Prescription Lasting Too Long ?

First of all, People are creatures of Habit. Second of all, Every Sunday, they load their pill box with the same pills.  Finally, this pill box ritual goes on, year to year.  The question, is it necessary? The report focused on three categories of drugs.  The reason,  they represented a big range of the most popular prescriptions.  The goal,  provide a glimpse into how common it is for men and women to get a prescription that was continued for too long.  What they found was a shock.

How long should there be pills in the pill dispenser

If a individual had been prescribed antidepressants, 45 % of them were prescribed for longer than 14.5 months.  In fact, this is 8 months longer than what is most commonly recommended. 44% prescribed proton pump inhibitors for stomach acid were prescribed those drugs fo over 14 months.  To illustrte,  this drug shouldn’t be taken longer than 12 weeks. And 15% of these who were prescribed bisphosphonates (For improved bone health) had prescriptions that lasted at least 7 months then recommended.

  • Note: There are  cases where  doctors to have good reason to decide to continue a prescription longer than normally recommended.

The study authors refer to it as “legacy prescribing”

For example, a health care professional will start an individual on a prescription for perfectly good reasons.  The question, still needed?  Many times there’s no follow-up and [patients’] prescriptions.  To sum up, scripts are just renewed electronically.  Subsequently, very little thought as to whether they need to be refilled or not.

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If you can’t remember whether you took your medication, what do you do?

What happens if you don’t remember if you took your medications?  When one is not sure if you took a pill, never, ever just take another dose yet. What could happen if you double dose?  If someone ingests an additional dose, the consequences can be deadly. In fact, an extra dose can raise the risk of harmful effects. Check your pill organizer, count the remaining pills in the bottle, or review the instructions that came with your prescription to find specific guidance. 

doctorHealth care profsionals are in agreement, “For most medications, it is safer to accidentally miss a single dose than to double dose” . Keep in mind that the pill/dosing guidelines vary drastically depending on the medication.  For example, it is different for  blood thinners or something like birth control.), it is always best to double-check with a professional.  If in doubt, call the local pharmacy you got the prescription filled.  Also, call e the America’s Poison Centers at 800-222-1222 .  This can help if you are concerned about over dosing. 

For further guidance, consult I can’t remember whether I took my medication, what do I do? on Medical News Today. To help prevent confusion in the future, you can implement some 9 Simple Strategies for Remembering To Take Your Medication or read the Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Medication guide on WebMD.
 
If you are missing doses consistently, a few strategies can help get your routine back on track:
  • Use a weekly pillbox: These old fashion pill holders can be useful.   They show a quick visual cue to show which days  doses have been taken.
  • Use a Digital Pill Reminder: Medication reminders, like the Med-Q pill Box. have flashing guides.  These alarmed reminders help preventing over dosing. 
  • Try to do Habit stacking: Match up your daily pill-taking with a non-negotiable daily habit.  For example, your first cup of coffee or brushing yourhair.
  • Set electronic reminders: Use persistent reminder apps, alarm clocks, or simple smart phone alarm reminders.

What to do if Unsure?

The worry about over doing is real.  When unsure whether the dose has been taken, the best thing to do is speak with your health care provider or even your pharmacist. They will  advise you on the best course of action based on ythe specific medication. that is over dosed.

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If you take oral tablets or capsules, you can count how many pills you have left. If you know when you started taking the pills out of that prescription bottle, this could help you determine whether you’ve taken your dose for that day.

Sometimes, when you haven’t taken your medication, there may still be time to take that dose. However, this could depend on the drug and dosing schedule.

Although in some cases, if it’s almost time to take your next dose, your doctor may recommend skipping the missed dose and taking your next dose at its regular time. Never take two doses at once to make up for a missed dose as doing so could raise your risk of side effects.

What happens if you accidentally take your medication twice?

Do not take more of a drug than your doctor prescribes. While serious side effects may be rare, for some medications, taking more than the recommended amount may lead to harmful effects or overdose. Some of the most dangerous medications to double-dose include:

  • heart maintenece medications
  • ADHD drugs, for example “Adderall”
  • medications for Type 1 Diabetes
  • prescription narcotic pain pills
  • psychiatric medications , for example “Wellbutrin.”

If you have any doubt, act quickly. 

Fist of all, contact your doctor right away.  Let them know you may have accidentally taken two doses or three doses of your daily medication. They will offer up advice.  The Healthcare profesional can often advise of what steps to take.  Also, they will let you know about symptoms to watch out for.

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