Living a healthy life is everyone’s goal. After seeing your doctor or after leaving the hospital you need to take care of yourself. You need to have the right medication everywhere you go even if your healthcare team is not around. When you are not around the hospital or your doctor it is not easy to keep on track your medication prescription. Let me highlight for you some tips which may help you when your doctor is not around.
When you are with your doctor or in the healthcare facility, the doctors’ nurses and the hospital system have a process to keep all things in the procedure such that you can’t miss your medication. They plan when you should eat, take your drugs, take a bath, and take an exercise where possible but when you are alone this is hard to achieve.
Have a pharmacist who you will consult and give you safe medication advice.
When you are under hospital care your physician, pharmacist, and nurses work as a team to make sure that you get the proper dose of the medication you are taking for every diagnosis you have. When you are discharged from the hospital, your pharmacist should and advise you o the prescription of the drugs that you are given. He or she should explain to you the side effects of every drug, which drug you should start taking, which you should continue taking, your current medication, and when you should stop taking certain medications. When consulting with your pharmacist make sure you ask many questions such that you are not left in any doubt.
Be disciplined about prescription instructions. Don’t ignore simple instruction or self medicate yourself.
Always take medicines as prescribed. Don’t try to self medicate yourself or think you are smart than the doctor. Don’t take medication your way. This will be risking your health and you may end up developing complications.
Avoid missing your doses, increasing it or stop taking your medication without consultation or being advised to stop taking. When you start feeling better you can be tempted to ignore the medication but it always advisable to stick to your medication. The success of medication depends on how it is administered
Have someone to help you keep your medication on track
It is advisable to have a family member around to help you. Also, have a separate list of all your medication stating when you should take them. This will help those who will be taking care of you especially if you are in pain. Remember some medication has memory loss side effects and having someone near with a list may help you a lot.
Have a reminder to-do list on your phone
Make your medication a routine to help you not miss your medication. You can set an alarm or have a to-do-list that will keep reminding you which medication you need to take.
Be aware of how your body will react after taking the medication
Different people react differently to different medications. Some drugs will react with other drugs and have some side effects on you. Avoid mixing over the counter drugs without proper prescription.
Keep track of your prescription
Don’t let your prescription run out to avoid missing your dosage. Purchase more before the ones you have run out.
Store your medicines in a safe place
Store your medicine where children can’t reach. Have a special place where you can keep them. Have a good refrigerator for medications that require to be stored in a cold place.
Contact your Pharmacist if things go wrong
When the medication is not going well contact your pharmacist and explain to him the effects. They can help you change medication and reduce negative side effects.
