by Mary Lynn McPherson PharmD, BCPS, CPE
New prescriptions lead to new patient and family routines, and questions often arise about dosage, side effects and the “what if” situations. Find out what your trusted pharmacy has dispensed to you and how it will affect you in your treatment or palliative efforts.
You can’t go wrong with the Three Ps of medication education: purpose, proper use and potential side effects. Here’s 10 things patients should know about each medication they are taking:
- What is the name of the medicine and what is it supposed to do?
- Is this the brand or generic name? Is the generic version available?
- When do I take the medicine, how much should I take, and for how long?
- Should I take this medicine on an empty stomach or with food?
- What should I do if I forget a dose?
- What foods, drinks, medicines, dietary supplements, or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine?
- What are the possible side effects, and what do I do if they occur?
- When should I expect the medicine to begin to work and how will I know if it is working?
- Will this new prescription work safely with the other prescription and nonprescription medicines I am taking?
- How should I store this medicine at home?
Read the paperwork that comes with prescriptions and pose questions to your doctor, nurse and pharmacist. The understanding of goals through medication usage can be clarified and will minimize risk for error from the patient, family and clinical team.
Mary Lynn McPherson PharmD, BCPS, CPE is professor and vice chair in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore. She has maintained a practice in both hospice (local and national) and ambulatory care her entire career. Dr. McPherson teaches extensively in the PharmD curriculum on pain management and end-of-life care, including didactic and experiential content. She also developed one of the first and few palliative care pharmacy residencies in the United States.
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