Taking medications requires vigilance and an understanding of the benefits and risks involved.

Whether you’ve been taking a medication for years or just picked up your first bottle of pills, paying attention to dosage instructions and patient warnings is key to their proper use.

“Prescription medications are beneficial but can be dangerous if taken incorrectly,” says Dorothy Smith, Pharm.D., President of Consumer Health Information Corporation in McLean, Va. “For example, if you take a sleeping pill with an antihistamine, you could become oversedated; or if you suddenly stop taking a beta blocker, your risk of having a heart attack increases dramatically.”

To keep consumers from making such mistakes, drug manufacturers prepare printed pamphlets of instructions and warnings detailing important information for pharmacists to give to patients.

“However, many people don’t read the pamphlets, and many who do don’t understand the details,” Smith says. In an effort to bring the most important warnings that apply to each medication to consumers’ attention, pharmacists attach warning labels to pill vials or packaging.

“Even so, research shows even these simplified warnings can be misinterpreted or ignored by the public, leading to costly hospital stays and needless fatalities,” says Smith.

The following clarifications can help you stay safe and healthy when taking medications.

How important is it to heed warnings on my medications?
Assume you should follow all warnings unless told otherwise by your doctor or pharmacist.

Warnings generally cover when not to use the product, conditions that may require advice from a doctor before taking the product, possible interactions or side effects, when to stop taking the product, and when to contact a doctor.

What if I don’t understand the warnings?
If you have any questions regarding a statement on the drug pamphlet or the warning label, it’s important to speak up and ask either your doctor or pharmacist for an explanation.

Some common warning labels include:

• Take with food. This recommendation is common for medicines that can irritate the stomach, such as ibuprofen or aspirin. You can take the medication after a meal or a snack.
• Take on an empty stomach. This usually means to take the medication one hour before or two hours after a meal. However, this does not apply to all medicines.
• May cause dizziness. This label warns of a side effect that could occur. Knowing you could feel dizzy alerts you to get up slowly.
• Do not take with alcohol. Some medications, such as certain antianxiety drugs, are mildly sedating. However, if you take a dose and then have an alcoholic beverage, you could become oversedated, which could affect your ability to drive.
• Avoid the sun. Some medications are “photosensitizers,” meaning they increase your sensitivity to the sun. Prolonged sun exposure while taking these medicines could result in a rash, fever, or damaging sunburn.

Are there any other strategies that can help me take my medications safely?
“It’s extremely important to know why you are taking a drug and how to tell if the drug is helping you.” Smith counsels. “Knowing the condition the medication is for and how it is helping you can increase your willingness to take it correctly.”

Barbara Floria spoke with Dorothy Smith, Pharm.D., president of Consumer Health Information Corporation in McLean, Va. To learn more, visit www.consumer-health.com.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader's own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.