Your Medicine: Play it Safe

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Your Medicine Play it Safe
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Your Health Care Team

• Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical
  professionals
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Use the link below for a medical record form to
  keep track of your doctors and pharmacy.
• www.mlanet.org/resources/consumers_senior/
• your_meds_playing_it_safe.pdf

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Play it Safe Tips

• Give your health care team important information
• Get the facts about your medicine
• Stay with your treatment plan
• Keep a record of your medicines

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1. Give your health care team important
information

• Tell your health care team about
• Prescription medication
• Medicines you can buy without a prescription
  (aspirin, antacids, laxatives, or cough medicine)
• Vitamins and dietary supplements (St. Johns Wort
  or gingko biloba)
• Use the medical record form below to keep track
  of your doctors and pharmacy.
• www.mlanet.org/resources/consumers_senior/your_med
  s_playing_it_safe.pdf

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Also tell your team about

• Medicine allergies or if youve had problems with
  a medicine in the past
• Other doctors who have prescribed medicine for
  you or have suggested you take vitamins or herbal
  supplements
• Other illnesses or medical conditions
• Cost concerns

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2. Get the facts about your medicine

• Be informed
• Read the prescription
• Know what your medicine is for
• Ask Questions
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist
• Write down questions before your appointment
• Use the attached medical record form to keep
  track of your doctors and pharmacy.

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Tips

• Write down your questions
• Take notes
• Bring a friend or family member
• Try to use the same pharmacy
• Read and save patient information
• Keep a list
• Make a copy of your list
• Use the attached form to keep track of your
  medications and supplements

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3. Stay With Your Treatment Plan

• Take all your medications
• Ask your doctor about refills
• Tell your doctor about side effects
• Never give your prescription medicine to others
• Ask if you need tests to find out if your
  medicine is working

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Tips You Can Get Help

• Nurses
• Friends and Family can
• Visit the doctor with you
• Talk to a pharmacist for you
• Call you to remind you to take your medicine
• Keep a record of what you take and when you take
  it

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4. Keep a Record of Your Medicines

• Keeping a detailed record of your medications is
  important to you and your health care team
• Use the attached form to keep track of your
  medications and supplements

Source Your Medicine Play it Safe. Patient
Guide. AHRQ Publication No. 03-0019, February
2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, Rockville, MD, and the National Council
on Patient Information and Education, Bethesda,
MD. http//www.ahrg.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemed
s.htm (accessed August 2, 2006.
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What Makes Health Information Good?

• And where can I find it?

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Medical Resources on the Web

• Medical websites can be
• Valuable
• Unreliable or have missing information
• Some simple questions can help you know the
  difference between good and bad medical
  websites.

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10 Things to Know about Evaluating Medical
Resources on the Web

• Who runs the site?
• Who pays for the site?
• What is the purpose of the site?
• Where does the information come from?
• What is the basis of the information?

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• How is the information selected?
• How current is the information?
• How does the site choose links to other sites?
• What information about you does the site collect
  and why?
• How does the site manage interactions with
  visitors?

Source NCCAM Publication No. D142
http//nccam.nih.gov/health/webresources/,
created February 19, 2002, accessed August 7,
2006.
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Health Information on the Internet Where do I
begin?

• Medline Plus
• Medline Plus Drugs, Supplements, and Herbal
  Information
• Maintained by the Federal Government
• Free
• Remember, always discuss any new information with
  a health care professional

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MedLine Plus
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MedLine Plus
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Getting a Prescription

• Quick Tips

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Questions to Ask When You are Prescribed a New
Medication

• What is the name of the medicine?
• What is it supposed to do?
• Is it okay to substitute a less-expensive generic
  medicine?
• What is the dose?
• Are there possible side effects?
• How many refills do I get?

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More Questions

• What should I do If I miss a dose?
• What should I do if I accidentally take more than
  the recommended dose?
• Is there any written information I can take home
  with me?

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Give the Doctor this information when he provides
a new medication

• Names of all your medications
• Any concerns you have
• If you are allergic to any medication
• If you have any side effects from a medication
  that has been prescribed to you

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Follow-Up Appointment Questions

• Any problems you are having
• Any side effects
• Any new prescriptions you have started taking
• How you are feeling since you have started the
  medication

Source Quick Tips When Getting a Prescription.
AHRQ Publication No. 01-0040c, May 2002. Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville,
MD. http//www.ahrg.gov/consumer/quicktips/tippre
search.htm (accessed August 2, 2006)