Thanks to the continuous evolution of modern medicine and the constant drive pharmaceutical companies maintain to unlock the full potential of formulations and products, medication today is much more effective than ever. From regular maintenance medicines for chronic conditions to quick-relief capsules that handle acute conditions with ease, every item that you can choose from a pharmacy’s racks today are much higher quality.
At this point, you’ve probably become well-acquainted with just how effective your current rotation of medicines is in ensuring that your health stays in ship shape. While the efficacy of medications is something that most people attribute to the formulations and research of pharmaceutical companies, people often overlook that there are more factors that influence desirable results. One such non-formulation-related factor that bears a significant effect on the overall capability of any type of medication is how it’s taken. This brings us to one particular question: How can you avoid making mistakes when taking your medication?
What are the mistakes that you can make with your medication?
Although the premise of modern medicine relies on relief and treatment with minimal action, the fact is that people can still make mistakes when keeping up with their dosages. You may think it’s an outrageous or near-improbable outcome now, but it is much easier to make mistakes when taking your medication because of the details that come into play.
If you’re not entirely aware of the different mistakes that you can make when taking your prescriptions, here are some common lapses that you’d probably be surprised to know about:
- Taking medicine at the wrong time
- Crushing a pill that should be taken whole
- Storing medication at the wrong temperature
- Taking medicine at the wrong dose
- Taking medications that shouldn’t be taken together
- Eating foods that hamper the efficacy of your medication
How can you avoid such mistakes?
Considering that the state of your health and your recovery process depends on the medicine you take, it’s important to understand that avoiding medication mistakes is something that you need to do at all costs. Fortunately, keep up with this ever-important responsibility isn’t the most complicated effort, as it boils down to following these tips:
1. Learn to read your labels
When was the last time you took a few seconds to read the labels of your current stock of medication? If your answer falls along the lines of being a long time ago, then you should take this as a sign to read the labels thoroughly again.
It may sound downright impossible at first, but the mistake of not reading the label is a rather common one that causes many people to incorrectly use their prescription and make mistakes. In fact, such a simple oversight can lead to significant complications in the medication process because labels themselves contain critical information that should best inform your dosage and consumption habits!
2. Store your medicine in the right places
One thing that anyone should know about the medication they take is that many prescriptions or items can be significantly affected by the conditions they’re stored in. Medicines often have formulations that can be hampered by conditions such as temperature, humidity, or sunlight exposure. If you want your supply or prescriptions to work as well as they should, it’s important to store them according to their instructions and use designated or specialized containers.
3. Make it easier to keep track
The leading cause of medication mistakes among patients who require prescriptions to take care of their various conditions is that they don’t keep track of proper times or dosages as well as they should. Whether this is a matter of memory or that you’re simply too busy to keep track, it’s important to be mindful of your dosage instructions and invest in solutions like My Medication Log that make it easier to keep track!
Conclusion
When it comes to making the most out of your prescriptions and ensuring that you get all the benefits you’d want out of them, it’s important to understand that you should avoid the mistakes mentioned above. By keeping this guide in mind, you’ll be able to ensure that your medications work as well as they should without any complications along the way!
Through our daily medication log, you won’t ever have to worry about missing a dose on a prescription for any of your conditions or those of your patients’. Check out our app today to start taking your meds on time in the most convenient and accessible way possible!