Medical Monday: Prescription Management

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - Many people take some type of medicine. The more medicines you take, the more difficult it can get to keep them straight. Jessica Bates, Primary Care Pharmacist at Northern Light AR Gould says there are ways to manage taking your medication if you are having trouble remembering when to take it.

“There are some pharmacies, especially locally that offer programs called disk pill packs. Where they are able to package each patients medications. So, like all the morning medications are in one compartment and all the evening medications are in another compartment. So, it’s similar to a pill box but all of their medications are already laid out by the pharmacy in that set up.” according to Bates.

Bates also suggests setting an alarm to remind you to take your medication and the way to take the medication as well.

Bates says, “It can be very important for certain medications. You know the vast majority of medications can be taken with or without food and without respect to timing of other meds. But if you’re reading something and it specifically says to take it with food or to take it on an empty stomach; generally those things are really important and they’re recommended for a good reason.”

Bates adds when taking a new prescription if you just don’t feel right, something feels off or you’re noticing a reaction, it’s important to reach out to your primary care physician right away. Bates adds one last word of advice.

“Patients are the center of their own healthcare. And so it is very important for patients or their caregivers to make sure that their medication list that they have at their doctors office matches up with what they’re taking at home and that they make their pharmacy aware of changes to their medications. So, not just when they start something new but when they stop something they had been taking before; it’s important to let your pharmacy know that, so that they don’t continue to fill prescriptions that you don’t take any longer.” according to Bates.

Bates says don’t stop taking your medication with out your physicians approval. If you are having trouble affording your prescriptions reach out to your primary care physician or pharmacist.