Seniors Need to Ask THESE Questions Before Starting a New Medication
Seniors have enough problems these days but changing medications can unfortunately lead to even more problems. For that very reason, before agreeing to change your medication, we have put together a list of questions to consider asking, including questions about how your new medication will impact your oral health.
1.Why are we changing my medication? Doctors often receives perks from pharmacy companies for prescribing certain drugs. If you are not having any problems with your current drugs, why the change?
2.When the bottle says ‘X’ times per day, does this mean divide that number into 24 and that is how often it needs to be taken or does it have to be taken simply ‘X’ amount of times throughout the day? If so, how much minimum time should pass between doses?
3.What does the medicine treat? Most seniors are on several types of medication, so you need to be clear about what medications are treating what in case something happens and you need to inform another doctor as to your current medications.
4.How long does it take the medicine to work? This is especially important if the medication causes any type of drowsiness.
5.How does the medicine interact with other medicines? Before changing any medication, make sure your doctor has a complete list of medications being taken, including over the counter medicine as well as medicine from other doctors.
6.Do I need to eat with this medication? Some medication can wreak havoc on your stomach, so find out not only if you should eat, but what types of foods are best to eat prior to taking the meds.
7.Can I operate machinery or drive? As touched upon above, some meds will cause drowsiness, so you need to be aware of that if you are traveling or working when taking those particular medicines.
8.What if I miss a dose? For some medication, missing a single dose is not that big of a deal. Others, however, can end up putting you into the hospital.
9.How much is the dosage? Some medications can actually be taken in different dosages, meaning one, two, or three pills depending upon the symptoms even though the actual label may give a different dosage. Make sure the doctor is very clear about how much of the drug you should be taking.
10.What are the side effects of the medication? We have touched on this before, but this is something that is of particular interest to seniors. Side effects like dry mouth can impact your oral health, so make sure you know any and all side effects of your medicine. For something such as dry mouth, you can offset the effects by chewing sugarless gum and keeping a bottle of water handy to drink when your mouth becomes dry.
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