1. Ask important questions about your medicines
After receiving a list of medicines to help you cope and recuperate from your chronic illness from a professional medical practitioner, it is highly advisable that you ask your doctor all the whats, whys, and hows. It is very important for you to get as much information as you can about your medicines from your doctor because that information will directly affect how you use those medicines to create a better and more rounded impact. Although you can go into a very detailed conversation with your doctor regarding your medicines, the most basic and common questions to ask include:
How should you take them? What side effects should you expect? What should you do in case something unexpected happens?
The questions are not just limited to these but these are just a few important questions that will help you to improve your condition at the moment. The more information you get, the better it is for you.
2. Keep extra stock in a dry place
Storing medicines can be a very useful idea in case you run out of yours and are unable to go to the pharmacy because of unforeseen circumstances. Not to mention, if you’ve got pets and children in your house, proper storage can come in handy to keep your tiny pills away from little children to avoid dangerous situations. In such an instance, the best place to store your medication is a dry cabinet or shelf high enough to be out of reach from the little ones. Additionally, moisture in the air can affect the chemical composition of your medicines and render them useless. Proper care in the storage of your medicines is highly important towards your wellbeing.
3. Arrange and segregate your medicines in an orderly manner
Keeping track of too many pills and too many doses can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve got more than half a dozen pills to keep a track of – or if you’re dealing with a chronic medical condition characterized by memory loss! It becomes even more difficult if you’re not depending on a caregiver. In such a case, organizing your medication in a weekly medication box is a great idea. Not only does this serve as a way to relieve you of the anxiety of having to remember what pills to take and at what time of the day or week, but it also significantly reduces the chances of you missing your medicines or making mistakes by accidentally taking the wrong pill. It does, however, take some time to sort things out. But you can always have someone looking after you help you out with the task.
4. Follow your prescription
Sometimes senior patients suffering from chronic medical conditions tend to be so paranoid that they feel the need to consume higher doses of a particular medicine to ease the discomfort of common symptoms related to their condition, such as headaches, anxiety, and heartburn. Interestingly, you can adopt healthy eating habits to avoid a headache, but you should only be taking your medications as prescribed. Chances are that by taking a dose higher than prescribed, you just might end up making the symptom even worse – possibly even suffer dangerous consequences. On the contrary, if you think that some symptoms are worrying you more than you had expected or been told by your doctor, then you should visit your doctor before taking extra pills on your own. Maybe a change of medicine is what you need.
5. Prepare a list
If you’ve hired professional caregiver services to attend to your medical needs, preparing a list of all your medicines and dosages in advance for the person attending to you helps a great deal. This way, your caregiver will be fully aware of your medicinal needs and will make sure that you get the correct dose at the right time. Also, make sure you communicate all the questions you asked your doctor on the visit to your caregiver as well. It is best that your caregiver has as much information as you do about your condition – the more the better. Medicines are immensely beneficial for those who are sick, especially the elderly who experience much more sensitivity to pain than younger people. It should be taken into consideration that the more sensitive the impact of a medication, the greater involvement you need to have in its upkeep and care. For senior patients, it is highly important to take good care of their medication. The doctor is just a consultant; the medicine is the real agent. Better use and care of it will maximize the impact it has on the disease and lead to a better and healthier life and an even faster recovery from your condition. Featured photo credit: Jose Luis Pelaez / Flickr via flickr.com
