Several Medicines? 3 Ways to Stay on Track
Based on MedlinePlus, Medication Errors (2023)
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Why taking several medicines calls for extra care, simple habits that help you take them safely, and how Medicare's Chronic Care Management service builds a medicine review into your care.
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In this guide
Ask Yourself
- Do I have one list of everything I take?
- Do all my providers see that list?
- Do I know why I take each one?
Bring to Every Visit
- Your full medicine list
- Over-the-counter and supplement names
- Questions about new prescriptions
What You Can Do
- Set a timer or reminder app
- Never stop a medicine on your own
- Ask about care between visits
What the guideline says
- MedlinePlus points out that even safe medicines can cause side effects or interact with food, alcohol or other medicines.
- MedlinePlus suggests one list with the name, dose and timing of everything you take, brought to every visit.
- CDC says adverse drug events cause more than one and a half million emergency department visits in the United States each year.
- Ask your provider or pharmacist why you take each medicine and whether it mixes safely with the rest of your list.
- Under Medicare's rules, Chronic Care Management includes a care plan that lists your medicines and a review of your medicines and how you take them.
Source: MedlinePlus, Medication Errors (2023)
Read the full article: Managing Several Medicines: Simple Habits and Help Between Visits →
This guide is general health information and does not replace advice from your own provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you take: prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements and herbal products. FDA suggests keeping one copy at home and another with you.
Do not stop a medicine on your own. Talk with your provider first; they can tell you whether you still need it or whether the dose should change.
Try: "Could we go through my medicine list together, and would Chronic Care Management help me keep it up to date between visits?"