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June 29, 2008, 9:54 am
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Too many times when we get a new prescription from our doctors, we take the script and stick it in our pocket, wondering if we can afford it instead of asking questions about it.

I read these suggestions and thought that it would be a great thing to do.

When the doctor gives you the prescription, know the name of the drug and the directions he wants you to follow when taking it. Have him spell it out for you so you really know what you are taking and ask what the dosage is too. Have him tell you your directions and even repeat it for him to make sure you got it right.

Too many times you won't be able to read the prescription yourself and you will have it filled without knowing what it is or how to take it.

Ask your doctor why he's prescribing the medication for you. What are you taking it for and what is it expected to do for you?

Ask how long you will have to take it before it will start to work. I know that sometimes I get annoyed that a pill doesn't seem to be working at all and then I find out that I need to take it for two weeks straight before it is supposed to begin to help.

This suggestion is a GREAT one that I would have never thought of myself.

Ask for any free samples he has! Doctors sometimes have big boxes of free samples from drug manufacturers. Instead of putting out money right away, ask him if he has any freebies he can give you.

It couldn't hurt.

When you get a new drug to take, ask your doctor if anything else you are already taking will interfere with this new one. Sometimes doctors forget what other drugs you are also taking, and it's a good way to make him review all your other meds at the same time.

When you start to take the new medication, have a diary or make notes about anything that might feel different. By writing it down it makes it easier to remember and it also forces you to ay attention to anything that might be a bad side effect.

Get on the Internet when you get home and look your new drug up. That way you can learn all about it and about any bad side effects to be on the look out for. You can also ask your pharmacist any questions you have and then you can call your doc if there is something about it that you don't like. Heck, you're paying for the drug and for his time, you have the right to ask questions!

Look around online at the pharmacies that are in your neighborhood. Some have price listings. Shop around for the bet buy. Then if you have be on the medication for a long time, you can follow the price list and get the best deal on the quantity of pills you buy.

When you get a new prescription, you need to be an alert consumer.

not only an alert consumer but you have to be gutsy.

I did that with Glucophage and had a massive syncopal episode.. so bad they said I had a heart attck. Not all drugs a doctor prescibes is good for you and you ahve to be saavy enough to know when teh sameples are bad for you. I love them just for that reason.. you can test it out before you get.

I went through pharmacy tech school and there is a new trend that scripts have to be printed out ona computer so that there are fewer errors.. though they still happen it makes reading them

whole lot easier.....

j

If you pulled those suggestions from somewhere it would be great if you could link to it...just to be on the safe side should the author be irate.

I've never taken a script without asking all sorts of questions and getting the fact sheet. If its something new or that I've never heard of I've even gone so far as to read clinical trial info before filling it.

I always ask about the script before buying it so I am more aware.

Jennie

I read a few articles and combined the ideas from them to make the info shorter and more concise. I first read the articles to get the information for myself and then thought it would be a good idea to share it with others.

If you do something like look up lists of things to do when you get a new prescription you can probably find a few of those articles and read all their suggestions in full.

I got the info for my use and just shared it here. How else does one get information and pass it on?

Jennie,

I was advised to thank you for thinking that my post was so well written that you thought that professional writer wrote it.

I wrote it all by my lonesome and now that I've reread it, I realize that I just used one or two suggestions from the articles and thought of most of the suggestions myself. The small sense of humor is also my own.

You are right. You should post a link to any articles you copy.

Those are great suggestions. I have always done that because I take three different medications. My doctor has everything I take logged into his computer and I see him every 4 months to be monitored.