Manage your medications.

Benefits of Medication Management
There are several benefits to actively practicing good medication management. By tracking all of your medications, you'll spend less time preparing for doctor benefits; your doctor will be able to provide better care; and, more importantly, you'll be healthier.

Understanding all of your medications can help you avoid drug-drug interaction when two or more drugs react with each other. This drug-drug interaction may cause you to experience an unexpected side effect. For example, mixing a drug you take to help you sleep (a sedative) and a drug you take for allergies (an antihistamine) can slow your reactions and make driving a car or operating machinery dangerous. Practicing good medication management also helps you to avoid drug-food interactions that result fro drugs reacting with foods and beverages. For example, mixing alcohol with some drugs may cause you to feel tired or slow your reactions. Proactive medication management can also help you avoid drug-condition interactions when an existing medical condition makes certain drugs potentially harmful. For example, if you have high blood pressure you could experience an unwanted reaction if you take a nasal decongestant.

Tips for Medication Management
Be Aware and Share Your Medication Schedule
1. The first step in managing your medications is to know the name of your medication and why you are taking it. Make sure you read the medicine label and package inserts. If you have difficulty reading the label, ask a friend, relative or pharmacist for help. You may need to keep a magnifying glass handy to read some of the small warning labels put on prescription bottles.

2. When you visit your doctor, make sure you tell them about ALL the medications you are currently taking. Be sure to include all prescription and nonprescription medicines, as well as dietary supplements, such as vitamins, minerals and herbals. Be prepared to tell them the name of the medication, the medication strength, why you are taking it, and who prescribed it.  3. When you are prescribed a new medication be sure that you understand all instructions before leaving the doctor's office or the pharmacy. Sometimes you might want to write down the instructions for future reference. Here's what you should know:

• What is the name of the drug
• What is the dosing schedule and how do I take it?
• What are some possible side effects of this drug?
• How long will I be on this drug?
• How should I store this drug?
• Should I take this on an empty stomach or with food?
• Should I eat or limit certain foods or beverages when taking this pill?

4. Ask your pharmacist for the package insert for each prescription drug you take. The package insert provides more information about potential drug interactions.

5. Medication management applies to over the counter drugs as well. Before taking a new over the counter medication, be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist to check for potential interactions with your usual medications.

6. Another way to improve your medication management is to attend all of your doctor and/or laboratory appointments. These are used to monitor your health and ensure you are given the proper medication or proper dose of a medication.

7. If possible, have all your prescriptions filled by one pharmacy. This allows your pharmacist to check any new medication for possible interactions with your other medications.

8. Pay extra attention to how you feel after starting a new medication. It is not uncommon to experience side effects from a new medication. Write down the changes that you notice, better or worse. Let your doctor know immediately about any unexpected symptoms or changes in the way you feel.

9. Do not take other people's pills.

Tips for Reading an Over-the-Counter Medication Label
Medication management includes Over-the-counter (OTC) drug labels contain information about ingredients, uses, warnings and directions that is important to read and understand. The label also includes important information about possible drug interactions. Further, drug labels may change as new information becomes known. That's why it's especially important to read the label every time you use a drug. Here's what you find on the label:

• The "Active Ingredients" and "Purpose" sections list:
  • the name and amount of each active ingredient
  • the purpose of each active ingredient
• The "Uses" section of the label:
  • tells you what the drug is used for
  • helps you find the best drug for your specific symptoms
• The "Warnings" section of the label provides important drug interaction and precaution information such as:
  • when to talk to a doctor or pharmacist before use
  • the medical conditions that may make the drug less effective or not safe
  • under what circumstances the drug should not be used
  • when to stop taking the drug
• The "Directions" section of the label tells you:
  • the length of time and the amount of the product that you may safely use
  • any special instructions on how to use the product
• The "Other Information" section of the label tells you:
  • required information about certain ingredients, such as sodium content, for people with dietary restrictions or allergies
• The "Inactive Ingredients" section of the label tells you:
  • the name of each inactive ingredient (such as colorings, binders, etc.)
• The "Questions?" or "Questions or Comments?" section of the label (if included):
  • provides telephone numbers of a source to answer questions about the product

Medication Management and RememberItNow!
RememberItNow! makes it easier to manage your medications. One of the main features is the ability to track all your medications and history. You can print a wallet list with your current medications to carry with you in case of an emergency. With one click you can share your medication reports via email with your doctor. In your profile you can record allergies and current medication conditions. And finally the health journal is a great place to record how well you are feeling after starting a new medication. With RememberItNow! you can stop worrying about medication management.