3 Key Questions to Ask Before Starting a New Medication
- janekbrainard
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
You've just had a check-up with your doctor and the decision was made to start you on a new medication. Or maybe you've been discharged from the hospital and have been given a whole LIST of new medications to take. All you want to do is go home. The instructions are on the bottle. You don't need to know anything else...right?
WRONG! Your doctor or pharmacist should be telling you all the nitty-gritty details about your new medication. If not, make sure to ask these questions!
What is this medication for?
This may seem like a basic question, but it's an important one! A surprising number of people don't know exactly what their medications are for, especially if they are on more than one medication or have several disease states. Knowing what your medication is for can help you answer questions you may be asked about your own health, such as "Are you on any blood pressure medications?"
Additionally, mistakes can happen! For example, hydroxyzine is a medication that can be used for either anxiety or itching, while hydralazine is a medication that is used for blood pressure or heart failure. However, these drug names sound very similar! If you were expecting to get a medication for your blood pressure, but then when you ask your pharmacist what the medication is for and they say that it's for anxiety, that immediately raises a red flag.
How is this medication best taken?
Sure, the basic instructions are written on the bottle - for example, "Take one tablet by mouth daily". However, many medications have nuances as to how they can best be taken.
For example, prednisone is a steroid that can cause an upset stomach and make it more difficult to sleep at night. Your healthcare provider might advise you to take it with food and to take it earlier in the day so as to mitigate these side effects.
What should I expect from this medication?
This question has two sides to it. You should be asking both what positive and negative effects you can expect from the medication. The positive effects are the "therapeutic effects" - in other words, the beneficial effects that you are hoping to gain from the medication. It's also important to ask about side effects. Side effects are other responses of your body to the medication. They can be either beneficial or harmful.
Listed below are a few specific questions that you can ask.
Therapeutic effects (the beneficial effects you're hoping to get):
-What is the desired therapeutic outcome?
This is different than the question, "What is this medication for?" For example, the medication lisinopril can be used to treat heart failure. The desired therapeutic outcome of this medication for heart failure patients is to reduce morbidity and mortality, or in other words to reduce the negative effects of the disease on the patient as well as their risk of dying from the disease. Furosemide is another medication that can be used in the treatment of heart failure. However, the desired therapeutic outcome of furosemide is to eliminate the fluid retention that can occur in heart failure patients; it does not have any effect on morbidity or mortality.
-How long will it take for this therapeutic effect to occur?
-What if the therapeutic effect doesn't occur?
Will your doctor want to increase the dosage? Switch you to a different medication? Start you on an additional medication?
Side effects (the other effects the medication can have):
-What are the potential side effects?
-What should I do if these side effects occur?
-How can I minimize the negative side effects?
Other Important Questions to Ask
The above key questions cover most of the important information that you need to know about your medication. However, there are several more questions that you can ask to gain more helpful information about your medication.
How long will I need to take this medication?
How should this medication be stored?
What should I do if I miss a dose?
What should I do if I accidentally take more than was prescribed?
Does this medication have any interactions with any of my other disease states?
Does this medication have any interactions with the other medications or over-the-counter supplements that I take?
Are there any over the counter medications that I should avoid starting to take with this medication?
Is there any drug monitoring for this medication?
If so, what is monitored and how often?
Conclusion
Even if your doctor is behind on his clinic schedule, there is a long line of patients waiting behind you at the pharmacy counter, or you are in a rush to get home, I want to encourage you to ask these questions to your doctor or pharmacist (or both!). Understanding your medications empowers you to better advocate for yourself and make informed healthcare decisions!
References:
Indian Health Service. (n.d.). IHS pharmacy standards of practice. https://www.ihs.gov/ihm/pc/part-3/p3c7-ap-a/
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