Have you been taking your medication as it should be? See, sometimes we make mistakes out of ignorance and they end up ruining our health. So, the reason as to why your medication is not working right could be because you are doing something wrong.
Are you a victim of these common drug mistakes? If you are, you better stop them.
1. Mixing drugs with alcohol
Some pain medicines, antibiotics, and even antidepressants do not work well with alcohol. Mixing the two could make your condition worse or prevent the drugs from working effectively. In short, just skip the booze until you are done with medication.
2. Using multiple pharmacies
Well, you may shift from one drug store to another due to convenience or cost. More often than not, we trash the drugs packets and receipts as soon as we are done taking them. And, we do not even care to note down the name of the drugs somewhere for future purposes. Sticking to one pharmacy will enable the pharmacist to know how best to treat you because they have the record of the drugs they gave you.
3. Not reading the insert
There is always a piece of paper inside the drugs packet full of information that you should read. But how many people care to read it anyway? The insert has instructions about how many times you should use the drug, the side effects, and instances when you should not use the drugs such as pregnancies, as well as the things you should avoid while on the medicine.
4. Skipping doses
Honestly, we all hate swallowing them tablets. And while skipping a single dose may seem harmless, it’s really not a good idea. Some medicines are supposed to remain in your blood continuously until you are fully recovered. If you skip a dose, the symptoms may also come back.
5. Wrong measuring
Syrups come with a measuring device and that’s what you should use. Your kitchen spoons are not accurate and you should avoid using them.
6. Taking drugs with the wrong foods
Some drugs don’t always work well with certain foods. Always ask your doctor whether there are certain foods you should avoid. For instance, some antibiotics are less effective when taken with foods rich in Calcium.
7. Cutting pills
This may seem like a good idea for easier swallowing. But unless your doctor tells you it’s safe to do so, you shouldn’t. Some medicines are specially coated to either protect your stomach or last longer in your system.
8. Chewing drugs that shouldn’t be chewed
Some drugs are meant to be swallowed full and others are meant to be chewed. Chewing non chewable drugs could change the way they are absorbed into the body.
9. Self-medication
You might think that every time you feel itchy down there is due to a yeast infection and go ahead to buy yeast infection drugs over the counter. This is wrong because they are other reasons as to why you may be itching besides yeast infection.
10. Wrong storage
Some drugs are safe while under room temperature while others like cough syrups should be stored in the fridge. Wrong storage affects the effectiveness of the drug.