Navigating the supplement and medication maze can get confusing especially when you have multiple prescriptions. It is important to organize yourself with your medications and supplements to prevent unnecessary mishaps.
Dr. Lorraine J. Gudas and Dr. Mark S. Lachs offered these key tips on how to stay on track with your medications and steer clear of unsafe drug interactions at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center's 29th Annual Women's Health Symposium:
1. Keep a list of your medications with you at all times.
2. Make sure to include brand AND generic names as well as dosages and frequency.
3. Include all vitamins and supplements on the list.
4. Share the list with every health care provider you come in contact with, whether or not he or she suggests new medicines or medicine changes.
5. Never mix medications in the same bottle even if traveling; taping an actual pill to your medication list can help you identify which medicine is which.
6. When you hear about a new drug or a health tip, ask yourself: Is this based on a clinical trial, an observational study, or only personal endorsements?
7. Don't make health decisions on the basis of observational studies. They are interesting to think about, but they don't prove anything.
8. If you are thinking of buying a supplement or drug, ask your doctor's opinion. Don't take them on the basis of personal testimony.
Dr. Lorraine J. Gudas is chairman and Revlon Pharmaceutical Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Mark S. Lachs is director of geriatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and author of "Treat Me, Not My Age."
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