![]() Limit sun exposure: Some medications, such as the antibiotics Bactrim and Septra, can react to sunlight, increasing the risk of severe sunburn, Williams says. At least 8 ounces of water are needed to wash down the pill and avoid any esophageal irritation, Williams says. That’s true, for example, of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates - including Actonel (risedronate), Boniva (ibandronate) and Fosamax (alendronate). Take with water: It’s crucial to take some medications with lots of water. Instead, you can eat a container of yogurt or another decent-sized snack - more than a few crackers - to protect against stomach irritation. Take with food: A full meal isn’t usually necessary unless the label specifies to take the medication at breakfast or dinner, says Bradley Williams, professor of pharmacy and gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. One precaution: Don’t load up a pill container each week and take the “as needed” pills without a second thought. It may be because a patient prescribed a pain medication every four to six hours doesn’t need to wait four hours if he has intense pain, she says. Take as needed: Find out why your doctor has given you this flexibility, says Lee Ann Lindquist, M.D., a geriatrician at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. By taking pills together, you’ll simplify what you have to do and when you have to do it. Does twice daily, for example, have to be 12 hours apart, or is swallowing the pill sometime during the morning and evening OK? Be sure to check which meds can be taken together, she adds. Take once (or twice) daily: Ask the doctor or pharmacist precisely when the medication should be taken, Davis says. Some directions worth asking your doctor about: Otherwise, she says, “The big worry is they will get discouraged and won’t try to take the medication. Schwartzberg, M.D., director of aging and community health at the American Medical Association. ![]() Patients also shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if it’s difficult to take a drug because of conflicts with a work schedule or other lifestyle constraints, says Joanne G. ![]() Next: Ask your doctor about these drug label directions. Among the USP recommendations: Use larger print to ease reading, replace medical terminology like “hypertension” with plain language like “high blood pressure,” and specify more precisely when to take a drug. ![]() Pharmacopeial Convention, which sets drug standards, proposed new labeling standards designed to clear up the confusion. “Is a day considered 24 hours or 12 hours? Do you wake up in the middle of the night to take it? Does the doctor expect that?” “If it’s three times a day, that doesn’t tell you when to take it,” Davis says. Take dosing recommendations as one example, she says. Among older adults specifically, low health literacy can boost the risk of poor health and even death compared with those having average skills, according to a review of nearly 100 health literacy studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.īut highly educated individuals also can be tripped up by poorly written directions, says study coauthor Terry Davis, professor of medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport. Compounding the problem is that an estimated 80 million Americans are particularly vulnerable, struggling to understand medical details and related complexities with limited health literacy skills. ![]()
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