Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Prescription Medications

Dear Lisa,

I have three children and two ill parents. One of my children has Asthma and is on a lot of medication. My parents are also taking many prescription medications. I am worried about side effects and medication interactions. Is there a book that I can buy with information about prescription medications? Before I give my family medication I like to read about it, find out how the medicine works, what the side effects are and if the medication interferes with any of the other medications that they are on. The Doctor really doesn’t explain what the medications are for and what the side effects are. With all of the commotion and rush in the doctor’s office, it’s hard to remember to ask the doctor all of the questions that I have. What prescription medication book do you recommend?

“Need information about Prescription Medications”

Dear “Need information about Prescription Medications”,

I agree with you, it is very important that you understand the purpose, side effects and interactions of the prescription medications that you give your family. Unfortunately, because of time constraints in the Doctor’s office, many times consumers are left with the responsibility of educating themselves when it comes to medical information. It is also very difficult to concentrate in the Doctor’s office when your child is sick, crying or uncomfortable. Many parents do complain that they don’t think of the questions that they have for the Doctor until they get home.

The Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) is a great resource. It provides information about prescription medications including; the drug class, how the medication works, the ingredients included in the medication, the side effects, interactions with other medication, warnings, proper dosage, clinical research data and information for pregnant and nursing women. The PDR also provides an illustrated product identification guide where you can see a picture of the medication and pills up close.

The PDR has up to date information about medication side effects and post marketing research findings. A new publication comes out yearly and therefore information about new medications can be readily found. Doctor’s, Nurse Practitioners and other Health Care Professionals frequently use the PDR as a medication reference guide. Since the PDR is intended for health care professionals, the terminology is quite technical and may be too complicated for the general public to read. This does not prevent patients from using the PDR as a resource because plenty of lay people own and use a PDR.

The downside of using The PDR is that it is a large hard covered book that is cumbersome to handle and the writing is small and may be difficult to see. Since it is updated yearly, a family would need to purchase a PDR yearly in order to receive up to date information. This can be quite costly since the price for one publication is $90.00. This is not a feasible option for many families because of the cost.

There is a condensed version of the PDR which is geared towards the lay public. It is called the PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs published by Pocket Books. I recommend this version for parents because it comes in a soft cover, the font is easy to read, the terminology is understandable and it is easy to handle. The information in the book provides the information that a patient needs, including information about the purpose of medications, side effects, warnings, food and drug interactions and information about how to properly administer the medication.

The PDR Pocket Guide is available at a very reasonable price, about $8.00 for the soft covered book. It can be purchased at your local bookstore or at a CVS Pharmacy.

Another way to get information about prescription medications is to ask your Pharmacist. Each prescription is accompanied by a packet insert which is typically glued on the side of the package. This package insert may not automatically be provided to you unless you ask your Pharmacist for it. The good thing about the packet insert is that it is free of charge and contains a summary of the information that is printed in the PDR. The downside of package inserts is the writing is quite small and may be difficult to read.

It is very smart of you to be concerned about the medications that you give your family, their purpose, interactions and side effects. This is especially important when patients are prescribed multiple medications from different doctors. Your Doctor may not necessarily know the names and dosages of all the medication that you are taking.

The Pharmacy has this information in the computer database and your Pharmacist should be able to provide you with information about potential medication interactions. If you fill your prescriptions at different Pharmacies this would not be possible because the Pharmacist will not have the information about all of your medications.

By keeping yourself informed about your families prescription medications, you can cut down on the chance that a medication error will be made. Reading reference books and package inserts about prescription medications is also very wise because you never can be too informed when it comes to medicating the people that you love.

Lisa-ann Kelly R.N., P.N.P.,C.
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Pediatric Advice Website

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