Taking Medication - Read Manufacturer's Leaflet

Life after stroke
1

This is not related specifically to Stroke, but it is general advice on what to look out for when taking medication.

Let’s start with a survey. :slight_smile:

When taking medication, do you read the manufacturer’s leaflet:

Reading Manufacturer’s Leaflet
  • A) Always
  • B) Sometimes
  • C) Never
  • D) What’s a manufacturer’s leaflet?
0 voters

I have seen some posts on this forum asking questions or seeking advice about medication. I thought I would share with you what I like to do with regards to taking medication.

For me, it is important to know as much as I can about the medication so that I use it as recommended and safely.

Once a doctor has prescribed some medication, they will likely explain (in summary format) what it is for and how much and how often to take it. The dispensing pharmacist will then print a label with the same information.

If the label clearly states take 1 tablet 3 times day, that should be straightforward, but sometimes they might just write “As directed”. In this case you may have to check with the doctor again or check with the pharmacist.

When I have a new prescription, I like to make it a rule to ALWAYS read the manufacturer’s leaflet that comes with the medication. I NEVER take or give medication to someone I am looking after until I have read the leaflet.

This leaflet has some key sections including:

  1. What the medication is and what it does e.g. the group of medications this belongs to and what it is used to treat

  2. Check before you take the medication - when not to take or to seek further guidance e.g. if you are pregnant or possibly taking other medications that might react with this

  3. How to take the medication - Dosage and timings. This section will include what to do if you take too much medication or if you miss a dose.

  4. Possible side effects - things that might happen as a result of taking the medication e.g. might cause diarrhoea

  5. How to Store the medication - Medicines may need to be stored in the refrigerator or below a certain temperature, out of direct sunlight etc.

etc.

I attach an example of such a leaflet - this one comes with a Dispersible Asprin tablets

Meds Prescription
Meds Prescription1500×831 125 KB

These leaflets vary in size and information but tend to cover the above common items and I would recommend to anyone and everyone who has cause to take any medication to ALWAYS read the leaflet BEFORE you start taking the course of medication.

If after reading, you have doubts or questions you should always check with your GP or the dispensing (or other) pharmacist.

Just something to think about.

Namaste|
:pray:

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I know we should trust our physicians who have had years of training but I always check that anything new will mix with meds I’m already on.
I use a website called drugs.com choose the uk version.
I am on a heart pill which often raises flags for other meds including some antibiotics so good to check.
You can add all your meds then check for interactions.

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Brilliant - thanks Wendy :smile: :pray:

Though I have to say I am afraid that, personal experience tells me to trust no one when it comes to things like this. Always best to spend a few minutes checking. I find today’s physicians rely too much on the computer and also, they don’t read previous case history :frowning:

Also, I find they are rushed with the amount of time they are allowed to spend with a patient :frowning:

Perhaps I worry to much :pray:

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I always check the leaflets and have done for many years. Sadly, I don’t trust doctors anymore. I was prescribed meds after my stroke that could have potentially caused blindness because they were never checked against medications I was allergic to. As soon as I was able to, I checked out all the meds I was prescribed post stroke which is how I found out. Needless to say, I stopped taking it. I have now discontinued another drug after discovering the actual risk reduction of having another stroke is only 1 in 100 so I cannot justify taking it.

What I’ve learned over the years is that it’s pretty common for doctors to not be aware of all the side effects of a drug and will often be happy to prescribe a pill for a new ‘symptom’ that may actually be a side effect of a drug being taken. That’s another reason why it’s so important to read the leaflets and especially so before starting a new medication.

I also use Drugs.com and a few others. There’s conflicting info between them all at times. Then a bit more research needs to be done. The Boots pharmacist I spoke to a while back uses Drugs.com and the info she gave me was conflicting with info I had from a few other sources. I managed to sort it all out in the end but it took a good few hours of hunting for the info I needed.

Thanks for sharing @Bagrat

Trace

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Trace - Thanks for sharing your experience.

I really think we must listen to our bodies and be alert at all times when taking medication or even new foods at times. Food manufacturing methods can sometimes add to our problems through use of additives and preservatives and “E” numbers.

I think a couple of your observations are worth highlighting.

First:

I find it amazing how drugs are prescribed when they do little to help. Yours is an “extreme” example, but I have seen drugs that reduce the risk by 20%. That is not to say you shouldn’t take it, but if you weigh it up and look at it another way, there is an 80% chance it won’t reduce the risk. Then when you take in the side effects, you have to think is it worth it?

Second:

This is how patients end up taking several different drugs at one time. One of my neighbours was on 10 different pills a day at one point :frowning:

Finally, I would like to add that I like to check the side-effects section in detail as some medications are so potent that the side-effects are irreversible. When I see this I seriously have to consider whether it is worth the risk.

I hope this will help readers of this post to better manage their use of medications and avoid unnecessary risk and ailments.

Stay healthy, stay well.

:pray:

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Difficult to know where to draw the rather wavy line between leaving no stone unturned and accepting the doctor should know more than we do.
I feel I am probably the one who cares most about outcomes for me! On that premise I have a reponsibility to be as well informed as possible.
I certainly worry too much😅

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Thank you @Trace57 . I was put on a drug for my breast cancer (all good there,5 years clear) really with a belt and braces approach as I was low risk and had radiotherapy.
Not only did it give me horrid side effects but I discovered it had the potential to interact with my heart pill. I followed an on line algorhythm which showed it reduced my chance of recurrence over 10 years by 0.6%!! I did talk to the spec. nurse who agreed stopping was a reasonable option . I’d managed nearly a year by then.
Agree various drug sites can conflict and the BNF which is the doctors “go to”, has far fewer conflicts than drugs.com if I’m using it correctly.
Wendy

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Wow!! What drug only reduced the risk by 1 in 100?

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Clopidogrel. 8.7% relative risk reduction vs O.5%-0.9% absolute risk reduction. Other factors should be taken into consideration before prescribing but probably rarely are because it seems to be freely dished out. There are plenty of foods that are more effective for keeping blood flowing freely without the risk of bleeding that Clopidogrel presents. Eg ginger, kiwi, pineapple, garlic, celery, turmeric. Of course, much depends on what caused our stroke and we know that it’s not as clear cut as living an unhealthy lifestyle as many would have us believe. So many different causes of stroke and both healthy and unhealthy can fall victim to it. I’m rambling again🙄

Trace

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Interesting. It does seem mad to me we’re taking it for life - when risk of reoccurring stroke declines year on year for young survivors.

Is there any way we can test its efficiency vs more traditional methods (like the foods you’ve mentioned?) as I’m sure it varies person to person.

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These and many other foods are part of my “healthy” lifestyle.

There are a whole plethora of these and so you should find a balance that works for you, but they are what nature provides. Eating the rainbow and eating 30 plants a week is something that can easily be done :smile:

This needs to be coupled with physical exercise and not forgetting mental exercises to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

It’s all good stuff.

:pray:

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Recently I was diagnosed as having plantar fasciitis (heel disorder and not related to stroke) and the doctor prescribed 3 medications. One for the main issue, the second to counter side-effect and third as additional pain relief aid.

The reason for me to post this note is because I was unable to follow my own rule of ALWAYS reading the manufacturer leaflet that comes with the medicine :smiley:

Two out of the three meds were dispensed in unbranded “grey boxes”. It seems the pharmacy or the NHS is bulk buying and then dispensing smaller quantities in these grey boxes and with no leaflets or information about the meds.

I did find the information on the NHS under the A-Z of medicines and so I didn’t really break my own rule :slight_smile:

:pray:

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I use drugs.com/uk , not sure why as finds ‘theoretical’ issues with interactions as I’m on a couple of heart pills. I’m sure GPs uk use BNF, the app is free to down load and doesn’t seem as stringent in its concerns

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You are only 33, the likes of @Trace57 and myself are in our 60’s, the degenerative years of life. Heart conditions, thyroid issues, liver kidney/kidney problems, pancreatic issues, diabetes, to name but a few. Even our brain cells are dying off and can also be the cause of of health conditions, because the brain controls everything. You could say life is a game of Russian roulette in the twilight years of life.

I’m more at risk of another stroke because I’m type 2 diabetic due to the combined effects of increasing insulin resistance and impaired pancreatic islet function with aging. No amount of healthy eating can reverse that…but it does help stave off the inevitable having to inject myself :wink:

TIA’s and strokes are quite common in those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. So these preventative medications can give us more years of life, but nothing can reverse aging.

Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group

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Hi Emerald Eyes - We came across this when we were looking at NMN supplements.

https://onlinecommunity.stroke.org.uk/t/nmn-for-fatigue/41835

Dr. David Sinclair believes aging can be slowed or even reversed. He is a professor at the Harvard Medical school. There is much information about him and his research including 120 is the new 80 and more.

As with anything, from idea to finished product can be a long road and I am thinking if there is any likelihood of this happening, it may be some time away.

:pray:

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Yes we are getting there, and I know there are good research results coming out in the likes of Alzeimer’s and Dementia for instance. But we are not there yet :wink:

In the mean time, I’d be happy to get to 80, but only if I was mobile and had all my faculties about me. And I certainly don’t want to exist in a care home at the age of 120 just for kudos of it :sweat_smile:

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We are indeed getting there and today we are more aware of the dos and don’ts which should help, assuming no spanners are thrown in the works.

You know the saying, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”.

Namaste|
:pray:

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I rarely if ever read the leaflet, but I always Google it and have a good look around online.

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Sounds good to me, especially given my recent experience of prescription meds in grey packets with no [packaging] label/information and no manufacturer leaflet :slight_smile:

20

Is that even legal? Surely they are required to have some information.

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