Pharmacy Facts: Be a Smarter Shopper

Medications have the power to fight disease and improve quality of life, but many also have serious side effects. Here are some tips for helping you decide whether the benefits of a particular medication outweigh its risks:

• Your age. Your body processes many medications differently as you get older.

• Your lifestyle. You may need to avoid drugs that make you drowsy if you operate machinery or certain others if you smoke.

• Your health history. A medication that helps one condition may make another one worse.

• Your weight. Being obese or losing a lot of weight can affect how well some medications work.

• Your genetics. Scientists are learning more about how genes influence the ways drugs work in your body.

• Pregnancy or potential pregnancy.

• Possible drug and food interactions. The drug's effect may be strengthened or weakened by other medications or supplements you take, or foods you eat.

Do your homework

When evaluating whether a medication is right for you, check the fine print. Magazine and newspaper ads for medications contain prescription information, including possible interactions and side effects. TV commercials may direct you to a print ad or provide numbers you can call for more information. If the medication is sold over the counter, a similar summary will appear inside the package.

Keep an open mind

Many conditions require you to make changes in your lifestyle in addition to (or instead of) taking a medicine. For example, you may have to change your diet to help lower your cholesterol in addition to  starting a cholesterol-lowering drug. 

Get informed

Ask your doctor what benefits you can expect from the drug. Understand when and how you should take it. Find out about possible side effects and what you can do about them. Many pharmacists provide computer printouts with general information about drugs, including when and how often to take them.

Talk to your health care provider or pharmacist as soon as possible if you're not getting the results you expect or are having any type of unexpected side effects. But don’t stop taking the drug unless your provider advises you to do so.