Can i mix medications

Most important, the list does not include all the ingredients in every medication. Medications typically are safe and effective when used appropriately. Your pharmacist or other health care provider can help you determine which medications interact harmfully with alcohol.

Mixing alcohol and medicines can be harmful. Alcohol, like some medicines, can make you sleepy, drowsy, or lightheaded. Drinking alcohol while taking medicines can intensify these effects. You may have trouble concentrating or performing mechanical skills. Small amounts of alcohol can make it dangerous to drive, and when you mix alcohol with certain medicines you put yourself at even greater risk.

Combining alcohol with some medicines can lead to falls and serious injuries, especially among older people. Some medications—including many popular painkillers and cough, cold, and allergy remedies—contain more than one ingredient that can react with alcohol.

Read the label on the medication bottle to find out exactly what ingredients a medicine contains. Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about how alcohol might interact with a drug you are taking. If you are in an emergency situation, this toll-free, hour hotline can help you get through this difficult time: call TALK , or visit the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

We also have step by step guides on what to do to help yourself, a friend or a family member. Miss America Camille Schrier wants to help educate others about the importance of using medications safely. Prescription opioids are effective drugs if used safely.

If misused, a person can become addicted to them. Misusing prescription cough medicine can lead to nausea and dizziness, and in some cases, seizures and overdose. Consumer Medicine Information CMI leaflets are available from pharmacists, doctors and the National Prescribing Service for all prescription medications they're sometimes found in the medicine's packaging too , but are not always offered or asked for.

Nor do prescribers always get it right. So far, the problems discussed refer largely to over-medication, where too much, too many or the wrong kinds of medicines are taken. Another significant issue is under-medication.

There are several reasons for people not taking medicines, including confusion and forgetfulness, or neglect on the part of their carer. Medical professionals may also have prescribed too low a dose, or have missed a condition altogether. Patients who suffer side effects may also stop taking medicines, as, conversely, do patients who feel better, before they're actually fully recovered.

It's estimated about one in five adults with chronic illness skips a dose or doesn't fill a prescription due to cost. Many older people, and others who require lots of medicine, have a concessionary status that entitles them to low-cost medicines. They pay a nominal amount for prescriptions, called a co-payment, and when they or their family have spent a certain amount — up to the safety net threshold — in a one-year period, prescriptions are free for the rest of that year.

There's no single solution to the problem of adverse drug events or over- and under-medication. What's needed is a greater recognition of the problems caused by polypharmacy, and a move to reduce prescription of unnecessary medicines, as well as systemic changes. It's important to regularly assess all the medicines you're taking — not just prescription products, but also over-the-counter and herbal medicines, and even dietary supplements.

This can reduce the likelihood of interactions or taking unnecessary or inappropriate medicines. The US has "brown bag days", where elderly people take all their medicines to their doctor to check for necessity and inter-drug interactions, as well as expired use-by dates.

This simple but effective approach could be useful here. In cooperation with the patient's GP, a suitably qualified pharmacist visits the patient at home, reviews their medication regimen and provides the GP with a report. The GP and patient then agree on a medication management plan. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about this service. Take medicines only as directed. If your doctor hasn't explained how they should be taken, or you've forgotten, ask the pharmacist.

For complex medication regimes, ask the doctor or pharmacist to put it in writing. Read the prescription label when you get the medicine, and confirm your understanding of it with the pharmacist. If it's a new medicine, make sure you're aware of any possible side effects. Ask for the CMI leaflet if it's not included with the medicine.

If your new medicine makes you feel unwell, tell your doctor. And we can't stress this enough: inform your doctor of all medicines you're taking, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal remedies and supplements. They may seem harmless because they're not prescription-only, but even "natural" supplements are still made of chemicals, and they can interact with other medicines. Ask your doctor about lifestyle changes that may help reduce the need for medication.

The majority of the 10 most commonly prescribed PBS medicines — the ones the government subsidises — are for conditions that can be caused by poor lifestyle choices, or managed with appropriate lifestyle changes. The National Prescribing Service is a government-funded body responsible for providing health professionals and members of the public with information and advice about medicines. It has a lot of useful information for consumers, including the printable, wallet-sized Medicines List and Consumer Medicine Information.

One day when visiting him, I came across his medication ritual. He would line up all his medications and take them one or two at a time, depending on the instructions. After one series of dosages, he would line up the next and set his alarm clock so as not to forget, and so on. Depending on the medication involved, the results can be serious.

In addition, warfarin a prescription blood thinner , ginkgo biloba an herbal supplement , aspirin and vitamin E a supplement can each thin the blood. Taking any of these products together may increase the potential for internal bleeding or stroke.

Dietary supplements are widely used and include vitamins, minerals, and other less familiar substances—such as herbals, botanicals, amino acids, and enzymes.