Their advice on ‘Use reminders.’ “Place pill bottles in a noticeable location, post a medication schedule, set timers, and try to take medicines at a set time each day – for instance, at breakfast or bedtime.”

Good advice, right? Sure, if you are taking one or two pills a day. However if you are taking more than that, especially if you’re taking a drug that has to taken at different times during the day, setting up your own system gets complicated.

We are taking more prescription medication than ever before. 21% of Americans now take 3 or more drugs a day, up from 11% in 1994. Half of all Americans take at least one prescription medication a day. 63% of elderly Americans now take at least 3 or more drugs daily, up from 35% in 1994. Many seniors take 10, 14, 20 or more drugs every day.

Consumers are not computers. We’re human beings. Most of us are lucky to get the trash out on the right day. We mean well, but trusting ourselves to manage all these drugs? Trusting ourselves to set timers, fill the medplanners correctly, post a medication schedule? Not just for a week, but month in and month out? Year in and year out?

How well are we doing? Deaths from medication errors, legally prescribed medications, are now higher than deaths from illegal drugs. The cost of medication errors is somewhere between $177 and $300 billion dollars annually. Taking drugs incorrectly is the main reason people have to enter the hospital or leave their homes to live in a facility.

The number one reason people don’t take the right medication at the right time? They simply forget. That’s why pilots, some of the smartest, well trained professionals who literally hold peoples lives in their hands….use a checklist to prepare for flight. Because even the best forget, or get distracted or tired.

Surgeons are now adopting the practice of using checklists. Why? Because as pilots discovered, even being smart, dedicated, and well trained doesn’t make you a computer.

It’s human nature to believe that we are different, that we don’t need help. When it comes to flying or surgery, that nature has to take a back seat to saving lives. What about when it comes to our medication management? If you’re relying on yourself or your own system to remember, you may unnecessarily be taking your health in your own hands.

There are systems available that will manage your medications for you or your loved ones. Medipackrx.com is one. Let Medipack worry about the details. Simplify your life so you have the time and health to enjoy it.

Have you noticed your own human nature or that of others get in the way of enjoying life? Please post about it here.

Flooding just isn’t really on the radar here in Middle Tennessee. We look out for tornadoes, the occasional snow storm, and angry football fans. Maybe an escaped zoo animal. Flood? That’s on the Mississippi. Maybe down there in hurricane country.

Helping out flood victims right after the water receded I noticed a pattern. First there’s a rush to get all the furniture and household items out on the lawn to dry and allow the flooring and drywall to be ripped out. You’re grabbing and shoving, in a rush, manhandling the big items, not being quite as careful as you usually are.

You’re a stranger, a helpful one, but you don’t really know these folks. You’re just helping like you would want someone to help you out if you were in need. You want to be a part of this, to feel that you contributed, that in the wake of Middle Tennessees’ largest natural disaster you weren’t on the sidelines, you were in the game. You helped.

Then all of a sudden you lift the mattress up. There are always personal items under the bed, mostly waterlogged photo albums. It catches you. Hopefully they’ll dry out.

Under one ladies bed, I’ll call her Lucy, I noticed medications everywhere. “Those are my husbands” she said. “He’s not able to help – he’s hurting from prostate cancer and hypertension, and…” her voice faltered. I stopped her. “It’s okay,” I said. “We’ll get all these together – it’s important, especially now, we make sure he’s taking them correctly.”
Lucy just looked helpless. She said his medications were all over the place. In the rush of taking stuff out, they were in flood-swollen drawers, under cabinets, under the bed.

They were saving money by getting 90-day prescriptions that were now in many pill bottles scattered everywhere. The stress of emergency situations can be one of the most damaging strains on your health you can ever experience. This is the time when having your personal life organized, especially your medications, is critical.

I wish I could have sent out a message to all flood victims to immediately make sure their important papers were organized along with their medications. In the overwhelming days ahead the last thing they need to worry about is suffering medical complications on top of everything else.

The truth is that ordinary life is hectic enough. Medications, as critical to our health as they are, should not be taken for granted.

The answer? Simplify your life. Medipackrx.com can help. Because flood happens – bet on it.

You don’t have to totally ‘Columbo’ your pharmacist. But it is important to get to know them. The more comfortable you are with your pharmacist, the more likely it is you will ask the important questions.

What are the important questions? Shane Reeves, pharmacist and co-owner of Reeves Sain, says the first and most important question is:

What is this medication used for?

The Doctor says you need a new drug. Her office faxes the prescription to the pharmacy. You pick it up. You follow the instructions. Why do you need to know what it does? What, you’re going to play pharmacist? Call your friends and talk about your new drug like people talk about their new cell phone?

People make mistakes. Well meaning, well trained, hard working people make mistakes. This week, four out of five adults in the U.S. will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, or dietary and herbal supplements. Almost one out of three adults take five or more different medications. With so many medications, error can, and does, happen – whether in the Doctors office, the pharmacy, or between the two.

A pregnant woman picked up a medication without asking what it was for. Sadly, a mistake had been made, and instead of what her physician had prescribed, she was given a chemotherapy agent. She lost her baby. Not her fault, but this tragedy could have been prevented with a simple question: what is this medication used for?

Adverse reactions to medications could be classified as the fourth leading cause of death among people over the age of 65. Even non fatal medication mistakes can seriously undermine health and quality of life. Common medication-related problems in the elderly, for example, include dizziness, instability, falls (which themselves are a leading cause of death and disability among older adults), confusion, loss of energy, fatigue and swelling.

It is so important to take every effort to be safe. Taking one extra minute to know for sure what a medication does is well worth our time. What keeps us from asking? Are we embarrassed? Afraid we’re wasting the pharmacists time? Let us know what you think!

Also, if you have a story about asking questions – good or bad – please post.

There are many benefits that come from developing a relationship with your pharmacist. The best one?
“You’re much more likely to ask a question of someone you know. Many errors – from getting the wrong medication to confusion about how to take the right medication – can be fixed by just making sure you ask the right questions.”

Pharmacists may also know of cost saving programs sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies or generic drugs that may save you money. “Most people think the reason medications don’t get filled is the patient can’t afford them. That’s actually the number two reason. The number one reason patients don’t get their medications filled is because they don’t think they really need them.“ Talking to your pharmacist will help you understand exactly what a drug does and why you need it.

“One common mistake is to stop taking a drug before you’re supposed to because you ‘feel better.’
Certain drugs need to maintain a constant level in your body to be effective, and stopping them without consulting your doctor or pharmacist can harm you and even send you to the hospital.”

Making sure you ask the right questions is a small investment of time that can have a great payoff. A patient once received a 90 day supply of a drug from a pharmacist that insisted she follow the instructions very carefully. When she opened the bottle at home, she noticed three packets on top of her pills inscribed with the caution ‘Do Not Eat.’ Three days later, she called the pharmacist asking permission to start eating. The packets were desiccants designed to absorb moisture – not part of the pill taking instructions.

Upcoming blogs will discuss the Seven Questions you should always ask your pharmacist. Ever asked your pharmacist a question that really helped? Please let us know! In the meantime, get to know your pharmacist, remember Reeves-Sain is here to be a resource for you, and.
…don’t eat the desiccants!

There are many benefits that come from developing a relationship with your pharmacist. The best one?
“You’re much more likely to ask a question of someone you know. Many errors – from getting the wrong medication to confusion about how to take the right medication – can be fixed by just making sure you ask the right questions.”

Pharmacists may also know of cost saving programs sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies or generic drugs that may save you money. “Most people think the reason medications don’t get filled is the patient can’t afford them. That’s actually the number two reason. The number one reason patients don’t get their medications filled is because they don’t think they really need them.“ Talking to your pharmacist will help you understand exactly what a drug does and why you need it.

“One common mistake is to stop taking a drug before you’re supposed to because you ‘feel better.’
Certain drugs need to maintain a constant level in your body to be effective, and stopping them without consulting your doctor or pharmacist can harm you and even send you to the hospital.”

Making sure you ask the right questions is a small investment of time that can have a great payoff. A patient once received a 90 day supply of a drug from a pharmacist that insisted she follow the instructions very carefully. When she opened the bottle at home, she noticed three packets on top of her pills inscribed with the caution ‘Do Not Eat.’ Three days later, she called the pharmacist asking permission to start eating. The packets were desiccants designed to absorb moisture – not part of the pill taking instructions.

Upcoming blogs will discuss the Seven Questions you should always ask your pharmacist. Ever asked your pharmacist a question that really helped? Please let us know! In the meantime, get to know your pharmacist, remember Reeves-Sain is here to be a resource for you, and.
…don’t eat the desiccants!

Welcome to the launch of the Reeves-Sain MediPACK blog. We’re going to write about the role of medication management as part of the solution to America’s health care issues. We’re looking forward to providing an environment where everyone from caregivers to people trying to better handle their medications can contribute solutions and insight.

More than 1.5 million Americans are sickened, killed, or injured by medication mistakes every year. Reeves-Sain believes it is critical that patients, doctors and pharmacists work together so that medications cure instead of cause harm. ABC World News Tonight reported a story on March 1, 2010 that highlighted how important it is for the public and their pharmacist to communicate.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/walgreens-told-pay-285-mil-teen-pharmacy-techs/story?id=9977262

Reeves-Sain is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and caregivers find solutions. Whether it’s knowing the seven questions to ask your pharmacist or having a system to manage medications, Reeves-Sain can help.

What can we do for you? Let us know.

We appreciate your readership and look forward to hearing your thoughts as well.