About GPhA

In adulthood, many of us develop conditions like high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, or other chronic conditions. Often the best way to manage these conditions is by taking one or more drugs. The drugs don’t “cure” the problem, but can go a long way toward bringing the symptoms under control and preventing the condition from getting worse and causing serious damage to our health. That sometimes means taking these medications for many years, possibly for decades. Still, it is always worthwhile to review long-term medications with your doctor to see if your condition might have changed or if other treatment alternatives are now available.

As is true for all drugs that doctors prescribe, whether for a short-term illness or long-term, chronic condition, we must follow the doctor’s instructions carefully. Unfortunately, research shows that about half the time we don’t. We do not have our prescriptions filled or do not take our medications regularly as directed. For financial reasons, we may try to “stretch” our prescription by cutting pills in half or skipping doses. This reduces the drug’s effectiveness and can be harmful. Other risky practices include: discontinuing taking our medicine because we think we are better; not finishing a full course of antibiotics (which encourages stronger germs to survive); and taking a medication prescribed for another person or letting them take ours.

Drugs for mental health conditions—from insomnia and pain management to serious psychiatric disorders—should be used with special care. These drugs are vital for treating problems that are mild or serious, short or long-term. However, many of these powerful drugs have the potential to create dependence. At the same time, if we stop taking them abruptly, we may have withdrawal symptoms or the rapid return of a serious mental illness.

Prescription Drugs and Women

Women have special issues when it comes to using medicines safely. For some drug trials—tests of drugs’ safety and effectiveness before they are approved for sale—which test only in males, it isn’t always clear exactly how a drug will work in women, because:

• women generally weigh less than men, which means they may have a different reaction to the same dose
• how a woman’s body reacts may be affected by female hormones, or, after menopause, the lack of them.

Women need to be especially cautious about taking both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. If a woman is pregnant, some drugs can harm her growing baby, especially during the early stages of pregnancy—just as cigarette smoking or alcohol use do. The medications a mother is taking also can be transmitted to her baby during breastfeeding. Male and female fertility may also be adversely affected by certain drugs. Therefore, a pre-conception visit with your physician is an important part of healthy pregnancy.

So, women must always:

• tell their doctors whether they are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are breastfeeding
• read the warning labels on over-the-counter drugs carefully to make sure they are safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women

By following these precautions, women can safely have the many health benefits that drugs offer.

Helpful Tools

Drug-Use Questionnaire
Worried you are over-using drugs? This questionnaire from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America will help you find the answer. The website also provides help.
http://www.drugfree.org/Intervention/Quiz/DAST_10

Find Out More

Los medicamentos y usted: Guía para adultos de más edad
Del Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/medAndYouSpan.htm

Women and Medicines: What You Need to Know (también en español)
From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/wommed.htm

Medication Use during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Helpful website from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/meds/

Medications
45-page booklet from the National Institute of Mental Health with details about the medications used to treat mental health problems
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/medications/complete-publica...