I’m a pharmacist and here’s 6 common mistakes people make when taking prescription drugs
MILLIONS of Brits are prescribed medication to help their health conditions.
Whether it’s in tablet form or liquid, it’s likely at some point you would have had some form of medicine.
However, one expert has now warned that you may have been making common mistakes – rendering the pills less effective.
Speaking to The Sun, Boots superintendent pharmacist, Claire Nevinson said you need to take any prescribed medicines exactly as told by the pharmacist or doctor.
She said the are six mistakes most people make, these include:
- Not taking them at the right time of day
- With or without food
- Driving after taking certain medication
- Not taking the full course
- Forgetting to take pills
- Taking medication that hasn’t been prescribed to you.
Claire explained that for a medicine to be most effective, it’s important to take it at the right time of the day.
“This information can be found on the pharmacy label.
“The label may also advise whether the medicine should be taken with or after food or on an empty stomach and whether you should avoid certain foods, drinks or activities like driving, if the medicine causes drowsiness for example.
“If you aren’t sure whether an over the counter medicine is suitable for you or have any questions about how to take the prescribed medicine, speak to the pharmacist who will be able to provide advice,” she said.
She added that with certain medications such as antibiotics, you must complete the full course of treatment even if you start to feel better before you finish the course.
“You should also never share prescription medicines with friends or family or take ones that have not been prescribed for you.
“Finally, if you are taking several prescription medicines at once and are having problems remembering to take your medicines as directed, speak to the pharmacist to discuss what might help depending on your personal situation,” she said.
The expert added that these rules are even more important for people who are taking lots of different medications, have been prescribed a new medication or you’ve been given a prescription for a short time.
In the UK, prescriptions drugs cost £9.35 – but if you want to save money, you can buy a three month prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) for £30.25 or a 12-month PPC for £108.10.
Currently, free prescriptions are available for the following people:
- Are 60 or over
- Are under 16
- Are 16 to 18 and in full-time education
- Are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
- Have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
- Have a continuing physical disability that prevents you going out without help from another person and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
- Hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
- Are an NHS inpatient
If you or your partner (including civil partner) receive, or you’re under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:
9. Income Support
10. Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
11. Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
12. Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
13. Universal Credit and meet the criteria
If you’re entitled to or named on:
14. A valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice. You qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
15. A valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2).
This week pharmacy bosses have said that all prescription charges in England should be scrapped as they are a ‘tax on the sick’.
Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said said that all prescriptions should be free and that charging people during this financial climate doesn’t make sense.
“Prescription charges are an unfair tax on health which disadvantages working people on lower incomes who are already struggling with food and energy bills,” Thorrun explained.