Many people don’t think that there are issues that come along with prescription medications, aside from a strange side effect once in awhile. People don’t think about the fact that there are some prescription medications that can be easy to get addicted to. They also don’t think about the fact that their teenagers, or even other adults in the household, could be stealing meds from them.

It can be easy to get hooked on things like vicodin, and you may find yourself seeking out various doctors for extra prescriptions because you’ve been taking them incorrectly. Aside from addiction risks, here are some other things to consider when it comes to your prescription medications.

Don’t Quit Taking Them Without Talking To Your Doctor

You should never quit taking a prescribed medication without talking to your doctor first, even if you think it will be OK or you think the drug isn’t doing anything for you. For things like antidepressants, an abrupt stop could lead to suicidal thoughts or actions. For things like heart medications, it could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

It’s easy enough to make an appointment and have a discussion with your doctor about why you want to stop. They will have tips and maybe some alternatives to the medicine for you.

Always Take Them The Same Time Every Day

For the majority of prescription medications, your doctor will likely recommend that you take them the same time each and every day. This aids in keeping the drug in your system on a steady stream. If you take a pill one night, and again the next morning, you could have negative reactions if it’s a one a day only pill.

Follow Recommendations By Doctor

While those last two are doctor recommendations, and the next one in the list is as well, there may be other recommendations that you are given. You may be informed that certain foods can have an adverse affect on your pills, or that you should only take them at night, or only take them in the morning.

If you are afraid you won’t be able to remember all of the instructions given to you by your doctor, ask for them to write the instructions down. Often you’ll get a printout from the pharmacist that will have all of these instructions as well.

Always Take the Right Dosage

Only take the amount of medicine recommended by your doctor. If you have problems remember whether or not you took your pills, it can be helpful to sort them in weekly containers, marked AM and PM, if you have pills for both times of the day. This can keep your from doubling up on doses!

If it seems like you never have enough pills to get through a month, you may either be forgetting when you take them, or you may have someone stealing from you. It can help to keep them locked in a cabinet, if you think theft is the issue.