Understanding Prescription Medication

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When you are seriously ill or have a condition that requires consistent maintenance month after month, it is common to take prescription medication as part of your treatment. Medication isn’t just for when you are sick; it can also help ease the symptoms of permanent conditions such as nerve damage. Many emotional and hormonal conditions such as depression also have medications associated with them. If you have a condition that is uncomfortable or painful for you, more than likely there is a medication that can relieve your pain and help make life more comfortable.
Prescription medication must be prescribed by your doctor; it cannot be bought “over the counter” at a store, as prescription drugs are often stronger and more likely to be misused than over the counter drugs. Instead, you must take your prescription to a pharmacist, who will fill the order for you–quite literally, in the case of pills, filling a bottle with the exact number of pills that your prescription lists. Prescription medication can also be in liquid form to be taken orally or by injection (as in the case of insulin for diabetics) or, in rarer cases, powdered to mix into drinks or dissolve onto the tongue, as is often the case with elderly patients.
Because they are stronger and more specific to your condition than over the counter drugs, prescription medications take some extra precautions. To use your prescription medication safely, always tell your doctor and pharmacist about any other drugs you may be taking, even over the counter ones. Mixing some kinds of prescription drugs can cause dangerous side effects; your pharmacist will tell you if any of yours are dangerous to take in tandem. Always read all instructions given by your doctor about how much and how often to take your prescription medication, and never take prescription drugs that were not prescribed specifically to you.


