What should I ask before starting any new medicine?
Before starting any new medicine, five questions cover most trouble. What is this for and how will we know it works? How and when exactly do I take it? What are the common side effects and which rare one should make me call? How does it sit with my other medicines and supplements? How long will I be on it and what is the exit plan?
Add the practical pair: what if I miss a dose, and is there a cheaper equivalent.
Write the answers on the box or your phone in the pharmacy, future-you at 11 pm will be grateful. Good prescribers welcome exactly these questions.
Source: MedlinePlus, taking medicines what to ask your provider
See a doctor promptly if
- Taking more acetaminophen than the pack allows, even slightly, over several days. Contact a doctor or poison service the same day, before any symptoms appear
- Black tarry stools, vomiting blood, or new upper abdominal pain while taking an anti-inflammatory
- A rash, swelling of the lips or tongue, wheeze, or breathlessness after any painkiller
- Needing a painkiller most days for more than two weeks, or a headache that returns as each dose wears off
- Fever with a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade under pressure, confusion, or severe breathlessness
- Much less urine than usual, ankle swelling, or sudden weight gain while taking ibuprofen regularly
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
On more than two daily medicines
A weekly organizer prevents the double-dose and missed-dose mistakes every doctor sees. The simplest ones work best, filled once a week at the same time.
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