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In Treatment For Breast Cancer: Managing Your Medical Care

How To Live With Medications and Supplements

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  • Before agreeing to take any medications, learn about the risks as well as the benefits. Ask questions. We provide a suggested list of questions to ask before agreeing to take any medication. Please feel free to add additional questions.
  • Do what you can to avoid medical errors
    • Start by obtaining a readable doctor’s prescription. If you can't read it, neither can the pharmacist.
    • Check the medication you receive against the prescription and make sure it looks like you expect. 
  • Avoid overmedication
    • Overmedication is all too common. 
    • Ask your doctor if a lower dose will do the same job - particularly for drugs you continue to take over time. 
    • For information about avoiding overmedication, click here.
  • Carry a list of your drugs all the time. 
    • Emergencies happen. You may need to tell emergency personnel all the drugs you are taking. A list of medications becomes even more important if you become unconscious. 
    • Plus the list will be helpful each time you see a doctor or fill a prescription. 
    • We provide a form: List Of Medications that can be saved and printed as needed.
  • Ask that each newly prescribed drug be checked for negative interaction with other drugs you are taking. 
    • Do not assume that this will happen automatically.  
    • If you buy all your drugs at one pharmacy, you won’t have to remember to tell them about each drug you are taking or stopped taking recently.
  • Treat over-the-counter medications, supplements and vitamins as if they are drugs. Just because they are sold without a prescription does not mean there are no risks.
  • Take care if you use herbs, vitamins or other supplements.
    • Herbs, vitamins and supplements are not subject to FDA approval so there is no guarantee about their safety or effectiveness. There is not even a guarantee that the same mix of ingredients will be in each bottle – even for bottles from the same manufacturer.
    • Look for products with the mark: “USP Verified.” USP Verified means that the supplement meets standards of quality, purity and potency which are set by the not-for-profit U.S. Pharmacopeia. For more information, see: www.uspverified.org offsite link
  • Consider the price of drugs, even if insurance will pay for them.  It may feel like insurance company money is other people’s money, but expenses show up in everyone's increased premiums. See: Drugs: How To Save Money When Buying Or Using 
  • Do not let price be the sole factor in determining what you want or where to obtain medication. 
    • Consider, for example, what happens if you need a refill in an emergency? 
    • A pharmacist can be a very important part of your health care team. Consider whether you have access to a pharmacist where you buy your medications. 
    • If necessary, you may be able to obtain drugs for free or for a very low cost.
  • If the current drugs on the market don’t satisfy your needs, there may be newer drugs to consider that are still being tested for safety. 
    • Access to cutting edge drugs is through a process known as a clinical trial – a controlled test in which use of the drug is medically monitored. It is essential that you be fully informed before entering a clinical trial. For information and tips about clinical trials, click here. 
    • Colon Cancer Alliance has a service which matches patients with clinical trials. Call: 866.278.0392.
  • Live with drugs wisely.
    • Comply with your doctor’s directions for taking your medications. Non-compliance can be harmful. Time tested tips help if you have difficulty complying.
    • Do not share drugs.
    • Store drugs correctly (not in a medicine cabinet in the bathroom).
    • Travel well with your drugs. Carry a copy of your prescription. Carry an extra supply in case you get delayed.
    • For additional information about wise living with drugs, click here.
  • Stay open. Decisions regarding medical care and treatment may change over time.

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