By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness
July 23, 2021
I always like finding natural solutions to health problems before recommending medications. But things happen. People have problems bringing their blood pressure under control. They get infections that require antibiotics. They’re eaten up by an autoimmune disorder.
And in order to protect their health, prescription drugs become a necessity.
But oh my! The mistakes people make, from the time they buy their medication until the time they finish it.
To start with, some of those drugs are really expensive. So I always ask for a better price.
Up until a couple of years ago, there was a gag rule in some states that wouldn’t allow the pharmacist to tell you when you could save money on a prescription. It was crazy!
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If you had a $20 co-pay with your insurance company, but the prescription itself only cost $5, the pharmacist couldn’t tell you that you could save $15 by buying it outright. The insurance companies were making millions of dollars on this scheme.
Thankfully the gag order was lifted in 2018. But some pharmacists are still stingy with that information. They won’t proactively tell you how to save money on your meds. But the truth is, they almost always have some kind of coupon or discount they can offer.
That’s why I always start up a conversation with the pharmacist. “You know, this is really expensive. Is there a cheaper way to buy it? Or do you have any coupons back there or online for what I’m getting?”
And you know what? They do! I’ve had it happen multiple times. Suddenly a $50 off coupon appears from the Pharma company and I’m a happy camper.
So not asking for a better price is the first mistake people make with medications. It’s not as important as some of the other mistakes, but still… why get ripped off when you don’t have to?
Before You Leave the Pharmacy – And When You Get Home
The second mistake? Not checking your purchase before leaving the pharmacy. Maybe you got the wrong drug or the wrong dose or the wrong formula. It’s happened to me before, and it taught me a quick lesson.
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You always have to check your prescription with the Pharmacist before walking out the door!
It’s the same reason you have to check your take-out food order. Before you leave in your car you have to open the bag and make sure you got the right soup, sandwich, salad or pizza. That your sides are all there. That the right condiments have been given.
So everybody should check that. If you don’t, the consequences could be devastating.
And then there’s an extremely common mistake I see all too often.
Once at home, a lot of people cut their pills in half. This is a huge problem.
NEVER cut up your pills unless your doctor or pharmacist says you can. Some of them have to be taken whole, because they’re either time released or coated to protect your stomach. Or maybe they have two medications together.
It is not safe to cut them up or crush them. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before cutting or crushing your prescription medications.
Always Check for Food Interactions
I can’t stress enough how important it is to check the warnings on your prescriptions for food interactions. Some drugs work better on an empty stomach. Others have to be taken with meals. You can’t take antibiotics with certain foods, or the best absorption is taking your medication with something like orange juice!
For example, hypothyroid drugs should always be taken on an empty stomach. That’s because dosage has to be just right for your thyroid to function. But if you take it with food, it will block absorption and effectively lower your dose. So it won’t work the way it should.
The HIV medicine ritonavir is just the opposite. Your body must have food in the stomach and gut to absorb it properly
Warfarin, a common blood thinner, doesn’t get along well with cranberry, mango and grapefruit products. They can actually increase the effect of warfarin, and increase your risk of bleeding.
And antibiotics. You should never take your antibiotics with fruit juices or dairy products. They can affect how your body absorbs the antibiotic, making it less effective. If you’ve had any dairy, you should wait up to three hours before taking your antibiotic.
And NEVER take any drug with alcohol. In some cases the alcohol may increase the effect of the drug. In other cases alcohol may dampen the effect. And there are certain meds that, when mixed with alcohol, will make you feel so sick and nauseated that you don’t think you’ll live.
Clearly, I can’t cover every single prescription drug here, but you can see that certain medication mistakes can be very dangerous. So make sure to always read the package insert for all of your meds and take them as prescribed.
