> When you pick up your medication from the pharmacy, READ THE
>LABEL BEFORE LEAVING THE AREA. If the label doesn't agree with what your
>doctor told you, Stop! Let the pharmacist know that the label doesn't
>match what you think the doctor said.
Better yet, be proactive. abbreviations like qod, qd, tid, etc. are taught to
thousands of students every week. They are found in almost any good medical
dictionary, in most medical terminology texts, and, a few years ago, I ran
across a pocket reference for nurses that has drugs listed by various classes
and activities and includes these abbreviations.
Everyone ought to have access to some reference like this one (forget the
Physicians' Desk Reference [PDR]; the nursing pocket references are much easier
to use and more useful to consumers). I also just saw a book called The Pill
Book -- I think it is put out by a consumer group.
AND everyone ought to ask the physician to write GENERIC drug names on the
prescription unless one and only one brand will do. Many states allow and many
health service providers REQUIRE generic substituions for brand name drugs.
Here is another potential source of error -- making the transition from the
brand to generic name at the pharmacy. I have had pharmacists and nurses
confuse dicloxycillin -- to which I am allergic -- and doxycycline which I can
take easily.
Learn to read your own prescriptions!! I was taught as a high school sophomore
when I had a part time job in a pharmacy. There are really just a few simple
things that would make a world of difference.
If there is any interest in pursuing this, I would be happy to prepare a primer
for Native-L listers and conduct a miniseminar on a separate branch.
Let me know!
Anj Petto
Cntr Bio Ed
UW-Madison
ajpetto@macc.wisc.edu
voice: 608.262.0478
fax: 608.262.0014