Video PSA: Check Your Medication

Narrator: This message is brought to you by AHRQ, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. To keep from taking the wrong amount or type of medicine, take an active role in your own health care. Here are a few tips to help you check your medicines. Bring all the medicines you take to your clinician, including over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Ask if they’re safe to take together. Make sure you know the names of your medicines, and why you’re taking them. You should know how much medicine to take, when to take it, and whether to take it with food. If you have any concerns, ask questions until you understand the answers. Know how long you’ll take the medicine, and if you’ll need refills. Ask your doctor if you’ll need follow-up visits or tests. Check a new prescription or refill before leaving the pharmacy, and make sure it’s what the doctor prescribed for you. If it seems different in size or color, ask your pharmacist. Keeping these tips in mind will help you check your meds, and take them safely.