The Importance of Medication Management

Your body is a chemical factory. When you add new chemicals — in the form of medication — into the mix, you must monitor how your body responds to ensure you get the benefits without the side effects. That’s where medication management comes in.

Whether you have acute or chronic pain, at some point you’ll likely take medications to help manage your symptoms and encourage your body to heal. Medications can be powerful aids for pain management, but they must be used with care.

Medications on their own have side effects. When combined, their interactions can sometimes nullify each other or create potentially dangerous complications. That’s why it’s essential to let every doctor or health professional you consult know all of the medications and supplements you take.

At Addison Pain + Regenerative Medicine in Addison, Texas, our expert osteopath, Dr. John East, can help you with medication management. To make sure your medications are working as they should, our team regularly monitors your response and makes adjustments as necessary.

Why is medication management so important? Below is a summary of how paying attention to what you take and when you take it can make the difference between success and failure.

Take exactly as prescribed

If you take more than one medication, you may be tempted to skip one or another because you feel like you take too many at once. Or, if your pain or other symptoms improve, you might decide to stop taking your medication. Or, if you don’t see an improvement, you also might decide to stop.

Medications may not work if you don’t take them at the exact time and dosage your doctor prescribes. Some medications only start to take effect once a certain level has been reached in your body. If you stop the medication too soon — an antidepressant, for example — you may never reach the point where you receive the benefits.

Also, it’s a mistake to stop taking a drug because you feel better. That sensation may be due to the drug itself. Or, in the case of antibiotics, discontinuing the drug before running its entire course could put you at risk of continued or new infection.

Find a management system

When you’re on more than one medication, things can get tricky. Which do you take in the morning? Which at night? Which needs to be taken on an empty stomach? Which requires food?

You can buy pill trays and even pill dispensers that you preload with medications so they’re dispensed at the proper time. Bring us your medications and we’ll help you get organized. If you have memory problems, consider having a family member help you manage your medication schedule.

Keep track of your doctors and pharmacies

If you have chronic pain or acute pain but also have underlying health conditions, make sure all your doctors know every drug you take. To keep things simple, always fill your prescriptions at the same pharmacy, so they have a record of all of your medications as well as your refill schedule.

Ask your pharmacist to print out a drug list or card for you to share with each of your physicians. Be sure to update it whenever you’re prescribed a new medication.

When you’re under our care, we prescribe medications based on your condition as well as your current medications. If you’re taking a drug we don’t know about, your pain control may not be as optimal as it should be. Don’t forget the over-the-counter drugs. They count too.

Be aware of food and supplements

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “food is medicine.” While you don’t go to the pharmacy to pick up your vegetables, many common foods have helpful chemicals, minerals, and vitamins that can multiply or counteract the effects of medications. For example:

Aged cheeses, chocolate, and caffeine may interact with MAO inhibitors
Grapefruit should be avoided if you take blood-pressure medication
Licorice may increase Lanoxin toxicity and reduce the effects of blood-pressure drugs and diuretics
St. John’s Wort may weaken heart medications and antiretrovirals
Vitamin E could increase the bleeding risk with warfarin
Ginseng may interfere with cardiovascular drugs

Be as thorough as possible during your intake interview, so we know exactly what types of foods, supplements, and drugs might affect the medications and therapies we prescribe to control your pain.

Is your acute or chronic pain hampering your enjoyment of life? Find out how medications, therapy, and medication management can help you feel like yourself again by scheduling an appointment with our team. Call our office at 972-380-0000 or request an appointment online today.