Mixing Medications

When it comes to medicine, it’s important to know what you’re taking and why. “You need to keep an updated medication list and make sure you bring that to every provider visit, not only prescription medications but also any over the counter medications or herbal supplements,” said Amy Skiff, a clinical pharmacy specialist with Lee Health.

But it’s also important for patients to be aware of what ingredients are in each medication. “Tylenol is in a lot of products. It’s also in a lot of cold and cough products. So maybe you’re taking Tylenol for pain and taking a cold and cough agent and you’re getting overlapping medications that you may not be aware of,” she said.

Certain medications can also be harmful when mixed with others. “An example, would be things such as blood thinners, we do this to prevent blood clots and prevent strokes, but if you have pain and you go to get an ansaid or an anti-inflammatory, it could actually increase your risk for significant bleeding if you’re taking a blood thinner,” said Skiff.

Other things like alcohol can also cause the medication to become ineffective. Making it important to check the labels on all medications and talk to your pharmacist before starting a new medicine.
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