Taking Your Medicine

Last year, Americans spent $16 billion on over-the-counter medicines and filled almost 2.5 billion prescriptions. They can make you feel better, but only if you use them in the right way. CBS News This Morning's Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay has some tips to help you take your medication properly.

• Make sure your doctor knows about every medication you are taking. Put them all in a bag and take them in to the doctor's office. These should include any topical agents, nasal sprays, prescription medications, herbal remedies, and over-the-counter medication you take consistently. If you see more than one doctor, every one of them has to know what the others have prescribed.
• Understand the label on your prescriptions:
  
  • Take with food means you should eat something, even if it's only crackers or bread, when you take it. It does not mean you need to eat a full meal.
    
  • Take medication on an empty stomach. This means don't take it less then an hour before a meal or two to three hours after a meal.
    
  • Avoid excessive sunlight means keep yourself out of the sun, not the drug. Some drugs will make your skin extra sensitive to the sun. If you see this warning on a label, avoid the sun. Put on a hat and wear sunglasses. Don't go sunbathing. You could wind up with a rash.
    
  • Do not drink alcohol means just that. You shouldn't even have a little sip. Even foods that contain wine, like chicken marsala, should be avoided.
  
  
• Be aware that over-the-counter medications are for short-term use. You shouldn't take more than the amount prescribed on the label for longer than is prescribed unless your doctor tells you to do so.
• Don't keep medication past its expiration date. Take all of the medication as prescribed until the end of the dose if you're instructed to do so.
• When you have old medication in your cabinet, flush it down the toilet or take it back to the pharmacy so kids don't get their hands on it.
• Keep prescriptions away from heat or moisture so they do not decay.

©1998 CBS Worldwide Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed