Ask the pharmacist

If you buy all your prescription and over-the-counter medications at one neighborhood pharmacy, rather than price shopping, make sure the pharmacist enters those medications – as well as any drug allergies you may have – in the pharmacy’s computer will automatically alert the pharmacist to potential drug interactions and allergic reactions. If you’re allergic to aspirin. For example, you not realize that Alka Seltzer Plus Nighttime Cold contains aspirin, or that ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin-IB) and naproxen (Aleve) may each trigger similar reactions in aspirin-sensitive individuals. Even mail-order pharmacies typically provide a toll-free hotline staffed by pharmacists who will answer customer questions.

Read the package insert or label before you leave the store – or after you receive the drug in the mail – so you can ask the pharmacist to clarify anything that you don’t understand or that the packaging doesn’t specify, such as the following:

▪ What’s the maximum length of time you should take the medication on your own without consulting your doctor?

▪ Does the drug interact with any of the other medications you might be taking or with any food or beverage?

▪ Are there any unlisted side effects you should know about?

▪ Should you take the drug with meals or on an empty stomach?

▪ Should you take the drug at bedtime?

▪ Can anything help you minimize minor side effects such as an upset stomach?

▪ How should you store the drug?

In addition to those questions, older people may want to ask the pharmacist whether the medication poses any increased risk for them.