Sorting out your medicine list after a crash discharge
Pointers from a clinical pharmacist
Your discharge papers may add a pain medicine, change a dose or tell you to pause something you already take. The bottles at home may still reflect the old plan. If you follow both, you could end up taking a double dose. Skipping a medicine you need can also do harm. A single, current list of your medicines makes the next few days safer. [1, 2]
Lay out three sources side by side
Set the discharge list, any new prescriptions and every medicine container next to each other. Include nonprescription products, vitamins and supplements. For each one, write down the name, strength, dose, time and the reason you take it. [1, 2]
Then mark it as new, changed, continued or stopped. Check whether two products share the same ingredient. If the lists don’t match, call the discharge team or a pharmacist. Don’t guess. [1, 2]
Ask the questions that can't wait
Find out when to restart any medicine that was put on hold. Pay extra attention to a blood thinner or a diabetes medicine. Ask if a new pain medicine can make you drowsy or interacts with anything you already take. [1, 2]
Get clear on what to take for breakthrough pain, which is pain that flares up between doses. Also ask for the most you can take in a day. If you can’t get a prescription filled, tell the care team quickly. They can work out a plan you can follow. [1, 2]
Keep the list current
Take your checked list to follow up visits. Share it with your regular primary care doctor. Update it every time something changes. [1, 2]
After taking a medicine, you may notice severe sleepiness, trouble breathing or a rash with swelling. Get urgent medical help for those or any other alarming symptoms. [1, 2]
Bring these to your pharmacist
- Which of my old medicines should I stop or restart?
- Do any of these products contain the same ingredient?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
Label each discharge medicine
Next to every discharge medicine, write new, changed, continued or stopped. [1]
Sources and further reading
Treat this as general education from a clinical pharmacy viewpoint. Take your own medicine questions to a pharmacist or prescriber. Don’t stop, restart or combine medicines based only on what you read here.
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