How to Read a Prescription Label

by Dr. Mike Tigges
(Gallatin, TN)

Medication Issues How to Read a Prescription

It is critical to know how medication could make you feel and how it can impact your driving ability and routine. Many people receive a prescription and do not fully understand their medication. When your doctor writes you a prescription, it is very important to ask the six basic questions about the medication:

1.Why am I taking this medication?
2.How much should I take?
3.When should I take it?
4.How should I take it?
5.What should I do if I miss a dose?
6.What are the possible side effects?

If you are a commercial motor vehicle driver, you also need to know how the medication will affect your ability to drive. Receiving answers to these questions will help you gain a better understanding of how to read your prescription label(s).

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Feb 17, 2016
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One more question to ask...
by: Hervy

Thanks for the insight Dr. There is one more that I think is very important....

1. Is there something that I can do differently that would eliminate the need for the medication?

Most issues can be avoided or made better with better choices and habits.

Ok one more question to ask to make sure you get it when the good Dr. tries to gently tell you what you need to stop doing and start doing differently.

What is the root cause of the symptoms or condition that the medication will treat?

You need to ask this because a lot of the meds are not for treating the real problem. They are for dealing with the symptoms that result from the root of the problem. You as a driver need to understand that your body is speaking to you when you have many of these symptoms. It is telling you that something is wrong. You might needs the meds to deal with the symptoms right now but you also need to make sure you are addressing the real problem.

Again we are likely to end up at either stop doing something and/or start doing something else differently.

Well, why you might ask is it so important to deal with the cause if medication can treat the symptom?

Well, first of all, you don't know what problems the meds will cause.

Secondly, it just makes sense.

If your car overheats and blow the hose, you can replace the hose and drive it again, but why did the car overheat? Are you going to try and find out or just keep driving it because you got it back on the road with the new hose? The hose might not burst again but the next weakest link will give way when it gets hot again or if nothing gives away in the cooling system and you just keep driving it hot, the motor will lock up and then you really have a problem. A problem that might have been avoided by replacing the oil pump or something as simple as replacing the thermostat. But you treat a symptom and not the problem.

So anyway, just a thought. To ponder.

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