Be medicinewise: Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of medicines

Today, NPS MedicineWise is urging people to ask questions about their medicines by speaking to a health professional or calling the NPS Medicines Line.

The call to ask questions is the last of five daily challenges set for Australians as part of Be Medicinewise Week 2013, which has focused on the health of Australia’s ageing population. The medicinewise challenge was launched on Monday by Australian icon Bert Newton to help people make better decisions about their health and medicines. 

NPS Medicines Line Manager and pharmacist Sarah Spagnardi says asking questions is one of the best ways to avoid potentially serious problems with your medicines, but says too few people play this active role in their health care. 

“In our research with older Australians and their carers, only half of people surveyed said they regularly talk to their doctor or pharmacist about how they feel about their medicines,” says Ms Spagnardi.

“And while 75% of older people and their carers say they talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of their medicines, only one in three will discuss their non-prescription and complementary medicines.”

Ms Spagnardi says everyone involved in your health care needs to know about all the medicines you take, and there are good reasons why older Australians should always ask questions about what they’re putting into their bodies. 

“Around one in three unplanned hospital admissions involving older Australians are due to problems with medicines – half of those problems could be prevented.

“Typically, we have more long-term health problems and will take more medicines when we’re older, so as we age the risk of medicine-related problems can increase.” 

“Our bodies also change a lot as we age. We handle medicines differently and become more sensitive to medicines, which means there’s a greater risk of side effects and potentially harmful medicine interactions.” 

Ms Spagnardi says medicine-related problems can sometimes go unrecognised because common symptoms – like confusion, tiredness or falls – are often considered ‘normal’ for older people, when they may actually be due to the medicines they are taking. 

“Medicines are supposed to keep us healthy, so we tend to assume they will. But when we combine multiple medicines it’s not uncommon for things to go wrong,” she says.

“So don’t make assumptions about your health and medicines. Be medicinewise: talk to your health professionals about how you want to improve your health, and ask to have your medicines reviewed regularly.

“And if you have any questions about your prescription, over-the-counter, or complementary medicines, ask your health professional or call the NPS Medicines Line.”