You arrive at the office of a doctor you're seeing for the first time, and after handing over your insurance card and driver's license, you're given a clipboard with pages and pages of forms to fill out.
After sighing to yourself - how many times in your life are you going to have to write down that you had your tonsils out when you were 6 and broke your right wrist when you were 13, and that your father died of a heart attack? - You settle in to the task of completing the forms.
One of them is sure to say something like, "List all medicines you are taking, the doses, and how often you take each one. Include over-the-counter drugs and supplements." You might also be asked to note the reason you are taking each drug.
At that moment, you might think, "Oh, darn! I have all that information at home! All the pill bottles are sitting right on the kitchen counter! I know I'm not going to remember them all!"
What difference does it make? You are far more likely to accidentally leave out a drug you are taking than to accidentally list a drug you aren't taking. When the doctor looks at your list of medications, she may think, "Oh! This patient has condition X but isn't taking any drug to treat it. I had better write him a new prescription." Then you could end up taking two similar drugs for the same condition, and be unintentionally overdosed.
Further, if you report a symptom that is actually a side effect of a drug that you left off your list, the doctor has no chance at all to realize that the drug is causing the problem, and may prescribe yet another drug to treat that symptom. And the more drugs you take, the greater the chance that you will suffer side effects and have troublesome drug interactions.
Don't assume that the doctor who prescribed the drug will know that you are taking it even if you don't put it on your list. Doctors may see thousands of patients, and they typically don't remember the drug regimen of each individual. Depending on the state of their office records, they also may not be able to look up this information easily.
Since there may be a good chance that you'll forget something, what's the solution?
At home, prepare a list of every drug you are taking (including over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol or Advil, and supplements such as vitamins and minerals). If you have a computer, it will save time if you create a spreadsheet with this information on it, which you can easily update as the information changes.
Include not just drugs you take every day, but drugs that you may take only occasionally, such as an asthma rescue drug (inhaler) that you use only occasionally.
Ideally, your spreadsheet will include columns for the brand name of the drug, its generic name, the date you started taking it, the condition it was prescribed for, its strength (e.g., "500 mg"), how often you take it (e.g., "once a day" or "when needed for pain"), dosing instructions (e.g., "before meals" or "at bedtime"), and who prescribed it. Finally, it will include a column for notes/comments, such as "makes me dizzy."
Print out two copies of your list, and put them in a folder that you will take to the doctor. It helps if the folder is a vivid color that will get your attention so that you don't walk out the door without it. You might also include in that folder notes you have made for your doctor about your current condition, and any other relevant documents, such as copies of test results or records from another doctor to give to this doctor. To avoid forgetting the folder, you might consider putting it in your car as soon as it is ready.
Before every doctor's visit, look at your list of drugs and update it as needed. Even if you are visiting a doctor you have seen before, it is important to let her know about any changes in your drug/supplement regimen at every visit. Having this information can help your doctor provide better care.
