Know Your Medications

Some of the pharmacies now a days promote their pharmacy by saying they will make sure your medications don't interact or counter act with one another. That they will be extra cautious when it comes to your medications, yadda, yadda, yadda.

My research shows that this is not true.

Several times over the past 14 years, I have been prescribed a certain medication, and NEVER ONCE have I been told by a pharmacy technician or pharmacist that the medication I had been prescribed can cause my other medication I take regularly to be less effective. And yes, I use the same pharmacy over and over again, so the medications are on file.

I learned that this certain medication can counter act with my regular medication, almost 13 years ago, on my wedding day.

We'd said our vows, we'd had our pictures taken, we'd mingled, we chatted, and we had changed out of our wedding attire into more comfortable clothes. The time had come to say our goodbyes to our parents, and the last of the remaining loved ones who were left to see us off. My new sister-in-law had gotten into my make up bag for Advil or Tylenol, had seen my prescription for Penicillin, as well as my package of birth control pills. And while she was hugging me goodbye, she whispered into my ear that antibiotics could possibly cause my pill to not work effectively. Not exactly the news you wanna hear as you're embarking on your honeymoon.

After my sister-in-law, I went to say goodbye to my Mama. The hug lasted about as long as it did with my sister-in-law, as I was telling my mother what I had just learned. The expression on her face, priceless. The whole scenario, all caught on video tape. I laugh every time I watch it.

But you know, it's really not funny. LOL. The fact that a medication can cause another to not be fully effective, thus increasing your possibility of becoming pregnant is a pretty important thing that pharmacists should point out to you. A lot of the time, people don't read the little slips of paper that come with a medication warning them about the 'possible' side effects, drug interactions, etc, etc. Therefore I think pharmacists should be more informative.

Needless to say, over the last 13 years, I've made it my 'job' to inform friends when I know they've been given antibiotics whether or not I know they are on The Pill, or not. Pharmacists aren't doing their jobs, and a lot of women don't know this about antibiotics, I sure didn't!

Are there any medications that you take on a regular basis that you should check for interactions?? You might be surprised!