The Most Overlooked Medication Facts According to Pharmacists

If you think your pharmacist isn't qualified to advise you on the prescriptions your doctor just gave you, you'd be wrong. Pharmacists may not have gone to medical school but similar to doctors, they receive specialized training in their areas of expertise, which just happens to be in medications and all things related to them. This is perfect because there are things pharmacists want everyone to know.

If you're wondering about the qualifications of a pharmacist and why you should listen to what they might have to say on all things medication-related, it should be noted that after a university degree, they continue their education and after four additional years of schooling, received their Doctor of Pharmacy, or PharmD, and have a detailed knowledge of the chemistry of medications.

24/7 Tempo spoke to Kelly Moore, a hospital-based pharmacist in New York to find out what things pharmacists want everyone to know. Hospital-based pharmacists consult on diagnoses, recommend a course of treatment, and choose the appropriate medications and dosage for patients. As with anyone in the medical field, communication is extremely important.

Pharmacists are acutely aware of how active ingredients in common drugs interact, and the possible side effects these meds can cause. Knowing what needs extra vigilance and what areas are high risk for misuse can prevent many adverse outcomes such as overdoses and even death. Medications are manufactured to help people stay healthy, but they have to be taken in the way they were prescribed. If they are not, they can easily turn from beneficial to harmful and even life-threatening. (These are the 25 most dangerous drugs.)

Here are the top 20 things pharmacists want everyone to know:

It can't be stressed enough how important it is to let your Pharmacist know if you are taking anything other than what you have been prescribed. "You may be taking an over-the-counter medication that is not in your profile," Moore said. OTC meds may have certain active ingredients that interact with the pills you're prescribed, leading to side effects.

Quite often, you may be taking too much of one medicine without being aware. Many medications have aspirin and many cold meds contain acetaminophen, commonly sold as Tylenol. So you may be taking too much Tylenol without even knowing, which may lead to liver toxicity, Moore said.

Cold medicines may also contain pseudoephedrine, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure, she added. "Herbal products and vitamins often interact with medications, too." Ginseng, goldenseal, and St. John's wort are just a few examples of potent herbs with documented high risk of drug interactions.

Just because you can purchase some medications over-the-counter (OTC), or without a prescription, does not mean they are completely harmless, at least not for everyone, Moore noted. Everyone has their own predispositions, whether it's hypertension, diabetes, or an illness.

"Always ask your physician before taking any OTC drug if you have a serious condition or if you are already taking another OTC medication." Ingredients in different drugs may overlap, potentially causing harmful side effects.

The cost of medications is not controlled by your Pharmacist. They have no control over how much you have to pay for your meds. However, they can suggest a generic version of whatever you are prescribed that will usually be cheaper, Moore said.

Brand-name medications, in some cases, are the only or the best option to treat a condition. In that case, out-of-pocket costs are going to be higher, but some manufacturers may have coupons on their sites for big savings on prescriptions, Moore noted. You may also ask your doctor for coupons or use apps that will show you if there are any coupons available for a specific medication.

Reaching out to your insurance company and asking what medications they cover is another way you may save money. "There may be 10 drugs in one class and it's typical for the insurance to cover just one of them," Moore said. "If you know which one, and your doctor agrees you can take it, your copay may be significantly less."

Pharmacies often have long lines but there may be a good reason for it. Pharmacists are often double-checking that pills have been dispensed in a safe and effective matter, Moore said. "So if they tell you they'll be there in a minute, respect that one minute and don't rush them," she added.

A relatively newer option for medication pick-up is by using a drive-thru pharmacy. This choice has become increasingly popular all over the world, and they operate pretty much like fast food drive-thru places most people are familiar with.

You ask for your medication at one window and wait in your car to pick it up through another window, which sounds effective, but it's actually not that quick, Moore said. It's not uncommon to have to wait 15-30 minutes before your prescription is filled, she filled.

Much like many fast-food drive-thrus, you can't walk up to the window and expect to be served. Many drive-thrus have a policy not to help such customers out of safety concerns. Pharmacists are not allowed to open the window to walkers, which can result in a lot of complaints and a longer waiting line.

We're all busy. It may seem like a good idea to ration your pills if you are pressed for time and are unable to pick up a new prescription. It also seems like a good option if you're trying to save money by expanding the time before you have to refill your prescription as much as possible.

But splitting pills is not safe unless you are told by the pharmacists that you can do it, Moore said. "Some pills are manufactured in a way that if you split them you may be getting a high dose of the medication in one day and none on another day."

The majority of us are most likely not disposing of our old meds safely. If you are simply flushing them down the toilet or the drain, you are not discarding them safely. Pharmaceuticals, and the hormones and other ingredients they contain, make their way to lakes and streams, polluting these waters, hurting the fish, and other marine life, and possibly ending up in sources of drinking water.

"At the very least you want to grind them in a coffee grinder to deactivate the narcotics." Many pharmacies have specific days when people can drop old pills off.

Many people have the habit of using Google for everything they are not familiar with and that includes medications. The problem is that the sites that actually do have credible information about drugs, such as sites available to doctors and pharmacists, have a firewall or require a subscription, Moore noted. "More general sites have probably not been tested for accuracy."

It may seem like common knowledge that combining pills, especially opioids, with alcohol is a definite no. Doing so can impact the lungs and cause slow and shallow breathing. When your doctor tells you to drink a glass of water and only water, it is best to listen.

The water will help the pill go all the way down to the stomach, Moore said. You don't want them stuck on your esophagus because some ingredients can really irritate it, she noted. This is even more important for older adults, as they produce less saliva.

You are not the only one who can't read your doctor's handwriting. Doctors are notorious for having illegible handwriting. You may think that pharmacists have some sort of tips or secrets to decipher what's written on a prescription piece of paper but you'd be wrong.

Many doctors now send prescriptions electronically to avoid any confusion. In fact, it's the law, at least in New York State. Physicians have been legally required to electronically prescribe both controlled and non-controlled substances as of March 27, 2016.

No one wants to deal with their insurance company. Having to handle claims with insurance companies or dispute what medicine your doctor prescribed is no one's favorite pastime. The only way to avoid this is communication.

Speaking more with your provider is one way to get the right medications at a fair price and in a reasonable time. The average person does not know what his or her insurance covers. However, knowing what is covered under their plan is one of the easiest ways to get an effective treatment, Moore said.

You should at least access the insurance website before going to the doctor to get some sense of what is covered, she noted.

Before you resort to taking medicine for any condition, you should explore other methods that may prevent it. The first step to treating many conditions is improving diet and exercise, Moore said. Jumping directly into the phase of taking a pill may be unnecessary.

If, for example, one's hypertension is not severe, it can be controlled by eating more fruits and green vegetables as well as more exercise. "But every patient is different, Moore noted. "A patient can start taking a medication and as they improve their lifestyle their medication can be reduced."

Many of us may have leftover medication that we never got around to throwing away properly. You may think it's still okay to use them but it isn't. Medications have an expiration date for a reason. Some meds don't ever develop a foul smell, but that doesn't mean they are not perishable.

Expired medications are simply not as effective anymore, Moore said. "You may think, for example, that you're taking Ibuprofen for your pain when in fact you're taking nothing."

While both general practitioners and pharmacists spend years in school, it's the pharmacists who focus on drugs, what they are made of, what they interact with, and possible side effects. This makes them an important bridge between doctors with different specialties.

"Ideally, will work together because the doctor knows more about your state, but the pharmacist knows more about the medication you're prescribed."

Medications may be prescribed electronically and sent directly to pharmacies, but that doesn't mean information won't still get lost.

It's in your best interest to keep all of your medical history at one pharmacy, so the pharmacist there has a complete picture of your health history and knowledge of any drugs you're on, Moore said. That way they can assess if maybe you need a lower dose, another pill, or something generic.

It's a common misconception that pharmacists just put pills in a bottle, Moore said. "But we can do a lot more," Moore said. They have a doctorate in pharmacy and deep knowledge of most medications on the mass market. "We are more of a resource and people should ask us questions and use our expertise."