Some medicines, such as inhalers to treat asthma, require complicated steps. Your doctor and pharmacist can show you the steps to follow when using an inhaler so that the medicine will reach your lungs and not get sprayed on the back of the throat where it will not work. You may want to ask the pharmacist to let you practice using the inhaler in the pharmacy. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to help you determine the best times to take the medication so you can easily work the dosage schedule into your daily activities, meal times and work. You will find it easier to remember to take your medicine if it fits in with your normal lifestyle.
Some medicines can have very serious side effects if they are stopped suddenly.
Your doctor and pharmacist should review your medicines at each visit and make sure that you are not taking two prescription medicines that can interact. If you receive written instructions that just list side effects that could occur, ask for more information. You need to know how to recognize the early symptoms of common side effects and how to manage side effects that may be annoying but are minor. You also need to know when you should contact your doctor because of a side effect. If you do not understand a medical term, do not be embarrassed to ask what that term means.