by Sudesh Samuel

Created on: January 15, 2009

Starting your medication can be an important step towards the cure or better control of a medical condition and starting on the right foot is often invaluable to developing greater confidence and assurance in taking the medication consistently and appropriately for maximum benefit. There are however, several important things you need to know before you begin using any form of medication.

First you should be aware of identification characteristics; what the medicine is, how it looks like, what it's commonly called, what important ingredients it contains, and what it is meant to do for you.

What the medicine is, can be very important to administering and using it appropriately. Individuals have been found to consume by mouth medication actually meant for use in other body cavities. Knowing how a medicine looks can facilitate consistent and safe consumption and help you to notice differences upon expiry or mistakes in refills later on. What the medicine is commonly called is important especially if you interact with different healthcare providers and caregivers who may call the drug product by different names. In general there are two names that are useful to be familiar with; one is the generic name and the other is the common brand name given to the medicinal product as found in your locality. An example is the cholesterol drug commonly known as Lipitor but generically known as atorvastatin. The main ingredients found in any medicinal product are also important to better understand the medication's effects, avert potential allergic reactions as well as navigate any religious or dietary concerns. Knowing what the medicine is meant to do can be very motivating in taking it consistently and this also allows you to observe for it's effectiveness.

A second band comprising of administration characteristics is also important to know. You or your caregiver should be aware of how to administer the medicine, how often to administer it, when to administer it, whether it should be co-administered with something else, how much of it to administer at any one time, and for how long it is to be administered.

An enema for instance, requires rectal administration and via specific steps to ensure that an entire dose reaches it's intended site of action. An oral antibiotic like cloxacillin can require administration up to four times a day to effectively fight an infection. Once-a-day blood pressure medication may be useful to be taken in the morning to coincide with the common rhythmic

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