How to Take Medicine Correctly: 10 Tips for Taking Medication Safely

To take medicine correctly, read the label every time, take each medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist told you, at the times and in the way the label says, and keep one up-to-date list of everything you take. When anything on the label is unclear, from "twice a day" to "take on an empty stomach," ask your pharmacist before you guess.

These are the basics of how to take medication safely and how to take medicine properly. This guide turns them into ten tips for taking medication, a table that decodes common label directions, a daily routine layout you can print, and a list of questions to ask at the pharmacy counter. It is general information, not medical advice: follow your prescription label and ask your pharmacist or doctor about anything specific to your medicines.

How to take medicine correctly: 10 tips for taking medication safely

1. Read the label every time. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) advises reading all medicine labels and following the instructions, and making sure you can read and understand both the medicine's name and the directions on the container.
2. Take it exactly as prescribed. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, says to take your medicines exactly as your provider tells you. The FDA adds: don't skip doses or stop a prescribed medicine without first talking with your health care professional.
3. Know what the timing means for you. "Four times a day" can mean different schedules. NIA suggests asking the pharmacist whether it means four times in 24 hours or four times while you're awake, and at what times to take it.
4. Check the food instructions. Ask whether each medicine should be taken with food or not. NIA explains that "on an empty stomach" generally means at least two hours before or two hours after you eat, but calls this a rough guideline: follow your pharmacist's instructions for your medicine.
5. Make pills easier to swallow, the safe way. NIA advises not to chew, break or crush tablets without first asking whether that changes how the drug works. If pills are hard to swallow or make you gag, tell your pharmacist; a liquid version may be available.
6. Keep one medication list. Write down every medicine you take, including over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements, with the name, amount and the times you take it. NIA and the FDA both suggest keeping one copy at home and one with you, and showing the list to all your health care providers.
7. Use one pharmacy when you can. NIA suggests filling all your prescriptions at the same pharmacy so your records are in one place and the pharmacist can spot a new medicine that might cause a problem with something you already take. If you use more than one, share your full list with the pharmacist at each.
8. Watch for the same active ingredient twice. NIA warns that taking more than one product with the same active ingredient, such as acetaminophen in both a cough syrup and a pain reliever, could damage your liver. Check the active ingredients on every OTC label, and ask the pharmacist if you're unsure.
9. Turn on a light. NIA's advice is simple: don't take medicine in the dark; you might make a mistake.
10. Never share prescriptions. Don't take medicines prescribed for another person or give yours to someone else, as NIA advises.

What common label directions mean, and what to ask

Prescription labels often use short phrases or abbreviations. NIA explains the abbreviations qd, bid, tid, qid and prn; the other rows are common label phrases. If an abbreviation on your label isn't clear, ask the pharmacist to write it out. The right-hand column is the question that turns a general direction into a schedule that fits your day.

How to take medication on time: routines and reminders

MedlinePlus notes that with several medicines it can be hard to keep track of when and how to take each one, so build reminders into your routine. NIA lists the reminders people find useful: tying medicines to meals or bedtime, charts and calendars, weekly pill boxes, timers, written reminders and smartphone reminder apps. MedlinePlus suggests trying one or more methods to see what works for you, and notes that a pill organizer may help.

A daily medication routine you can print

Copy this layout onto a sheet of paper, one row per dose, and keep it where you take your medicines. Fill in the first three columns from your labels, with your pharmacist's help if needed.

Tick each box right after you take the dose; the tick answers "did I already take it?" later. If you fill a weekly pill organizer, work from the original bottles so you can check each label, and keep the organizer up and away from children; our guide to pill bottles and child-resistant caps explains why.

Taking multiple medicines safely

MedlinePlus explains why several medicines call for extra care: the more medicines you take, the more likely you are to have side effects; some medicines interact with each other, with alcohol and even with some foods; certain medicines can raise the risk of falls; and you may end up taking a medicine you no longer need, or two prescribed for the same problem. NIA notes that people 65 and older tend to take more medicines than any other age group.

What helps, according to MedlinePlus and NIA:

• Review your list with your pharmacist and each provider.
• Bring the list with you if you have a hospital stay.
• Tell your doctor about alcohol and tobacco use, which NIA says can affect how well your medicines work. The FDA also points to grapefruit juice and alcohol as examples of interactions to ask about.
• Ask whether every medicine on the list is still needed. Don't stop one on your own: MedlinePlus says not to stop any medicine unless your provider tells you to, and NIA notes that some medicines need to be stopped slowly.

Medication safety tips for seniors and families

Taking medicines safely as you age starts with the habits above. NIA also suggests including dentists and physical therapists when you share your list, taking a friend or relative with you to doctor's appointments, saving the written information that comes with each medicine, and asking whether it's safe to drive while you take a new one. For families with young children at home or visiting, the FDA's advice is to keep all medicines up and away from children. If you manage medicines for a parent, our caregiver's guide to medication management covers the whole system.

Side effects, missed doses and medicine mistakes

Side effects. NIA defines side effects as unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that happen when you take a medicine. Write them down so you can report them accurately, and if a side effect is uncomfortable, talk with a health care provider before you stop the medicine. Call your doctor right away if you have problems with your medicines.

Missed doses. What to do after a missed dose depends on the medicine, so there is no single rule to follow. Check the label or the leaflet that came with it, or call your pharmacist. Better still, ask "If I forget to take this, what should I do?" when you first pick it up, one of the questions NIA suggests, and write the answer on your routine sheet.

Taking the wrong medicine or too much. Call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. It connects you to your local poison center, where a specially trained nurse, pharmacist or doctor answers; HRSA, which funds the line, says the call is free and confidential. In an emergency, call 911.

Store medicines so they stay safe

The FDA says most medicines are best stored up and away in a cool, dry place, and out of reach of children. Check expiration dates, and get rid of expired medicines, or ones your doctor or pharmacist confirms you no longer need, the way the FDA recommends: a drug take-back location or a prepaid mail-back envelope first. If no take-back option is available, check whether the medicine is on the FDA flush list (the label or patient leaflet will say); flush it only if it is. If it isn't on the flush list, you can put it in the household trash: take it out of the container, mix it with something unappealing such as used coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter, seal it in a bag or container, throw it away, and scratch out your personal information on the empty packaging.

Questions to ask your pharmacist or doctor about a new medicine

Take this list to the counter, or keep it on your phone. Several are adapted from the questions NIA suggests asking your doctor and pharmacist.

• What is this medicine for, and what is its name?
• How many times a day should I take it, and at what times?
• Should I take it with food or not? Is there anything I shouldn't eat or drink while I take it?
• If I forget to take it, what should I do?
• Can I crush or split it if it's hard to swallow?
• Does it have the same active ingredient as anything else on my list?
• Is it safe to stop suddenly, or does it need to be stopped slowly?

If a question comes up later, call your pharmacist; the FDA's Division of Drug Information also takes questions at 1-855-543-3784.

How Dose+ approaches taking medication

Dose+, from Dose Technologies, is an automatic pill dispenser system in development, built around one pill at a time. It has two parts. Dose Storage is a pill bottle with 30 cells, one capsule in each, that gives out one pill at a time instead of letting pills pour out, with a child-resistant design. The Dose Home Station holds up to ten Dose Storages and dispenses the right one on schedule; a camera in the lid reads every Storage, and the screen logs each dose. Its one warning is a duplicate-dose alert if you try to take the same medicine again soon after taking it.

Dose+ is in development and not for sale, so there is no price or pre-order. Everything in this guide works with ordinary pharmacy bottles and a pen. You can read what Dose+ is and where it stands, learn more about Dose Technologies, or read our guide to how automatic pill dispensers work and how to choose one.