Taking a fraction of the meds
A recent column included a letter from a reader who suggested that when filling a new prescription it might be better not to get all the pills prescribed at once. As a prescriber and as a patient, I caution readers that they should discuss this suggestion with the doctor before they do this. Many medications need to be taken AS PRESCRIBED for quite a few days before the medicine's desired effect can be felt or achieved.
If, for example, you are prescribed a 30-day supply of a new medicine and you decide on your own that you are only going to get enough pills for 10 days, you might not be giving the medicine enough time to tell if it works. And if, for any reason, you fail to get the next 10 days' worth in time to start taking those pills right after the first 10 days, then you might have let blood or tissue levels of the medicine decrease to the point that your next 10 days of medicine is like starting the 30 days over, rather than continuing the medicine course as the doctor had intended.
You also might end up paying more for your complete prescription. A pharmacist has to charge you not just for the pills but also for his time, overhead and knowledge. So each prescription he fills will have a nominal charge that you are paying. If you get a three-month supply, you pay that charge only once, but if you buy a month at a time, you are paying that charge three times over those three months.
So the reader is right that you might want a smaller amount of pills for a NEW prescription, but for continuing medicines it makes more sense to get the full prescription filled if you can.
— J. Teal, M.D., Los Alamitos, California
DEAR HELOISE >> I frequently drop things in places where it's hard to retrieve them, like between the counter and the refrigerator or behind or under a piece of furniture. Also, my washing machine tub is so deep that I have trouble reaching the articles that are in the bottom after the final spin. Now I keep a cheap, wooden back scratcher handy to help me get things out of the washer, as well as to retrieve items that are hard to reach.
— P. Crotteau, Keizer, Oregon
DEAR HELOISE >> I am in my 80s and had a recent minor stroke. I had an epiphany while recovering. I thought, what do our family members know about our past schooling, work and other educational or vocational doings? So I decided to write a short biography on my wife and I for family members. We have wills, but that doesn't fill in the past. I hope this will be a hint for others to think about.
— Richard, Fredericksburg, Virginia
DEAR HELOISE >> Reading your article about the tube of tomato paste reminded me of a trick I learned long ago. Since tomato paste is thick and difficult to get out of the can with a spoon, open both ends of the can. Using one of the detached lids, push the contents out the other end. You get every drop of tomato paste from the can. It's so easy.
— Nick, Little Rock, Arkansas