Women use more medications than most health providers realize, and most women are unlikely to tell those providers what they’re taking. This creates the potential for serious and dangerous drug interactions. I was one of the lead researchers in a study of medication use among women. What we found both surprised and concerned us. We found that health care providers need to spend more time asking patients about medication usage. But we also learned that patients need to be more forthcoming about the medications they take, and remember to tell their providers about all medications, not just the ones he or she prescribed. We interviewed more than 570 patients and discovered that 92 percent of them took prescription medications, and 96.5 percent self-medicated with an over-the-counter medication. We also learned that 59.1 percent used herbal supplements. Few patients would tell their physicians about a medication unless that physician prescribed the medication. For example, patients didn’t always tell their gynecologist that they were taking high blood pressure medication prescribed by another physician. We’ve found that patients don’t think that the physician needs to know about the condition if he or she isn’t treating it or prescribing the medication. That’s not true: It’s critically important for each provider to know all of the medications you are taking. We found that patients didn’t initially report use of medications such as aspirin or St. John’s Wort unless specifically asked. Most patients didn’t consider them important medications. In reality, aspirin and St. John’s Wort can have dangerous interactions with other medications. Moreover, we found that patients often didn’t remember what medications they took until they were asked specific questions such as “Do you take anything for headaches?” or “Do you take anything for an upset stomach?” Before you head to your next appointment, take five minutes and make a list of the medications – prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal – you’ve taken in the last 12 months. Open your medicine cabinet or look in the pill dispenser on your counter to jog your memory. And if providers don’t ask what medications you’re taking, tell them. You could be preventing serious problems. Timothy Tracy, Ph.D., is a professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, and with the U of M Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. This column is an educational service, and advice presented should not take the place of an examination by a health-care professional. To ask a health-care expert at the U a question, or for more health-related information, go to www.healthtalkandyou.com/.
