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Modern medicine is an excellent benefit for preserving and maintaining healthy patients, but too much of anything can be dangerous, and not all drugs work well together. Find out more about why medication management is so important.
Utilizing medicine to heal dates back a long way, with various cultures applying herbs and other substances to treat people as early as 3,000 years ago. Today’s medications come in a wide range of effective forms to treat many illnesses, and their use is more common than ever, totalling more than 400 billion doses taken worldwide each day.
Whatever the reason you rely on medications to help you, their safety and efficacy depend on the dose you take, how well you deal with side effects, and whether they interact with other drugs you use.
This makes medication management all the more critical, and with remote options like telehealth becoming popular, it’s possible to address drug issues without leaving your home. Balancing the medications you take can be difficult, but Evie Lawson and Horseshoe Healthcare are dedicated to helping people across the nation manage the issues that can arise.
What is medication management?
The term seems simple, but the application is complex. Medication management covers not just ensuring you take the appropriate amount of your meds, but also making sure you’re getting the right ones for your needs and avoiding side effects between them.
Each person is unique, which means tolerances and adverse reactions vary widely, making this service essential. Things like family history, allergies, and other issues can make taking two medications you need difficult because of how they interact with one another, so you also need alternatives to consider.
Why is medication management important?
Approximately 20% of adults ages 40-79 use five or more medications, and that number increases as people get older. The need for multiple drugs, known as polypharmacy, comes from various illnesses or multiple medical problems at the same time.
In some cases, chronic diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer require many drugs to manage, especially if they lead to complications. Many mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression, may require several medications to treat effectively.
How does telehealth help?
Virtual consultations offer the convenience of avoiding disruption to your daily routine. You can do all the things you need to do around the house and in the office, and set aside time to discuss issues you have with current medications, address problems that may arise with new drugs, or integrate medications with other treatment options.
We help with many chronic illnesses, but also offer services to help you manage mental disorders like attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), various psychotic illnesses, as well as depression and anxiety.
Managing medications plays as crucial a role in caring for medical problems as taking them. To make sure you’re using your medications safely and effectively, call us or book an appointment online with Horseshoe Healthcare today.