Studies have shown that women have a higher risk of adverse drug reactions than men. If your mom is given a new prescription, your family must know what the medication does, what possible reactions are, and how to react if something seems wrong.
One study found that women have a 1.7 times greater chance of developing an adverse drug reaction. Age and presence of a chronic health condition like kidney or liver disease heighten that risk. Hormonal differences between men and women may also play a part.
What Should You Do?
To avoid adverse drug reactions, your mom needs to be honest with both you and her doctor. If she’s taken a medication in the past and didn’t feel right, she needs to speak up. If she takes a new medication and finds herself feeling off, she can’t hide it. You and her doctor can work with her to find the right treatment plan that doesn’t make her feel sick or uncomfortable.
Understand what you’re watching for by doing your research. If your mom is given a new prescription for her high blood pressure, read up and see what the common side effects are. Keep reading drug paperwork and guides to find the less common reactions. Keep them in mind and watch your mom for a few hours after she takes her medication.
Know the dangerous side effects, too. If she takes a new medication and becomes dizzy and passes out, develops a bad rash, or has a hard time breathing, get her to a doctor. Her new heart medication drops your mom’s blood pressure rapidly to worrisome numbers. It’s so low that she doesn’t even have the energy to stand up. That’s concerning and should be investigated.
Make sure she takes the medications correctly. If her bottle has a label saying to take the pill with a meal, have her eat first. If it says, take it with a full glass of water, make sure she drinks the whole glass.
Keep Track of the How Long It Takes
While you’re watching how your mom responds to a new medication, keep notes. Track the time it takes for the reaction to appear and note what happens. Even if the reaction seems minimal, call her doctor for advice. It may be worth having her seen by the doctor. The doctor may just ask you to monitor her at home.
It’s ideal to have someone around while your mom takes a new medication. Home care services are one way to make sure this happens. Caregivers can be there to remind your mom to take medications, make sure she’s taking them as instructed, and watch her for a reaction.
Home care aides also help with personal care and grooming, transportation, and meals. To learn more, call an agency.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering hiring a Caregiver in League City, TX, please contact the caring staff at Sheila’s Angels In Home Care today at (281) 480-4846.
Sources:
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov