A tablet can look very simple. It is small, solid and sometimes stubbornly unwilling to cooperate with anyone who has difficulty swallowing. That is when the spoon, pill crusher or kitchen utensil may make an appearance. Crushing a tablet can…
When a healthcare provider asks, “Do you have any medication allergies?” some people can name the medicine and describe exactly what happened. Others remember “the pink antibiotic,” “a painkiller from years ago,” or “something that started with an A.” Memory…
You are standing in the kitchen with a bottle of liquid medicine in one hand and a teaspoon in the other. The spoon looks reasonable. It holds liquid. It is nearby. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually.…
A child-resistant medication cap can feel reassuring. You push, twist, line up the arrows and occasionally wonder whether the bottle is also adult-resistant before it finally opens. Because the cap takes effort, it is easy to assume that a young…
Sharing can be a wonderful thing. Share your snacks. Share your umbrella. Share the last slice of cake if you are feeling especially heroic. But prescription medication belongs in a very different category. Offering someone one of your prescription tablets…
You open a new refill and the tablet appears to have had a complete makeover. Last month it was round and white. This month it is oval, peach, and acting as though you should recognize it immediately. A medicine that…
A new prescription can arrive at the busiest possible moment. You may be thinking about parking, groceries, work, dinner, or the person waiting in the car. The pharmacy bag gets handed over, you say thank you, and your brain announces,…
You collect a prescription, glance at the main directions, and put the bottle away. Done, right? Not always. That small coloured sticker saying “Refrigerate,” “Protect from light,” “Keep dry,” or “Do not freeze” is not decorative trim. It is part…
There is a special kind of confidence that appears when someone says, “I know what this pill is,” while holding a tiny unlabelled container with three different tablets inside. That is not confidence. That is a medication mystery novel. Keeping…
When someone asks, “What medications do you take?” many people think only about prescription medicines. The blood pressure tablet counts. The cholesterol medicine counts. The inhaler counts. The eye drops count. But the vitamin bottle on the kitchen shelf? That…
