Know your medications

[Diane]

I went on Sunday to pick up my prescriptions, one of them being Biaxin ( an antibiotic) . That night when it came time to take one i noticed the pills were different. Now this has happened many times and i always call the Pharmacist and he tells me it is from a different manufacturer , hence the different looking pill. Well it was Sunday night and i couldnt call because they were long closed so i took it anyway. figuring i didnt want to miss a dose, plus its happened many times and it always turns out that the manufacturer is different but the medicine is the same. This time was different. I had been feeling slightly dizzy for 2 days and started thinking about it on Wed. while i was at work, realizing the dizziness hadnt started till after i started taking this "biaxin" so i called the pharmacy and told them what the tablet looked like and he said to bring it to him. Today i took the bottle with the rest of them in it, and it turns out they werent Biaxin at all.... They were Cipro 500 mg. ( generic brand). I was already on Minocycline and Cipro 750 mg, so in actuality i was on 1250 mg of Cipro. Yikes ! He said it really wont hurt me, but it just made me realize.. no more being so worried about skipping doses over being totally sure its the right med. I have been going to this pharmacy since i am a child and this has never happened before, but it goes to show they are human too and do make mistakes.

 

[Diane]

I went on Sunday to pick up my prescriptions, one of them being Biaxin ( an antibiotic) . That night when it came time to take one i noticed the pills were different. Now this has happened many times and i always call the Pharmacist and he tells me it is from a different manufacturer , hence the different looking pill. Well it was Sunday night and i couldnt call because they were long closed so i took it anyway. figuring i didnt want to miss a dose, plus its happened many times and it always turns out that the manufacturer is different but the medicine is the same. This time was different. I had been feeling slightly dizzy for 2 days and started thinking about it on Wed. while i was at work, realizing the dizziness hadnt started till after i started taking this "biaxin" so i called the pharmacy and told them what the tablet looked like and he said to bring it to him. Today i took the bottle with the rest of them in it, and it turns out they werent Biaxin at all.... They were Cipro 500 mg. ( generic brand). I was already on Minocycline and Cipro 750 mg, so in actuality i was on 1250 mg of Cipro. Yikes ! He said it really wont hurt me, but it just made me realize.. no more being so worried about skipping doses over being totally sure its the right med. I have been going to this pharmacy since i am a child and this has never happened before, but it goes to show they are human too and do make mistakes.

 

[Diane]

I went on Sunday to pick up my prescriptions, one of them being Biaxin ( an antibiotic) . That night when it came time to take one i noticed the pills were different. Now this has happened many times and i always call the Pharmacist and he tells me it is from a different manufacturer , hence the different looking pill. Well it was Sunday night and i couldnt call because they were long closed so i took it anyway. figuring i didnt want to miss a dose, plus its happened many times and it always turns out that the manufacturer is different but the medicine is the same. This time was different. I had been feeling slightly dizzy for 2 days and started thinking about it on Wed. while i was at work, realizing the dizziness hadnt started till after i started taking this "biaxin" so i called the pharmacy and told them what the tablet looked like and he said to bring it to him. Today i took the bottle with the rest of them in it, and it turns out they werent Biaxin at all.... They were Cipro 500 mg. ( generic brand). I was already on Minocycline and Cipro 750 mg, so in actuality i was on 1250 mg of Cipro. Yikes ! He said it really wont hurt me, but it just made me realize.. no more being so worried about skipping doses over being totally sure its the right med. I have been going to this pharmacy since i am a child and this has never happened before, but it goes to show they are human too and do make mistakes.

 

[JazzysMom]

Whenever I have a change in the appearance of my meds (due to new manufacturer etc) there are stickers all over my bottle from the pharmacist saying that even tho it looks different, it is the same med! It is a good idea to know in case there is a change.

 

[JazzysMom]

Whenever I have a change in the appearance of my meds (due to new manufacturer etc) there are stickers all over my bottle from the pharmacist saying that even tho it looks different, it is the same med! It is a good idea to know in case there is a change.

 

[JazzysMom]

Whenever I have a change in the appearance of my meds (due to new manufacturer etc) there are stickers all over my bottle from the pharmacist saying that even tho it looks different, it is the same med! It is a good idea to know in case there is a change.

 

[MCGrad2006]

I always look and if it is different I ask about it,...even if it is just plain motrin (which typically changes every month anyway).

Another tip...always make sure its your name on the bottle. I went to pick up a med a few weeks ago and they looked and looked everywhere, but couldnt find it. All of a sudden the guy that was helping me picked up the phone...and it was someone who had been given MY MED like less than five minutes before I got there. I have to say, with all the meds I am on, thats the only time that has ever happened...and if it happens again...well lets just hope not!

 

[MCGrad2006]

I always look and if it is different I ask about it,...even if it is just plain motrin (which typically changes every month anyway).

Another tip...always make sure its your name on the bottle. I went to pick up a med a few weeks ago and they looked and looked everywhere, but couldnt find it. All of a sudden the guy that was helping me picked up the phone...and it was someone who had been given MY MED like less than five minutes before I got there. I have to say, with all the meds I am on, thats the only time that has ever happened...and if it happens again...well lets just hope not!

 

[MCGrad2006]

I always look and if it is different I ask about it,...even if it is just plain motrin (which typically changes every month anyway).

Another tip...always make sure its your name on the bottle. I went to pick up a med a few weeks ago and they looked and looked everywhere, but couldnt find it. All of a sudden the guy that was helping me picked up the phone...and it was someone who had been given MY MED like less than five minutes before I got there. I have to say, with all the meds I am on, thats the only time that has ever happened...and if it happens again...well lets just hope not!

 

[Jade]

A good resource to figure out what drug is what, and what theyre supposed to look like. There are probably better sites out there about drug ID
<b>http://www.pharmer.org/identification</b>

 

[Jade]

A good resource to figure out what drug is what, and what theyre supposed to look like. There are probably better sites out there about drug ID
<b>http://www.pharmer.org/identification</b>

 

[Jade]

A good resource to figure out what drug is what, and what theyre supposed to look like. There are probably better sites out there about drug ID
<b>http://www.pharmer.org/identification</b>

 

[lightNlife]

The readout that comes with your prescription should have a description of what it looks like. For example, "drug X is a round gel-coated orange caplet with the number 2000 printed on one side. It is scored down the center for dosing purposes..."

The funny thing is, I can usually remember what the pill looks like, but not the actual name! My hubby and I are working on making sure that we BOTH know exactly what I'm taking, when, how much, and why. I'd hate to be incapacitated or something and leave him floundering with what I need.

 

[lightNlife]

The readout that comes with your prescription should have a description of what it looks like. For example, "drug X is a round gel-coated orange caplet with the number 2000 printed on one side. It is scored down the center for dosing purposes..."

The funny thing is, I can usually remember what the pill looks like, but not the actual name! My hubby and I are working on making sure that we BOTH know exactly what I'm taking, when, how much, and why. I'd hate to be incapacitated or something and leave him floundering with what I need.

 

[lightNlife]

The readout that comes with your prescription should have a description of what it looks like. For example, "drug X is a round gel-coated orange caplet with the number 2000 printed on one side. It is scored down the center for dosing purposes..."

The funny thing is, I can usually remember what the pill looks like, but not the actual name! My hubby and I are working on making sure that we BOTH know exactly what I'm taking, when, how much, and why. I'd hate to be incapacitated or something and leave him floundering with what I need.

 

[onlyoneloveinmylife]

I always check my meds when they look different from what i usually take. and if it's too late in the day to call the pharmacy i go to a website called, <b>drugs.com</b>, alot of information there. they even have a search engine where you can see what a certain brand looks like.

 

[onlyoneloveinmylife]

I always check my meds when they look different from what i usually take. and if it's too late in the day to call the pharmacy i go to a website called, <b>drugs.com</b>, alot of information there. they even have a search engine where you can see what a certain brand looks like.

 

[onlyoneloveinmylife]

I always check my meds when they look different from what i usually take. and if it's too late in the day to call the pharmacy i go to a website called, <b>drugs.com</b>, alot of information there. they even have a search engine where you can see what a certain brand looks like.