What the label tells you
Every prescription label shows your name, the drug name and its strength, the directions, the quantity in the bottle, the number of refills remaining, the prescriber, a prescription number and a discard date. Check the name and the strength before you walk away, because mix-ups are rare but real. The colored stickers on the side tell you to take the drug with food, to avoid alcohol, or to stay out of the sun.
If the label names a drug you did not expect, it is probably the generic. A generic contains the same active ingredient at the same strength as the brand-name version, and the FDA requires it to work the same way in the body. It typically costs far less, and pharmacies substitute it automatically unless the prescriber forbids it.
The shorthand
Prescribers still write in abbreviated Latin, and the pharmacy translates it for the label.
- The letters PO mean by mouth.
- The letters BID mean twice a day, TID means three times a day, and QID means four times a day.
- The letters QHS mean at bedtime.
- The letters PRN mean as needed, up to the limit stated.
Refills and running out
Request a refill when you have about a week of medicine left, not on the last day. When the label shows zero refills, the pharmacy must contact your prescriber, which can take several business days. Controlled substances, including many pain, sleep and attention medications, follow stricter rules on refills and timing that vary by state. To move a prescription, call the new pharmacy and give them the old one's name, and they will handle the transfer.
What it costs
The price at the counter is not fixed. Ask what the cash price is without insurance, because for common generics it is sometimes lower than your copay. Ask whether a ninety-day supply or your plan's mail-order service costs less for medicines you take every day. If a drug is unaffordable, tell the pharmacist and the prescriber before you leave it behind, since there is often a cheaper drug in the same class.
Storing and discarding
Keep medicine in a cool, dry place out of reach of children, which rules out the bathroom cabinet. Take leftover drugs to a pharmacy disposal kiosk or a community take-back day instead of flushing them or keeping them for later.
Tip Keep a current list of every medication and supplement you take, with strengths, in your phone and your wallet. Emergency rooms ask for it first.
