Finding the Right Meds

By Ina

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Whether for a chronic or short-term condition, mental or physical, millions of people - including myself - take prescription medications daily. Often, people put little thought into it. Their doctor gives a prescription, they pick it up, follow the instructions, and move on. However, I never had that experience. As someone with multiple chronic conditions that are both mental and physical, I have had to deal with medications not working, adverse reactions, drug interactions, medical history barring me from taking the most effective medications, and even different versions of the same drug having wildly different effects. Managing prescriptions is not always as easy as popping an Advil - which is often done carelessly, especially among American youth. Here I will share four tips for managing prescription medications and finding the right medications. 

1. Do your research

Despite all pharmacists recommending that you read about your medications before taking them, many people fail to do the most basic research. When you take medication, you most likely will need to change or limit something in your life - certain foods or drinks, alcohol, caffeine, or certain activities. Even something as light as Allegra interacts with grapefruit. Grapefruit interacts with so many meds, if you’re on any it’s better to just avoid it altogether. 

When researching, get a sense of how your meds work, and what side-effects can occur, and check for interactions with other medications you are taking: prescription or over the counter. If there are multiple medications you could take - say for a condition like ADHD which has short-release stimulants, long-release stimulants, and non-stimulants - compare them to each other. If you are unsure where to start your research, there are some helpful links at the end of the article. Additionally, remember there is a difference between different generic versions of a medication and the equivalent brand name versions. The active ingredients may be the same, but the non-active ones may differ and can affect people differently. 

Most importantly, make sure you know exactly how to take your medications. Surprisingly, many people take their meds incorrectly. From not following the dosing schedule to not taking the meds with food when you are supposed to, there are many ways to take your meds incorrectly. I once made the mistake of abusing my rescue inhaler to the point of it almost being useless. Had I done my research sooner, I would have known that the effects of albuterol weaken if you take it too frequently. I called a nurse who urged me to go to urgent care, where they diagnosed my asthma and prescribed additional medications to get my symptoms under control. 

2. Listen to your body

Medications can have nasty side effects, some of which can be dangerous. Many side effects are listed on the packaging and are available online, but sometimes our bodies react to the medication differently from what is expected. Before starting medication, try to get a good sense of your physical baseline - common side effects affect digestion, cognition, awakeness, appetite, heart rate, and others. If you know what medication you will be taking, focus on the bodily systems that are most likely to be affected. Then, when you take your meds, pay close attention to how you continue to feel. If something feels off, reach out to your doctor or pharmacist right away - even if what you are experiencing isn’t a listed side effect. 

As part of treatment for my allergies and asthma, my doctors tried a very strong medication as a controller. The active ingredient in the inhaler they prescribed me is the same as Flonase, which I used regularly without. However, days into using the inhaler I became severely depressed. I hadn’t noticed the drastic shift in my mood, but luckily my mother was always looking out for me and told me what she noticed about my mood. Once I stopped my inhaler, my mood instantly went back to normal. 

3. Be patient, don’t make too many changes at once

If you are like me and are on multiple medications or managing multiple conditions, it can be difficult to figure out what to do when something is off. You may not be able to tell which medication is causing it, or if it is an interaction. It is tempting to try everything at once, but doing that means that you will not be able to figure out what is causing the issues. Some medications can take up to a month to work properly, too. In this case, it is best to work with your care team to carefully plan any adjustments to your meds. 

I recently had to deal with this while managing my birth control and ADHD medications. Due to insurance issues, I had to switch pharmacies. On the generic version of my medication at the new pharmacy, I had more physical side effects and new mental side effects. The side effects were interfering with my life and did not fade away. At the same time, my birth control started to have less effect on my PMDD symptoms. After discussing it with several of my doctors, I switched my ADHD medication to the brand name and planned to shift birth control several months later. Luckily, switching to the brand name made a significant difference. Though more expensive, I am no longer bothered by the side effects of similar generic meds. 

4. Remember that medication is often not the only treatment

If finding the right medication for your condition gets too difficult or costly, see if other treatments work for you. Medication, like any treatment, is supposed to help you, not hinder you. Sometimes changes in physical environments, accommodations, therapies, dietary changes, and other lifestyle changes can be just as effective as prescription medications. For psychiatric conditions especially, since the medication is affecting the brain, the many possible side-effects often affect other systems in the body. Non-medication treatment also encourages greater awareness of your condition. Most times, you will not be treating your condition with medication alone anyway - make sure to not neglect the other paths to care. 

I tried to keep my advice as non-specific as possible while still informative. Medications are useful for a wide range of conditions, and millions make use of them daily. Hopefully, if you are one of those million, you now feel more prepared to manage this part of your life. Medication is not something to be taken lightly. It is extremely powerful and can easily cause harm if not used with caution. However, when used properly, medication can help us be free from the conditions that limit our lives. 


https://www.drugs.com/ is an extremely useful site for finding information about side effects, drug interactions, dosing information, and how to take your medication. It is extremely extensive compared to other sites I have seen. 

https://www.nhs.uk/ is a generic site but has pages on many prescription medications that give a lot of the same information as drugs.com. It also includes information on how the medications work and all the information is presented in a very reader-friendly manner. ​