While practising medicine in St Vincent and the Grenadines years back, I was amazed that so many patients did not know the names of the medications that they were taking. This is not the most worrying part; patients were not aware of the mechanism of action of these drugs that they swallow daily and they had little knowledge on the side effects and drugs interactions.

If you take medications, you play a role in your health care when it comes to medication safety. Keep an up-to-date list of all the medications you take and carry it with you. Medication, or medicine, doesn’t just mean the prescriptions you take. Your medication list speaks for you in case you can’t, or if you don’t always remember all the medications you take.

Sharing your updated list every time you see your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care provider helps them give you the best care possible. It could even prevent a dangerous medication situation.

Doesn’t my doctor know what I’m taking?

The problem is that you may have seen more than one health care provider, gone to more than one pharmacy to have a prescription filled, or may not be taking the medicine the way it was prescribed. You may also take over-the-counter drugs and even herbal medications that your physician is not aware of.

Your health care provider also works to keep a correct and up-to-date list and tries to make sure other people caring for you also know. But, if we don’t know everything that you take, something could be missed – like a medication that is very important to your health, or one medication not working well with another.

Do you just need to know what prescription I take?

Medications are more than just those that a doctor prescribes.

They include a long list of the ones that you buy “over-the-counter”, such as painkillers, cold medicines, laxatives, vitamins, minerals, homeopathic, natural, herbal remedies, and recreational drugs, patches, inhalers, eye/ear/nose drops, creams, lotions, ointments, and even samples that the doctor may give you.

What do I need to know and share about the medication I take?

When you meet with your health care provider, or go to a health care centre, tell them:

* the names of all the medication you take

* how you take the medication (for example, time of day, dose (amount), and how often).

There are many ways you can keep track of the medication you take, from a list in your wallet, or purse, to something you keep on your mobile device.

It is important that you know your medication, so that not only your health care provider knows what you are taking, but that you are better informed to take care of your health.

Dr Rosmond Adams, MD, is a medical doctor and a public health specialist with training in bioethics and ethical issues in medicine, the life sciences and research. He is the head of Health Information, Communicable Disease and Emergency Response at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).