If you take one or more medicines, you need medication management. Why? It’s because it takes more than a one-time prescription to achieve optimal pain relief.
Medication management allows our Florida Pain Medicine team to monitor your progress and make timely medication changes when needed to support your health and ease your pain.
Whether you need a short course of medicine while healing from an injury or you have a chronic condition requiring long-term pain relief, your outcomes improve thanks to the following five medication management benefits.
Medications don’t come in a one-size-fits-all option. Finding the best drug and dose depends on several variables.
There are numerous pain-relieving medications, and each works differently in your body. Additionally, your metabolism affects how each drug works in your body.
That means we may need to change the medication or dose several times before finding the combination that works for you. Medication management appointments give us the opportunity to adjust your medication and improve your results.
All medications can cause side effects and adverse reactions, ranging from bothersome but temporary to downright dangerous. A side effect is a potential problem we know the drug might cause, while an adverse event is an unexpected reaction.
Before prescribing a medication, we explain its side effects, so you know what symptoms to potentially expect. However, we can identify signs you may miss or ignore during medication management appointments.
Monitoring your progress, ensuring your treatment is working and you’re getting the pain relief you need, is a vital part of medication management.
Your progress reveals if we can safely reduce or stop medication and when we should consider replacing or augmenting drugs with another interventional treatment targeting your pain.
Medications only work if you take them as your provider prescribes. Unfortunately, not taking pain medication is a common problem.
The American Medical Association reports that patients don’t take their medicines about half the time. A study found that up to 62% of chronic pain patients don’t stick with their drugs.
Patients don’t usually talk with their prescribing provider before stopping their medications, possibly because they don’t want to share the reason why.
Some can’t afford refills or are too fearful about side effects. Others believe they no longer need the medicine if their pain improves.
No matter your concerns, there are two reasons why you should talk with us before stopping your medication.
First, we can help you find solutions and stay on the drugs needed to alleviate your pain. And second, it’s essential to gradually taper down some medications to prevent health problems.
You may only take the medications we prescribe, but many adults have several prescriptions from different specialists.
An estimated 10-20% of all adults take multiple medications. More than four out of 10 older adults take five or more medications daily — and that doesn’t include over-the-counter drugs and supplements.
The more medications you take, the higher the risk that you will experience unwanted interactions. One prescription or over-the-counter drug may interfere with the action and effectiveness of another.
Supplements, including natural herbs, contain active ingredients that can interact with medicines, potentially decreasing their effectiveness.
As part of our medication management services, we review all drugs from every prescriber to be sure you aren’t at risk for dangerous drug interactions.
Though we automatically schedule regular medication management appointments, you should use online booking or call the office to schedule a consultation whenever you have questions or concerns about your medications.
