11 Medicine Mistakes to Avoid

4. Mistake: You crush or split pills that aren’t meant to be split

Crushing or splitting a pill seems like an easy fix if you or a family member has trouble swallowing. Patients also split pills to get a lower dosage.

However, you should always consult with your pharmacist or doctor first, because some medicines aren’t safe to pulverize or split, Gaunt says. You can also check the insert under “How supplied” section to see if the FDA has approved splitting the medication.

Extended-release or time-release medications have special coatings designed to release the drug over an extended period.

If you split or crush them, “the medicine is no longer released at a controlled rate,” Gaunt explains. “That makes all of the medication immediately available to the body, creating a risk for an overdose or having side effects like depressed breathing.”

Other types of drugs that can’t be split or crushed have coatings to help them pass through the stomach so the small intestines can absorb them or to keep the drug from irritating mucus membranes or organs.

5. Mistake: You split pills with a knife

If your pills are safe to split, don’t try to cut them with a knife or break them by hand, Bates says. You might crush them or end up with unequal pieces, he says: “You might be getting 7/10 of a dose one day and 3/10 of a dose the next day.”  

Instead, pick up an inexpensive plastic pill cutter at your local pharmacy, Bates suggests. They’re accurate and easy to use, and they typically sell for under $10.

Split pills as you need them rather than all at once. Factors like heat, moisture and humidity are more likely to affect pills that have been split, according to the FDA.

6. Mistake: You take too many pills

Taking five or more drugs at the same time, called polypharmacy, increases your risk of experiencing a medication problem or a dangerous interaction, Worz says. It’s also associated with dementia and a higher risk of falls. Plus, having all those prescriptions is expensive and makes it more difficult to take them at the right times.

Yet over the past three decades, the percentage of people age 65 and older taking five or more prescriptions tripled, from 14 to 42 percent, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many cases, older patients keep filling a prescription for decades without considering if they still need it, Worz says. Studies indicate some drugs, including certain sleep aides and heartburn medications, can get more risky with prolonged use or as you get older.

“You should always be evaluating your medicines to see if it’s time to stop them,” Worz says.

Ask your health care provider or a geriatric pharmacist to review your medications at least once a year, asking: “Is there anything I can get rid of?” Just remember to always consult with your health care provider before stopping a drug.

If you take a large number of drugs or have a particularly complicated medical history, Worz recommends reaching out to a consultant pharmacist who specializes in medication reviews for older adults. Search for one in your area at helpwithmymeds.org.

7. Mistake: You take medications with the wrong food

Some medications don’t mix with certain foods or supplements, making your treatment less effective and potentially causing dangerous side effects.

Dairy products can interfere with the absorption of antibiotics, for example, while a fiber supplement can impact the effectiveness of metformin, a diabetes drug.

Probably the most well-known example of a food that causes interactions is grapefruit juice. If you drink it while taking certain statin drugs to lower cholesterol, too much of the drug may stay in your body, increasing your risk for liver and muscle damage that can lead to kidney failure, according to the FDA.

Grapefruit juice also interacts with some drugs patients take for high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and abnormal heart rhythms.

8. Mistake: You take your drugs at the wrong time

Some medications, such as the osteoporosis drug Fosamax and the thyroid drug levothyroxine, need to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning to ensure full absorption. Others are better to take at night, especially if they could cause dizziness or fatigue. 

Studies show many patients fail to take their drugs at the optimum time. For example, the heartburn medications known as proton pump inhibitors are supposed to be taken 30 minutes before a meal, but researchers have found that more than half of heartburn patients don’t follow that guidance.

“So many patients aren’t following instructions on the label,” says Barenholtz Levy. “I’ll be talking with a patient asking how often they take the medicine, and it turns out they’re taking it once a day when it should be twice a day.”

Check the package insert that comes with your prescription to see if it specifies a time of day to take it, or whether it should be taken with meals or on an empty stomach – and make sure you follow those instructions, Worz says. (You can find drug inserts online at the National Library of Medicine’s DailyMed website.)

Even if there’s no time specified, you can ask your doctor if there’s a best time to take it. When in doubt, choose the time when you’re most likely to remember to take it.

9. Mistake: You keep your meds in the bathroom

Yes, many bathrooms have a “medicine” cabinet, but the bathroom is one of the worst places to keep your pills, said Barenholtz Levy. “Medicine cabinet is such a misnomer,” she says.

The heat and moisture from your shower, bath or sink can easily damage pills and capsules, causing them to become less potent or go bad.

Also, avoid direct sunlight and high temperatures, Barenholtz Levy advises. Never leave your medicine in a hot or freezing car, and if you’re traveling by plane, put your prescriptions in your carry-on bag, since the checked baggage area isn’t temperature controlled.

Good places to store medicine at home include a dresser drawer or kitchen cabinet away from any windows, the stove and sink, in a storage box or on a shelf in a closet.

If young children spend time at your house, make sure medicines are out of reach or keep them in a childproof medicine organizer or in their original childproof containers.

(Bonus tip: If your pill bottle has a cotton ball stuffed into the top, make sure you pull it out after you open the bottle. The National Institutes of Health says it will pull moisture into the container.)

10. Mistake: You consolidate your old meds into the new bottle

When you get your new pills, dumping your old ones into the new bottle may save space, but there are important reasons to keep pills in their original containers, Barenholtz Levy says.

For one thing, the label includes important information about the manufacturer and the type of pill that went into each bottle, she says. “You need to know that if there is ever a recall or if you have an allergic reaction to inactive parts of the pill,” she says.

How quickly you finish your pills can also tell you how you did with your monthly meds, Barenholtz Levy says. “If you get to [the] end of [the] bottle, it gives you a sense of, how did I do this month?”

(Don’t forget to trash medications after their expiration date, including over-the-counter remedies.)

11. Mistake: You don’t have a master list of your meds

Having an up-to-date list of your medications can save you from those “Wait, what was it again?” moments and help prevent dangerous drug interactions. Keep the list handy in your phone or stash a printed version in your wallet for emergencies.

Make sure your list includes everything — prescriptions, vitamins, supplements and any over-the-counter meds you take regularly such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen or allergy pills. Don’t forget inhalers, eye drops, ear drops and any patches you use for pain, motion sickness or hormone replacement therapy.

Also, take a moment to check that your list matches what’s in your health care provider’s portal. Consider sharing a copy with your pharmacist, too, so they can add it to their computer system and catch any potential interactions before you pick up your next prescription.