- Did you notice any safety concerns?
- My patient was very understanding of all of their drugs that they were taking. My only concern was ensuring that they didn’t take their thyroid medications; levothyroxine and cytomel; closely with their calcium and vitamin D supplements. Calcium can interfere with the absorption of the thyroid hormones.
- Were they related to the age of your patient or your patient’s ability to understand their medications?
- Their age was related to their ability to understand their medications. I believe that since they were a a little younger than a middle aged adult, they had the benefit of a better understanding. They have been taking these medications for a while so they know how to take them and they have a dedicated schedule as to when to take them. They also work in the medical field so they are aware of the medications they were on.
- Did the patient know why they were on each medication? Why would that be important?
- They did know why they were on each medication which was good. This could be a problem if they didn’t know why they were on each medication because most of the time, a patient is going to be more likely to take their medications accordingly if they know what it is targeting and how it can benefit them. My patient would feel it immediately if they forgot to take their medications or if they just didn’t want to take them. If they know what each drug targets, they feel obligated and motivated to try and address why they are needing the medication in the first place.
- Were there two medications that did a similar thing? Did the patient know why they were on both or was it an oversight?
- There were two medications that both were for their hyperthyroidism; levothyroxine and cytomel. levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism and helps decrease the size of the enlarged thyroid gland. Cytomel is a replacement therapy for hypothyroidism. The patient knew exactly what each was targeting and what the importance was of taking each of them.
- Were there any serious medication interactions that the patient had not been aware of?
- There were not any serious medication interactions that the patient had not been aware of which was a good sign. They have a set schedule of when to take each medication and it has been working well for them.
