Taking The Guesswork Out Of Prescription Drugs

Pharmaceutical companies are offering newer and better drugs every single day. As a result of their cutting-edge technology, the average person can expect to live a longer and fuller life. However, more and more people are taking multiple medications to manage things like high blood pressure and cholesterol. One popular cholesterol medication, Lipitor is often prescribed by physicians to those who suffer from high cholesterol. However, proper dosing is important as well as drug interactions with other medications the patient may be taking. Thankfully, physicians and clinicians have the internet to help them quickly obtain they answers they need in order to prescribe the right medication for their patients. With a service like Epocrates Online, physicians and clinicians can answer most of the questions that patients usually save for their pharmacist. Patients can also be given printed information by their doctors that are educational, but easy to understand in either English or Spanish. Common questions, like should the medication be taken with food or on an empty stomach?; what if a dose is missed by accident?; what are the side effects? can be easily answered and the patient's anxieties can be minimized. Doctors can also look up the average retail cost of drugs and see if their are any comprable generic drugs as a lower-cost alternative. Thank goodness these services are available so patients can have answers in minutes, instead of waiting hours for a physician's return phone calls.