Know what your medications look like; know the color and size. If something looks different when you refill your prescription, ask why. Call your coordinator before you take anything that seems different.
Keep your medication sheets and your times/dosage written down and handy. When you visit your doctor or if you check into the hospital, take all of your information about your medications with you.
What if you oversleep or are late in taking your medications? You should take your medications as soon as possible when you wake up, but not if you are close to your next time. If you are getting bloodwork drawn or seeing your doctor, let them know that you have taken your medications off-schedule so that they can interpret lab results correctly.
What should you do when another doctor prescribes a drug for you? You need to inform your transplant team before you take any other drug, even if it is an herbal drug. Taking another drug may affect your transplant medications.
-Laura Lees, Ph.D., Transplant Pharmacist
