Family and Friends Medication Survey/Teaching

This past weekend, I interviewed some of my friends and family members regarding medications and supplements they are taking. Being that the majority of my friends fall into the young adult age group, the majority of them said no, they do not take any medications or supplements. Only one said yes, in which she is taking Iron and vitamin B complex supplements. Of my family members, my mom takes Metformin, and both she and my dad take Lozartan and Atorvastatin. My sister on the other hand takes Methimazole. All the people who said yes were able to verbalize the purpose of their medications. However, to my surprise only my sister knew the side effects of the drugs they were taking. Subsequently, I was able to educate the people who said “no,” about some of the side effects of each drug they are using. I was able to educate my friend about constipation as the side effect of iron supplements and that she should take it with orange juice or some juice with vitamin C to increase absorption. We also discussed how vitamin B12 helps with DNA synthesis and Hgb production. I was also able to educate my parents about the side effects of Lozartan and how it can cause hypotension and hyperkalemia, which can lead to arrhythmias. I also educated my mom about the importance of stopping Metformin 48hrs prior to injection of contrast dye for a CT scan due to the risk of renal failure. My dad also used to take Garcinia Cambocia, which is an herbal diet pill that decrease the sensation of hunger but can also cause hyperkalemia, Hypercalcemia and Hypermagnesia. Therefore, I was able to also educate him on the danger of taking Garcinia Cambocia and Lozartan and the high risk for developing Hyperkalemia leading to manifested as arrythmias or irregular heartbeats. As for the Atorvastatin medication, my dad then was also able to recall and verbalize side effect of malaise. Lastly, my sister was also able to verbalize hypothyroidism manifested as fatigue, depression, constipation, as the side effects of Methimazole. Of all people taking supplements and medications, non of them knew the generic, brand name or safe dose of the drugs/supplements they are taking.