Who Knows About Drugs?

I asked a couple of family members what they knew about the current medications they were taking and these were their responses:

My grandma: Today my grandma turned 84, I decided to visit her and then I remembered about this assignment. I asked her what medications she was taking and she said she was taking two pills. When asked if she knew what they were for she said, “The white one is for my blood pressure.” She did not know the name of it, but then again she does not know English and I don’t even think she would attempt to pronounce it. She said the other pill was for her heartburn. She did not know any side effects, she only knew what time she had to take them.

My uncle: My uncle takes many medications. This is only because he had a kidney transplant a year ago due to his diabetes. He said he takes about 10 medications a day. He did not know their name but he knew the color of the medication and what it was for. His nurse has helped him organize his medications, she has marked the ones that are extremely important to take (anti-rejection medications) with a red X. He also carries a list of his current medications with him at all times. I asked him if he knew what would happen if he stopped taking the medications and he said “I am not really sure, but I just know that it is very important to take them.” He also did not know any side effects.

My cousin: My cousin is 20 weeks pregnant. She is taking prenatal vitamins and iron. I asked her if she knew what the prenatal vitamins were for and she said no, but the doctor said it was important for the baby. I was excited to explain to her why it is so important to take them. She knew the iron was for her anemia, and she did not know any side effects but she did know to take it with orange juice.