The majority of individuals think that taking a drug prescribed by a physician is always safe.
One of the health risks that is underreported in America is drug interactions, which can be prevented to a large extent.
Preventing such interactions in Optimum Wellness Pharmacy in Irvine, CA, is not an afterthought.
The Reason Why Drug Interactions Are a Bigger Issue Than Most Individuals Can Imagine
The adverse drug event (ADE) is a term used to describe any damage caused by a medicine, be it the medication, an overdose, or a risky interaction with another drug.
The numbers are sobering.
The total number of preventable ADEs in the nation is estimated to be 3.5 million physician office visits annually, not to mention the number of ER visits and hospitalizations.
This is of particular concern to older adults: it has been revealed that patients aged above 65 are sevenfold more likely than younger patients to encounter a critical ADE, which will necessitate emergency treatment.
And not only prescription drugs. The interactions can occur among:
- Two or more prescription drugs
- An OTC supplement and a prescription drug
- A drug and some drinks or foods
- New medication and a popular chronic care plan
It is here that it will be of utmost importance to have a pharmacist who is intimately acquainted with you and your complete drug list.
How Optimal Wellness Pharmacy Catches What Others Miss
Complete Medication Therapy Review (CMTR)
The Comprehensive Medication Therapy Review is one of the strongest instruments in the strategy of the pharmacy.
This does not involve a one-second look at your prescriptions.
It is a systematic, individualized advisory session that analyzes your overall medication history, including the dosing, timing, treating overlap, and counter-indications.
It is especially useful to patients who:
- Manage more than five drugs at a time
- Use over 12 doses per day in chronic cases
- Are on high-risk drug groups (e.g., anticoagulants, e.g., warfarin), antidiabetic drugs, antiseizure drugs, or antiarrhythmics (e.g., digoxin or beta-blockers)
- Are 65 years or older – an age group in which pharmacokinetic sensitivity increases, as the metabolism of the drug, kidney, and hepatic functions become more sensitive
It is not merely to spot issues, but to create a medication strategy that will perform this task in the manner in which your body functions in real life.
Individualized Compounding for Safer, Customized Dosing
Even the safest medication is sometimes not available in the standard commercial form.
The specialty of Optimal Wellness Pharmacy is the compounded medications – custom-made to meet the unique needs of therapeutic use, toleration, and delivery options of an individual.
This is important in the prevention of drug interaction since:
- Compounding will be able to remove any undesirable fillers or excipients which lead to reactions in sensitive patients
- Individually made formulations can be titrated precisely, eliminating the polypharmacy burden
- Systemic exposure can be eliminated, and interaction risk decreased through unique routes of delivery (topical, sublingual, etc.)
Nutraceutical and Supplement Counseling
A lot of patients do not consider supplements to be actual drugs, but they can be pharmacologically so.
At Optimal Wellness Pharmacy, the pharmacists advise the patients on the entire stack of supplements, rather than just their prescriptions.
The pharmacy has product lines of professional-grade products and is capable of providing recommendations on evidence-based combinations that will not harm but supplement your treatment plan.
The Psychological Attitude to Medication Safety
Medication adherence and medication error are a reality with cognitive load.
Decision fatigue occurs when patients are left unassisted with their complex regimens – patients may skip doses, take two, or simply take drugs at the wrong time, causing improper timing of medications that involve a time interval.
Optimal Wellness Pharmacy deals with this by educating its patients clearly, organizing consultations, and providing tools to detect the risk factors before they become an emergency.
It is a proactive paradigm that is based on clinical science.
Control Your Medication Safety Now
A Comprehensive Medication Therapy Review at Optimal Wellness Pharmacy might become one of the most valuable conversations that you have had this year.
Visit Optimal Wellness Pharmacy at 4200 Trabuco Road, Unit No. 190, Irvine, CA 92620, or call (949) 861-3170 to make an appointment.
Your drugs are supposed to cooperate with you – not to contradict one another.
FAQs
What is the way to know whether I am at risk of drug interaction?
When you take five or more drugs, are over 65, or are dealing with some chronic illness, then the risk is significantly increased.
Do the interactions of the supplements pose a serious problem as drug-drug interactions?
They can be! Certain supplements also dramatically change the way your body responds to prescription drugs.
You must always tell your pharmacist the complete list of your supplements.
Do I require a referral when I want a Medication Therapy Review at Optimal Wellness?
No. The pharmacy can be directly contacted and a consultation made at the convenience of the client.
Does Optimal Wellness collaborate with my current physician?
Yes. The pharmacy liaises with your doctor to help in integrating your medication plan with that of the physician, which is medically sound.
