Veterans and Medication Management

The Healthy Living Topic for February focuses on Veterans being involved in their healthcare and knowing their medicines. According to the Veterans Health Administration website, the VA serves over 9.1 million Veterans, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System serves over 85,000 of that population. Each one of those Veterans can have multiple prescriptions to manage and sometimes bad habits can arise when taking medication. 

“Some of the most common mistakes I see Veterans make with their medication is not reading the full prescription instructions, not refilling prescriptions in advance, and keeping old prescription bottles with old instructions,” said Cristina Plemmons, Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS associate chief of Pharmacy Ambulatory Care. “Typically, Veterans with around 10 or more prescriptions are at a higher risk of mistakes when it comes to taking their medicine, because of the number of medications they have to keep track of, as well as our older Veterans and those with visual impairment.”

Plemmons said that tools like pillboxes, tablet cutters and crushers, and visual aid devices are all great for any Veteran that may think they could be vulnerable to make a medication error. She also said if a Veteran ever has expired medication, the VA can help them with the disposal. 

“Pillboxes are a great tool that everyone can benefit from, even those on one medication,” Plemmons said. “Having the pills in the slot for each day helps you also know if you took your medications or not, so could prevent double dosing on accident. And for disposal, we have several methods. In the lobby at the hospital and in each clinic, there are medication disposal bins where you can bring unwanted, unused, or expired medications for safe disposal. We also have prepaid envelopes your care team can provide you with to place bottles of medications in and drop in the mail to go to the disposal facility.”

Taking medicines as directed can greatly improve health, but if they aren’t taken as directed, they may not work. It's important for Veterans to know that medicines can interact with one another and staying on top of health care and listening to their care team to know why and when a they should be taking prescriptions can prevent adverse drug events (ADE). An ADE is when medicine causes harm like an allergic reaction, side effects, overmedication, and medicine errors. Many ADEs are preventable by being vigilant on what has been prescribed, knowing how to correctly intake the medication, and knowing how long it takes to refill to prevent any lapse in care.

“We really want to make sure all Veterans know there is no automatic refill process for medications,” said Plemmons. “We recommend you request the next refill of your medication when you receive the supply in the mail so the next fill is already prompted to be filled before you run out of medication. Anytime your doctor changes the dose or writes a new prescription for you, it will send you a supply of your medication. You can request refills online or by phone.”

A Veteran’s care at any VA is a team effort and ultimately, the Veteran can have the greatest impact on if their care is successful or not by listening to their health care team and being transparent about their prescriptions and any issues they may be having with them. The primary care team and pharmacy is there to get the best outcomes for all Veterans. VA pharmacists can provide education about medicines and make sure that they are safe. VA pharmacists also confirm that every medicine is properly prescribed and prepared so that Veterans can be confident they have received the proper medicine and dose.

For more information on staying on top of medication and ways to be involved in your health care, go to: https://www.prevention.va.gov/PREVENTION/Healthy_Living/Be_Involved_Know_Your_Medicines.asp