Pill bottle labels are changing

#Middlebury #SeniorNewsLine

Don’t be surprised if your next prescription bottle looks different, especially if you pick up your drugs at CVS. The newest thing is to put lots of information on the label, in big letters on a big label. CVS is calling it ScriptPath.

If you take multiple drugs and haven’t been given instructions about what can go with what, ask. Don’t count on the fancy new label to let you know. Tell the pharmacist all the drugs you’re taking and when, and ask when your new drug should be fit into the schedule. Don’t just take them all at once in the morning. There’s one drug, for example, that can’t be taken within an hour of food. Another one works better late at night. You need accurate information.

Check the side of the bottle where the label says morning, midday, evening and bedtime, and see which one is marked. Ask, especially if your doctor or pharmacist has told you one thing and the pill bottle indicates something else.

One change you’ll likely see is the size of the bottle itself. Even if you’re only getting a month’s supply of small pills, the label needs to go around the bottle. Your best bet, especially if you have a new prescription, is to not leave the counter until you have a chance to read the label and ask questions.

Having said all this, I do not like the new label. Perhaps the pharmacy needs a new printer cartridge, or maybe the printer doesn’t work well with that type of paper label. I only know that it nearly requires a magnifying glass to read the faint and broken up letters. I’m tempted to make my own label.

(c) 2017 King Features Synd. Inc.