Tips for playing it safe with medicine

NAPSI: As we age, most of us come to depend on prescription drugs to help us live healthier, longer lives. But the very medications that we count on for better health could also land us in the hospital. Drug mishaps are especially common among older Americans, who generally take more medications to treat chronic conditions. Fortunately, with a little bit of caution, many incidents can be prevented.

Matthew Gibbs, Pharm. D., chief pharmacy executive for pharmacy services at WellPoint, one of the United State’s largest insurers, which serves hundreds of thousands of Medicare members through its affiliated Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug and Medicare Supplement Plans, offers the following tips for playing it safe with prescription drugs.