How to avoid drug errors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers these tips to avoid prescription drug errors:

Know medicine names: Make sure the drug name the doctor prescribed matches the one given by the pharmacist. With refills, confirm that the drug is the same color, size, shape and packaging. Ask about any changes.

Ask and ask some more: Get information about the drug, including side effects, potential drug or vitamin interactions, storage, what to do if a dose is forgotten and whether the drug should be timed with meals.

What is this for?: Understand what the medication is used to treat. People who understand their drugs are more likely to take them correctly and know when problems arise.

Read labels, follow directions: Know how much of the drug to take, when and for how long. Recheck the label each time to make sure it's the right drug.

Talk to your doc: Show and tell your doctors about all the medicines, vitamins and supplements you take. Keep a list and bring it to every appointment, or better yet, bring the drugs in a bag.

Write this down: Keep a list of your prescriptions with you, stash another copy at home and give a third copy to a friend or family member.