Medication is often an important part of managing distressing symptoms and improving quality of life. Be sure to tell your Care Team about all medications or drugs that you are using, including all prescribed by a medical provider, all “over-the-counter“ medicines that you can buy without a prescription, vitamins, supplements, herbal or homeopathic remedies, tobacco, alcohol, CBD, and/or ‘street’ drugs. It is very important to share this information with your Care Team so that they can keep the patient as safe and comfortable as possible.
Medication Plan
- Your nurse will write down the patient’s medications, what they are for, and when and how to give them.
- Members of your team will review this plan regularly and update it as necessary.
- Consider keeping the patient’s medication plan inside your Hospice Education Guide, the printed guide you should have received upon admission.
- At each visit, your nurse will go over the patient’s medications. You can talk about how well the medications work and any problems the patient has in taking the medications.
- The nurse will want to check medication bottles to ensure the patient has the medications they need and confirm the list is correct.
Preferred Drug List
Four Seasons uses a preferred drug list. This list is routinely reviewed and approved by our medical director and a pharmacist and is current with clinical evidence about the effective and safe use of medications. If a patient is on a medication that is not on Four Seasons’ preferred drug list, your nurse and care provider will discuss changing the medication to one that is on the list. Keeping the patient comfortable and safe is our first priority.
Managing Medications
- Read the labels before taking any medications.
- Ask your nurse if you have any questions regarding how or why to use the medication.
- Take medication exactly as ordered by your medical provider.
- Do not stop taking any medication abruptly, even if you feel it does not help.
- Talk with your nurse or medical provider before stopping any medication.
- Store medications in a child-safe location according to safety and temperature guidelines recommended on the containers.
- Refills will often be every two weeks. We do this to avoid waste since medications can change often.
- Dispose of out-of-date or no longer used medicines safely. See below for information on how to dispose this medication properly. Your Care Team can always assist, also.
Tips for Taking Medications
- The patient should sit up as straight as possible and wet their mouth with a small drink of water before taking medication.
- A little jam, applesauce, pudding or ice cream on a spoon with the medications can make swallowing much easier (and tastier!).
- Some, but not all, medications can be crushed and given in food to make them easier to swallow. Always consult your nurse or pharmacist first before crushing any medications.
- Give medicines for nausea (upset stomach) about 30 minutes before other medicines.
Prescription Medication
You can help to prevent drug misuse, abuse and accidental poisonings by following these DOs and DON’Ts:
DOs:
• DO keep medications in the original container and out of sight and reach of children and pets.
• DO store your medications in a secure area. Consider a cabinet or drawer that you can lock.
• DO check the date on everything in your medicine cabinet and dispose of anything that has passed the expiration date.
• DO check to see which medications need to be refrigerated. Make sure they are stored where they will not freeze and where children cannot easily reach them.
DON’Ts:
• DON’T take medications in front of children, since they tend to mimic adults.
• DON’T give your medications to others or take someone else’s medications.
• DON’T put different medications into one bottle.
• DON’T store medications in places that are hot and humid.
• DON’T take a medication that looks different (i.e. color, shape, size, etc.) than you are accustomed to without first checking with your pharmacist.
Proper disposal of medications will keep you, your family, your pets and the environment safe! It will also keep medications from being diverted and used illegally.
Disposing of Prescription Medication
Why do I need to properly dispose of my unused medications?
It is important to dispose of drugs the right way to prevent someone taking them by accident, or through an illegal sale. Proper disposal also protects children and pets from harm caused by accidental ingestion.
Where can I properly dispose of my unused medications?
Check to see if there are any drug take-back programs near you. There is a list of local drug take-back programs in this Hospice Care Guide.
Note: Due to the high risk for harm, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends flushing for certain potent pain medications. A list of these medications can be found by going to the FDA’s website (fda.gov) and searching for “Disposal by Flushing”. Your Care Team also has this information readily available.
If there is not a local drug take-back program in my area, what should I do to safely dispose of medications?
- Keep prescriptions in the original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
- Before disposing, scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable before throwing out a medicine container. This will help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.
- Add some water or soda to pills to start dissolving them. Mix pills or liquid drugs with something that you cannot eat, like cat litter or dirt.
- Close the lid and secure with duct or packing tape.
- Place the bottle(s) inside a non‐see through container like a coffee can or detergent bottle.
- Tape that container closed.
- Hide the container in the trash. Do not put in the recycle bin.
Who can I talk to if I am still unsure about how to properly dispose of my unused medications?
Ask your pharmacist or Care Team how to safely dispose of your medications.
Disposing of Sharp Objects (Needles, syringes, lancets, etc.)
- Drop sharp objects in a puncture-proof container with a lid. You can use bleach bottles, detergent bottles or metal containers, or we can provide you with a sharps disposal box.
- Be sure to label the container “Hazardous/Sharp Materials/Do Not Recycle.”
- Do not use glass or clear plastic containers.
- Do not overfill the containers. Dispose of the container when it is no more than two-thirds full.
- Keep container out of reach of children and pets.
- DO NOT RECAP needles before discarding them. Many puncture injuries occur when trying to recap a needle. Place the needle or sharp object directly into the puncture-proof container.
- Close the lid of the container tightly and seal with heavy-duty tape before placing in the trash.
Drug Take Back Locations in WNC
Buncombe County
Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office
339 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville
828.250.6670, M-F 8-5
Asheville City Police Dept
100 Court Plaza, Asheville
828.252.1110, M-F 8:30-5
Cherokee County
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office
577 Regal St, Murphy
828.837.2521, Open 24/7
Murphy Police Department
93 Peachtree St , Murphy
828.837.2214, Open 24/7
Clay County
Clay County Sheriff’s Office
295 Courthouse Dr, Hayesville
828.389.6354, Open 24/7
Graham County
Graham County Sheriff’s Office
300 Rodney Orr Bypass, Robbinsville
828.479.3352, Open 24/7
Haywood County
Clyde Police Department
8437 Carolina Blvd, Clyde
828.627.2940, M-F 8-5
Waynesville Police Department
9 South Main St, Waynesville
828.456.5363, M-F 8-5
Henderson County
Henderson County Sheriff’s Office
100 N Grove St, Hendersonville
828.697.4596, M-F 8-5
Hendersonville Police Department
630 Ashe St, Hendersonville
828.697.3025, Open 24/7
Fletcher Police Department
300 Old Cane Creek Rd, Fletcher
828.687.7922, M-F 9-5
Jackson County
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
399 Grindstaff Cove Rd, Sylva
828.586.8901, M-F 8-5
Macon County
Macon County Sheriff’s Office
18 Patton Ave, Franklin
828.349.2152, M-F 8-5
Highlands Police Department
372 Oak St, Highlands
828.526.9431, M-Sat 8-6
Madison County
Mars Hill Police Department
280 North Main St, Mars Hill
828.689.2301, M-F 8:30-5
Marshall Police Department
180 South Main St, Marshall
828.649.2111, M-F 8-5
Polk County
Tryon Police Department
291 N Trade St, Tryon
828.859.9195, M-F 7-7
Columbus Police Department
164 Government Complex D,
Columbus
828.894.3001, M-F 8-5
Rutherford County
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office
198 North Washington St
828.287.6247, M-Sunday 9-5
Smiths Drugs of Forest City
139 East Main St, Forest City
828.245.4591, M-F 7:30-7,
Sat 7:30-4
Lake Lure Police Department
2950 Memorial Hwy, Lake Lure
828.625.4911, M-F 9-5
Swain County
Swain County Sheriff’s Department
95 Brendle St, Bryson City
828.488.0159, Open 24/7
Bryson City Pharmacy
200 US Hwy 19 South, Bryson City
828.488.1705, M-F 8-8
Transylvania County
Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office
153 Public Safety Way, Brevard
828.884.3168, M-Saturday 8-5
