Managing your medications

Maintenance inhalers: Advair, Flovent, Symbicort, Dulera, Qvar, Asmanex

• Maintenance inhalers, also called controller inhalers, help prevent asthma attacks and symptoms.
• Maintenance inhalers must be used every day, even when you do not have asthma symptoms.
• When you use them as directed, you should not need to use your rescue inhaler very often.

Rescue inhalers: Albuterol, Proair, Ventolin, Levalbuterol

• Rescue inhalers help you when you have symptoms of an asthma attack.
• You should only use your rescue inhaler as needed when you have asthma symptoms. 
• Rescue inhalers do not provide long-term asthma control when used alone. They do not prevent asthma symptoms or attacks.
• Overuse of rescue inhalers can worsen asthma and increase risks of asthma attacks. 
• Using a rescue inhaler more than twice a week may mean your asthma is not controlled. Contact your provider if you use your albuterol inhaler more than two times per week or use more than three inhalers per year.

Visit our asthma page for more helpful tips for managing your asthma.

Taking your high blood pressure medications every day as directed can prevent or delay serious health problems like heart attacks, strokes, blindness and kidney failure.

Visit our hypertension page for more resources to help you manage your high blood pressure.

Metformin is a common medication that is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is taken daily or multiple times per day to help lower your blood sugar.

• Metformin helps to manage diabetes; it doesn't provide a cure.  Therefore, it's important to keep taking it regularly.
• Metformin can cause minor side effects like diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain but these usually go away with time. Taking metformin with meals can help to reduce these side effects.
• If side effects from metformin are extremely bothersome and do not go away after 2 to 4 weeks, talk to your provider so they can help you manage them. 
• When first starting therapy for diabetes some people feel stressed or anxious. Let your doctor know if you are struggling, so they can help.

Visit our diabetes page for more helpful tips for managing your diabetes.

Opioids, sometimes called opiates or narcotics, are a type of drug that help relieve moderate-to-severe pain when other treatments may not have worked. They can include drugs such as oxycodone, morphine, and tramadol.  Using opioids comes with serious risks, like overdose and addiction, and these risks increase the longer you use opioids.   

How to safely use opioids

• Go to a single healthcare provider for all of your opioid prescriptions so they can check your doses, how your medications work together and how they affect you. 
• Store opioids in a secure, locked location.
• Safely dispose of unused medication.
• Talk to your doctor about how you can manage your pain without opioids.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting naloxone (Narcan), which can be used to treat an opioid overdose. Naloxone is covered by all WellSense plans.

What not to do when taking opioids

• Don't take more medication than your doctor prescribed. Taking too much of an opioid, even when it’s prescribed to you, can be dangerous and even lead to death.
• Don't drink alcohol while taking opioids.
• Don't combine opioids with drugs like benzodiazepines (like Xanax or Valium), hypnotics (like Ambien or Lunesta), muscle relaxers (like Flexeril or Soma), or other opioids unless your doctor tells you to.
• Don't use another person’s prescription opioids.
• Don't share your medications with others.

Visit our opioid safety page for more information about using opioids safely.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are medicines that reduce stomach acid. They are used to treat heartburn or stomach ulcers. Common PPIs include Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid.

• PPIs are usually taken once or twice a day, 30 to 60 minutes before a meal.
• PPIs are generally used for a short time, like for four to eight weeks.
  • For some conditions, PPIs may be used long term. However, using them for longer than necessary may cause side effects, like an increased risk of bone fractures, vitamin deficiencies and certain infections.
  • The risks of these side effects increase the longer you take a PPI or if you take two PPIs at once.

There are other ways to help your heartburn and reflux symptoms:

• Avoid eating two to three hours before bedtime.
• Raise the head of your bed six to eight inches so that you sleep at an angle with your head and chest higher than your feet.
• Avoid foods that may trigger your symptoms, like chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and fatty foods.
• Smoking can also worsen your symptoms. If you smoke and want to quit, visit smokefree.gov or call 800-QUIT-NOW.
• Losing weight may also help reduce acid reflux and prevent heartburn. Visit our weight management page for helpful resources.