Patient was educated on how to take Meloxicam as follows:
- Take Meloxicam pill with or without food along with a full 8 oz. glass of water. Taking the medication with food helps prevent any nauseating sensation and stomach upset.
- Evenly space out the doses of pain pill and take the dose at the scheduled time every day.
- Keeping to the schedule of pain pill intake helps to avoid forgetting the medication.
- If you are taking Meloxicam on an as needed basis, do not wait for the pain to peak to have your pill. Pain medications work best when taken at the first appreciation of pain, before the pain peaks.
- Do not crush or chew the Meloxicam pill. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released too quick at one time, thus compromising the therapeutic effect of Meloxicam.
- Maintain strict compliance with intake of Meloxicam as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication. Noncompliance with recommendation on Meloxicam intake can result in ineffective pain control.
- Do not change the dose on Meloxicam without consulting your doctor.
- Do not share your pain pills with any family and friends.
- Do not take the pill with alcohol, as this can increase the chance for gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Do not abuse Meloxicam by continuing to take the medication, even after the pain resolved. Meloxicam carries significant risk for compromising renal function leading to renal failure.
- Watch out for any continuing or worsening pain, to report to your doctor immediately, so that, a change in plan could be considered.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
