Good medication questions should end in a decision, monitoring plan, and stop rule. Bring the exact bottle or package and a complete medicine list; a brand name remembered from memory is not enough.
Download the printable 12-page appointment-question guide (PDF)
Before the first or next course
- What diagnosis and measurable treatment goal justify naproxen?
- Is this naproxen or naproxen sodium, what is the strength, and is it immediate-, delayed-, or extended-release?
- Which label or prescription directions apply, and what is the planned stop or review date?
- Which personal risk matters most: prior ulcer/bleed, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, blood pressure, asthma reaction, pregnancy, age, or dehydration?
- Does another product contain naproxen, ibuprofen, aspirin, or another NSAID?
Questions about other medicines
- Does an anticoagulant, antiplatelet medicine, steroid, SSRI/SNRI, diuretic, ACE inhibitor, ARB, methotrexate, lithium, supplement, or alcohol pattern change the plan?
- If low-dose aspirin was prescribed for heart or stroke prevention, who will decide whether naproxen can be used and how timing should be handled?
- Would a non-NSAID, topical, local, or non-drug treatment meet the same goal with fewer conflicts?
- Do I need baseline or follow-up kidney function, electrolytes, blood pressure, blood count, or another test?
Questions during treatment
- What amount of improvement should occur, and by when?
- Which symptom means hold the next dose and call the office the same day?
- Which symptom means call emergency services rather than send a portal message?
- What should happen during vomiting, diarrhea, fever, poor intake, pregnancy, or a newly scheduled procedure?
Leave with a written plan
Write the exact product, schedule, maximum exposure, duration, monitoring item, responsible clinician, follow-up date, serious stop signs, and alternative if naproxen is unsuitable. If two sets of directions conflict, ask the dispensing pharmacist to reconcile them before taking the next dose.