1.    What is this medication for?

This is one of the most important questions to ask. After all, you need to know just what you’re putting into your body and why you're doing so, right?

"If you don’t understand your problem, you might downplay the importance of following the treatment plan. Explaining why you need a prescription is your doctor's job, but taking medication as prescribed is yours,” says Dr. Jeffrey Cain to Next Avenue.

If your doctor isn’t clear on an answer, ask again. And ask your pharmacist for more details. Pharmacists can print out information on the medications you’re taking and why.

At the end of the day, you shouldn’t feel like you’re on an island with no resources. So speak up for the sake of safety.

2.    Are there any side effects associated with this medication?

Medications can come with concerning side effects -- and you need to know just what those side effects are, especially side effects can be life-threatening.

Let’s take, for example, the story of the side effects associated with a commonly prescribed medication. The medication was a blood thinner.

Blood thinners are regularly prescribed to reduce the risk of strokes. Warfarin was once considered the go-to drug of choice in the way of blood thinners. However, in 2010, a new medication called Pradaxa was approved by the FDA. As a result, millions of people began to use this medication.