If you take a medicine (or more than one) every day, you might wonder if it's a big problem to skip a day here and there. Can your health really be affected if you sometimes miss a pill, either by mistake or on purpose?
The answer is yes!
If you have a chronic health problem, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol as just two examples, you have that problem every day. It doesn't come and go like a common cold, and sadly, it's not likely to get better by itself (although for many problems, good food and exercise can help keep your health steady and manage chronic diseases).
Because your health problem doesn't disappear, sticking to your therapy - which means taking your medicine exactly as told every single day - is very important. In fact, it's estimated to be a
$300 billion dollar problem, according to Prescriptions for a Healthy America. Sticking to therapy helps to manage your disease effectively to stop it from getting worse. It also reduces the number of times you have to see your doctor, and lowers the risk of ER visits and long-term hospital stays. Plus, staying healthy saves you money, which is definitely a nice extra benefit!
There are several reasons that can lead to not sticking to medicine schedules. Here's a list of a few reasons, and what you can do to "stay on track" no matter what:
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Patient reasons. This includes not understanding your medicines, what they do, or how often you should take them. The solution to this is to ask! Whenever you get a new medicine, ask the doctor or the pharmacist to explain it to you, including exactly when you should take it, and any side effects or interactions with other drugs, vitamins, foods/drinks you should know about.
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Doctor factors. Patients often see many doctors, and each doctor visit can be short and sometimes confusing. This can lead to potentially harmful drug interactions, as well as not understanding how and when a medicine should be taken. As stated above, the solution is to ask questions. Have a list of all your medicines with you, to go over with each doctor you see. Whenever you get a new medicine, review the whole list, and ask your doctor questions until you totally understand what you are taking, how often, and why. You can find some tips about talking with your doctor
here. And if you have questions after you leave the doctor's office, don't hesitate to ask the pharmacist. In fact, IALOP member's licensed pharmacists are always ready to help patients by answering your medicine questions.
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Health care system problems. The U.S. health care system is broken up, and different providers, and regular/urgent care centers, don't always talk effectively with each other. For this reason, it's important for the patient, or a friend or family member, to help coordinate care. This means going over your medicine list with each provider you see (carry the list with you at all times). If you give your list of medicines to your pharmacist as well, he or she can help you manage your medicines and avoid interactions.
In conclusion, the more you know about your medicines and the more you talk with your health care providers and pharmacists, the better your health will be.
