Medication adherence is a term that refers to how well patients take their medications as prescribed. This could include how many tablets to take, how often in a week, at what time in a day, whether it has to be taken before or after food and so on. The non adherence of patients to medication is becoming a growing concern among healthcare professionals as the treatment process can be handicapped by and proved ineffective.
If you find yourself guilty of not taking your medications regularly, it is probably due to one or more of the following reasons:
- Concern over cost: One of the primary reasons for most patients to skip or avoid medications is the high expense it incurs.This may be your concern too.
- Time: You probably have a busy schedule that allows you little time to focus on your health and take the time for medications.
- Side effects: Your afraid of the potential side effects of a certain medication.
- Lack of knowledge: You probably did not understand the doctor’s instructions, or you may have forgotten what the doctor had instructed you.
- Self-decision: You decide that, after a few days of medication, you feel better and no longer need to continue taking the medicines even though the doctor had asked you to take a longer course.
All of the others are fairly valid reasons, and a number of patients are struggling with the same concerns. However, not completing your dose with due diligence may cause more trouble.
Here are a few helpful tips that can help you rise above your apprehensions and take your medications regularly:
- Talk to your doctor to understand your health condition properly and how each recommended medication can help improve it. Find out why a certain medication has to be taken on a longer course. Also discuss about side effects and ask if you can do anything in order to prevent or minimise them. Your doctor will be happy to explain.
- If you are the type who will not remember the prescription once you leave the doctor’s office, take a minute to note it down before you leave.
- Set alarms/reminders on your phone to take your medication at the same time every day, as directed by the doctor.
- If you are following a long course of medication, keep track of it by creating a “medicine calendar”.
- Use pill containers if you have more than two or three medicines to take at different points of the day.
- Assign a family member to take charge of your medication schedule if you are unable to do it on your own.
- Add your medication to your travel checklist so that you don’t leave it behind while travelling.
- Read the instructions on the label (expiry date, proper storage etc.) of the medicines and keep them in proper places at home as per the instructions given (“away from sunlight”, “below 20 degree celsius”, etc.)
