Take your medications as prescribed — the right dose, at the right time, in the right way and frequency — says the United States Food and Drug Administration.

And why is that important? “Simply put, not taking your medicine as prescribed by a doctor or instructed by a pharmacist could lead to your disease getting worse, hospitalisation, even death.” The best results from the medicine come from sticking with your prescribed routine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that non-adherence causes 30-50 per cent of chronic disease treatment failures and 125,000 deaths per year in the US. Some 25-50 per cent of patients being treated with statins (cholesterol lowering medications) who stop their therapy within one year have up to a 25 per cent increased risk for dying.

Medication is not taken as prescribed 50 per cent of the time. The reason patients do not follow medical instructions or the prescription include not understanding directions, forgetfulness, multiple medications with different regimens, unpleasant side-effects or the medication doesn’t seem to be working.

Cost is also a factor sometimes, as patients can’t afford to fill their prescriptions or decide to take less than the prescribed dose to make the prescription last longer.

Providing tips to stick to your medicine routine, the FDA says, take your medication at the same time every day, link medications with a daily routine like brushing your teeth (check if medicine is on empty stomach etc), keep a “medicine calendar”, use a pill container and refill it at the same time every week. When travelling, take a little extra stock of your medicine, in case your return is delayed and while flying, keep medication in your carry-on bag to avoid lost luggage.

Source: USFDA

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