Taking medication: is it as easy as we think?
You leave your doctor's office with a slip of paper in your hand that you can barely decipher. "What was it he said... a pill, a tablet or a syrup? I've already forgotten what I am supposed to do with this prescription... and yet he explained it all to me..."
Now you are in front of your neighbourhood pharmacy: "What should I do: do I go in or don't I?" You decide to go in.
Did you talk to you pharmacist?
After listening to your pharmacist and asking him any questions that you may have, you buy your medication and go home. You are determined to follow all the instructions you have been given: take one tablet twice a day with a meal, no alcohol or milk products. No problem-it couldn't be easier! You have no doubt that you will be able to follow the instructions you have been given by your doctor and pharmacist.
What if I forget to take my medication?
Despite your determination, you forget to take the first two doses: last night, you were so tired and this morning, you could think of nothing but your youngest child's whopping cold and now you only have 15 minutes to get to the office in time for the meeting your boss has called! It is turning out to be a bit more difficult than you had thought...
You can probably picture this quite easily. In fact, studies have shown that after a 10-day treatment, a few pills tend to be left in the bottle… people rarely follow the treatment until the very end. The situation is not much better when it comes to long-term medication. For example, one in every two people taking high blood pressure medication will have stopped following their treatment after one year and one in every five will have done the same after five years!
Why is it important?
Medication plays an important role in preventing and healing serious illness as well as in relieving symptoms. That is why it is so important to follow the treatment plan set out by health professionals. Of course, no one is perfect and it is easy to forget to take your medication. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that there are always consequences when you do not take your medication correctly or when you stop taking your medication too soon. At times, these consequences can be more serious than you think. Taking one or more forms of medication represents a lifestyle change and although it may appear simple, it is often a difficult change to accept or to integrate adequately in our already very busy lives.
We would like you to take a few minutes to consider this issue in order to assess whether you are at risk of not taking your medication. Let's begin!