To Take or Not to Take

1. Script for medications We are sick. We go to a doctor and are given a script for medications to take to make us better. But almost one-third of us never take that script to a pharmacy, and over 50% of us end up not taking our medication asprescribed. But why does this happen? Is it because most of us believe we know better than our doctor? Mistrust is one of the top reasons for medication non adherence, but other, more genuine explanations include the cost of the medication, sideeffects. Doctors who take the time at the point of prescribing to ask their patient “What would make it worthwhile for you to take this medication in the next month?” may be able to pre-empt any non adherence issues and allow their patient to open up about any fears, valuesorsocialpressures.Physicianscouldthenusethatinformationtomodify treatment decisions or simplify medication regimens to ensure the best outcome for theirpatients. Bestresults If you are the patient, the only way you will get the best results from your medication is to take it exactly as instructed by your doctor. And give your medicines a chance to do their job. If for some reason you are not able to do this, then you should ring your doctor and explain why you can’t, for example, because of side effects or lack of a perceived benefit. The worst thing you can do is pretend that you are taking your medication as prescribed because then your doctor does not have a true picture of what is happening and may escalate the dose of your medicine unnecessarily or schedule you for further investigations. Both may result in potential harm for you and increased costsoverall. So, if you are prescribed medications, take them as directed, or be honest and come clean with your doctor. Because getting on top of your condition requires a teameffort.