Medication Adherence | Itamar Medical

                
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Medication Adherence

Medication and Your Endothelial Health | Take Your Medications | How To Improve Medication Adherence

There are many reasons why people stop adhering to doctor’s orders. Some people stop taking their medicine as directed because they feel better after taking it for a while, even though the drug hasn’t finished doing its job. Some people never fill their prescriptions in the first place. At the other extreme, some people not only take all the doses of their medication but also take more than prescribed. Other people simply forget to take a dose, especially if they have multiple prescriptions.

Overall, studies report that about 50% of prescriptions are not taken as directed. If you have a chronic illness such as heart disease that requires daily medication, taking the drugs properly can prevent you from getting sicker, keep you out of the hospital, and reduce the cost of treatment over time.

People are particularly likely to deviate from the directions on their prescriptions if they must take medications indefinitely for a chronic disease such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. Studies show that for long-term therapy, the adherence rate (how frequently people take their medications as prescribed) drops off with time.

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It requires a special kind of commitment to stick with a medication intended to prevent future consequences of a chronic condition if you feel generally well, compared with when you need to take a drug for symptoms that are bothering you.

Long-term statin therapy is a good example. Many high-quality scientific studies demonstrate the benefits of statin drugs for preventing heart disease and extending the lives of people who already have heart problems. You get the most benefit from statins if you take them consistently for years. Even so, studies show that regardless of what the scientists say, people stop taking their statins as time goes by—even when cost is not a serious consideration.

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