Filling prescriptions for diabetes or high blood pressure medicines on time can be crucial to your overall health. While some may think that it’ s common sense that if you take the time to go to the doctor and get a prescription then certainly you will get the prescription and take it as prescribed, but that is not always the case. Failure to fill prescriptions on time and to take the prescriptions as prescribed can have a tremendous impact: such as worsening of primary condition, increased emergency room visits / hospitalizations, and increased number of secondary conditions or complications. In the U. S. about 4 billion prescriptions are written annually but only 50 % of them are taken correctly or taken at all. Among the reasons people give for noncompliance are: cost, dosing, forgetfulness, time, side effects, apprehension, low to no symptoms, etc. Equally important as filling medicine on time and taking them as prescribed, disposing of expired or unused medication can have a huge impact.
Unused prescription bottles may cause confusion as to whether or not you took your medicine yet or it can cause“ ineffective treatment” if expired.
While a number of diseases or conditions may be lifethreatening if left untreated over a long period of time, most can be treated or prevented. Pharmacists and other health care individuals may serve as professional support and guidance to improving your quality of life. Taking time to personally know your pharmacist may be key to understanding your prescriptions and condition. Also pharmacists may serve as liaisons between doctors and patients. Other tools in place to improve drug therapy and compliance are autorefills and reminders, pilldosing containers, drug utilization therapy, and patient medication therapy reviews. With such an ever changing, fast paced world, there are still a number of ways in which you can stay a step ahead of the game when it comes to your health.
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