Importance Of Consuming Medications As Prescribed
Why is it crucial to follow medication prescriptions?
Following your medication regimen includes taking your medicines in the proper dosage, at the appropriate time, adequately, and with the proper frequency. This is critical for maintaining your general health and well-being, regulating ongoing chronic disorders, successfully treating temporary illnesses, and preventing disease in the first place.
When your doctor prescribes a medicine, he or she will most likely specify how often you need to consume the medication as well as how long you should take it. Dependent on the quantity of medication that experts have concluded your body requires to adequately tackle a specific condition or sickness, this suggested dosage and treatment period has been established for you. You may have to consume a recommended drug once a day or many times per day, one week, several months, or even several years to treat your disease.
Consult with your doctor before discontinuing any medicine
For a number of reasons, people may assume they are able to discontinue taking a prescription. They may begin to feel better, but they may not comprehend the directions, may have unpleasant side effects, may not believe that the treatment is working, may be unable to manage to fill their prescriptions, or may just no longer choose to take the drug anymore.
However, you must always consult your doctor before discontinuing a pharmaceutical regimen. It is because medications are supplied with particular instructions, and discontinuing some prescriptions abruptly can have catastrophic repercussions.
It’s a good idea to go through all of the medications you’re currently taking with your doctor on a frequent basis. Prescription pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter medications, and dietary supplements are all included. Your doctor can assist you in determining if your drug dosages have to be adjusted, whether you need to begin taking other medications, or whether you can discontinue using a prescription. Suppose your doctor concludes that you are able to quit a particular drug. In that case, he or she should inform you whether you can quit taking the prescription immediately or whether you must gradually reduce the dosage to allow your body to adjust.
How does it affect your health if you forget to take your medication?
It is not necessary to be alarmed if you miss to take a medication that you take on a regular basis. While some prescriptions come with instructions about what to do in case you forget to take a normal dose, you may do a few measures to make up for it if you don’t have such instructions.
NOTICE: Do not take more than one dose of your medication at the same time; doing so could be hazardous.
Even by the time you notice that you missed a dose, it is too late to make up for it; instead, return to the regular prescription regimen.
You can get guidance from your pharmacist and physician if you’re unsure about what to do.
Plan ahead of time to ensure that you remember to take your meds on time and that you do not miss any more doses.
Importance Of Consuming Medications As Prescribed
Adverse drug responses and allergic reactions to medications
Stopping a medicine and consulting your doctor right away is recommended if you are experiencing a serious adverse and allergic response to a medication you’re taking. A variety of side effects, intolerances, and undesirable drug interactions are categorized as negative responses. They are generally expected and accepted as typical to a certain extent for most prescription prescriptions. Severe symptoms that jeopardize your health, on the other hand, are not specific and therefore should be shared with your doctor as soon as possible.
In contrast to adverse reactions, drug allergies are more significant and only occur whenever your immune system erroneously assaults the medicine as if it were an external bacteria or virus, causing it to be destroyed. An allergic response to medicine can have catastrophic, even life-threatening implications if taken in large quantities. Breathing difficulties, swelling, getting light-headed, throat stiffness, coughing, stomach problems, cramps, seizures, and low blood pressure are all possible symptoms.
If you suffer negative symptoms upon taking a medicine, the doctor may be able to assess your symptoms and tell you if you are having an adverse reaction to the medication or whether you are sensitive to the medication in question. If required, your doctor will instruct you to discontinue taking the drug that is causing the problems and will offer alternative means of treatment for you.
Medications that should not be stopped suddenly
Stopping some medications abruptly might be dangerous, especially if you have a medical condition. The following medicines may cause you to become ill or for you to develop potentially life-threatening complications if you quit taking them suddenly without first visiting your doctor.’
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat anxiety, sleeplessness, and panic attacks, and they are also used to treat seizures. Acute discontinuation of medications such as Xanax, Ativan, and Halcion can produce agitation, anxiety, high heart rate, hallucinations, sleeplessness, convulsions, sweating, tremors, and nausea if the medicine is stopped rapidly.
Sleep aids
Stopping sleep aids such as Lunesta, Sonata, and Ambien abruptly can induce anxiety, muscle cramps, nausea, and seizures in people who have been using them for a lengthy period.
Antidepressants
Antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft can produce side effects such as agitation, anxiety, disorientation, insomnia, nausea, and worsening or depression if you quit taking them abruptly, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Statins
Statins, such as Lipitor, Mevacor, and Zocor, used to decrease cholesterol, can cause the cholesterol to soar and even trigger a cardiac arrest if they are not stopped properly.
Corticosteroids
If you stop using corticosteroids, which are used to treat disorders such as asthma, arthritis, and some skin problems, you may have symptoms such as exhaustion, low blood pressure, muscular aches and pains, nausea, and weight loss.
Hormone therapy
When hormone therapy medicines including estrogen (Premarin) and estrogen combined with progestin (Prefest and Prempro) are not appropriately stopped, they can produce symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, flushes, and sweating, among other things.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Failure to properly discontinue a regular aspirin regimen can result in a heart attack. Other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as celecoxib or ibuprofen, can give headaches if stopped suddenly.
Opioids
You should always seek your doctor’s advice before discontinuing opioid medications such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and propoxyphene. Sudden discontinuation of opioids can lead to severe withdrawal disorders like anxiety, chills, cramps, and diarrhea. Other symptoms may include aggression, sleeplessness, muscle soreness, and vomiting. After being provided an opioid to ease pain, the doctor should work with you to gradually reduce your dosage and eventually switch to a less potent painkiller once the pain subsides completely. Due to the high risk of addiction associated with opioids, they should be prescribed when required to relieve pain.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics must be followed for the whole period on your doctor’s order. Antibiotics can create antibiotic resistance if they are not taken as prescribed. Antibiotic resistance occurs when germs (bacteria) develop the ability to withstand the effects of medications. Antibiotic resistance is harmful because it has the potential to make infections and diseases that were previously curable with antibiotics untreatable in the future.
Some tips that may help you in consuming medication as prescribed
Every day, at the same time, take your medicine as directed. Take your meds simultaneously as you do something else you do every day, such as brushing your teeth and laying in bed. Before deciding on a lunchtime for your regimen, determine whether the medication should be consumed on an empty stomach or a full stomach.
Keep a “medicine calendar” with the pill bottles and write down every time you consume a dose to keep track of your medication intake.
Use a tablet container to store your medication. There are sections for several dosages in certain varieties at various times of day, such as in the mornings, afternoons, evenings, and nights.
If you are using a tablet container, make sure you refill at the same time every week. Consider every Sunday early morning as an example.
Purchase timed caps for the pill bottles and program them to sound when it is time to take your next dose. Some medication boxes also contain timer functions, which are helpful in some situations.
When traveling, make sure to include adequate medication for the duration of your trip, plus a few extra days in case your comeback is delayed.
If you’re traveling by plane, keep med in your carry-on backpack in case of delay in your luggage. Temperatures in the cargo compartment could cause your medication to become ineffective.
To conclude
Medication compliance refers to the practice of taking your medicines exactly as prescribed by your physician. Medication non-compliance can be caused by a variety of factors, including expense, forgetfulness, doubting the efficacy of the medication, unclear instructions, and negative health effects.
Noncompliance with prescribed medications, regardless of the reason, is a severe problem that can risk your health.
Importance Of Consuming Medications As Prescribed
