Follow prescriptions for better health
Do you wonder why your health care provider and pharmacist stress that you take your medication as prescribed? It may seem like a small thing to not finish off antibiotics or to double up on a medication, but in reality, there can be serious consequences if you do not take your medication as prescribed.
If you stop taking your antibiotics before you finish them all, you could end up more sick than you started. Some of the bacteria that were making you ill may not be dead yet, even if you feel better, and the ones still alive may develop resistance (when an antibiotic can no longer kill bacteria that it used to be able to fight) to the antibiotic you were taking. If the infection returns, you may have to take a broader spectrum antibiotic (it kills more types of bacteria) the second time around. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are more likely to cause serious side effects like diarrhea and yeast infections. We always want to get rid of an infection with the least aggressive antibiotic possible to slow the development of antibiotic resistance.
Doubling up on pain medication can stress your liver and/or kidneys and may irritate your stomach. Too much of some pain medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naprosyn can cause ulcers, or sores, in the lining of your stomach. If the medication contains a narcotic, increasing the dose can lead to drowsiness, falls, and in an alarming number of cases, death from overdose.
Taking too much blood pressure medication can cause dizziness and fainting, although this is far less common than patients not taking enough or stopping the medication entirely. Patients often complain that they feel tired when on blood pressure medication or do not notice feeling any better. While I sympathize with the problem, I emphasize that the medication can prevent serious problems like strokes and aneurysms and that over time, with the right medicine and dosage, most side effects will decrease.
Sometimes changing the time of day you take a medication can make it easier to comply. A patient of mine who started taking an antidepressant found that it made her sleepy. By switching to nighttime doses, she slept better at night and after a few weeks her body became accustomed to the medication and she no longer felt drowsy from it.
If you forget to take some doses because you are supposed to take medication several times a day, it may be possible to change to a regimen that’s easier to remember. It is always worth asking your doctor if there is a simpler way to treat your condition. I now use one of those seven-day pillboxes. Load it up once a week so you have a visual reminder to take your meds. Setting reminders on your computer or phone can help too. It is really hard to know if a medication will help you if you cannot take it consistently.
If you are having difficulty taking your medications as prescribed or are having side effects that make you want to stop taking your medication, talk to your health care provider. Often the medication dose, timing, or choice can be changed to make it easier to take.
If you experience side effects so severe that they scare you – such as difficulty breathing, rapid or irregular heart rate, dizziness or fainting, or chest pain – have someone drive you to urgent care or the emergency room, or call 911.
No matter what the reason for wanting to make changes to your medication, Do NOT make changes on your own. Sticking to your medication regimen means better health in the long run.
Dr. Bob Riggs is a family medicine physician practicing at Group Health’s Riverfront Medical Center.