Updated on March 21, 2024.
When you’ve been diagnosed with a lasting or chronic condition, you’ll often have to take medications for a long time. But keeping up with your medication schedule can be a struggle.
In fact, about one out of every two people does not take prescribed medication according to directions. Common reasons include:
- Motivation
- Cost
- Not quite understanding health issues or why they're taking medications
- Complicated prescribing information
- Honest mistakes like forgetting to take them
But to get the most benefit from your treatments, it’s important to follow your prescription as closely as possible.
What is medication adherence?
Adherence means you take a medication exactly as it’s prescribed for as long as it’s prescribed.
For some people, adherence simply means that they complete their course of prescribed drugs. For example, antibiotics are usually given for a specific amount of time. Adhering to an antibiotic prescription helps ensure that you get well and stay well after a short-term infection.
But for people who have long-term or chronic conditions, adherence is more than a week-long commitment. For many people, it’s a commitment for life.
If you take medication over the long term, think about roadblocks that could prevent you from taking it correctly. Anticipating these obstacles can help you avoid them. Plus, understanding the downsides of non-adherence can remind you to stay on track.
Understand your condition
People who struggle with adherence do so for different reasons. Some of those reasons are specific to their medication or condition. But generally, there are some common factors that you can foresee and possibly control.
One big reason people don’t take medications correctly: They don’t know why they’re taking them in the first place. They may not fully understand their condition or how it can be treated with medication. For conditions that have no symptoms—such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure—a person may not realize that medication helps, since they don’t feel noticeably better.
In many healthcare situations, people often feel as if the burden is on them to seek the information. But learning about the need for a prescription is a two-way street. Healthcare providers (HCPs) should explain things so that patients understand why it’s important to take medications correctly. At the same time, patients should ask questions and get information from HCPs until they do understand.
Ask the right questions about your prescription
When it’s time for your appointment or when you’re picking up a prescription from your pharmacist, make sure you have your questions ready. You might want to ask the following:
- What health condition do I have that requires this medication?
- What will the medication do?
- What is the brand name of my medication?
- What is the name of the active ingredient in my drug?
- What are the best times and conditions for taking it (morning, with food, etc.)?
- Will the drug begin working immediately or take longer?
- Are there special storage needs?
- Could this drug interact with other medications or supplements I already take?
- Should I avoid any specific food, alcohol, or activities when taking this drug?
- If I want to stop the medication, what should I do?
Getting the answers you need can help overcome many adherence obstacles.
Stick with your prescription when your condition improves
Sometimes, you might want to stop taking a medication because you feel better or your condition seems to improve. The problem with that, especially with chronic conditions, is that stopping can reverse your progress.
Take statins, for example. Statins are drugs that help reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol (called low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) and other fats in the blood. Taking them can lower the risk for stroke, heart attacks, and death.
But statins work only if you take them as prescribed—if you “adhere” to your treatment plan. You might start a prescription for a statin and learn that your cholesterol levels have moved into a healthy range. But if you stop taking the drug, your levels will likely climb again. This puts you back on the path toward more serious heart disease.
Yet according to some research, up to half of patients who take statins don’t take them as prescribed. Or, they even quit statins altogether. What’s more, as many as four out of five don’t hit their target cholesterol, partly because their statins go underused. The patterns are similar for people who take medications for high blood pressure.
It’s vital to continue to take your medication as prescribed, even if your symptoms or numbers improve.
Stay the course when you feel worse
Sometimes, medication can make you feel bad. The reality is that many drugs involve side effects, some worse or more significant than others.
When you start taking your medication, you talk to your HCP about side effects. Make sure to find out which ones are most common, which usually go away over time, and which warrant a call to the doctor.
If you feel that the side effects outweigh the drug’s benefits, don’t stop taking it without first talking with your HCP. Suddenly stopping some medications can be dangerous. These include corticosteroids, antidepressants, and beta-blockers.
Lower drug costs when you can
Drugs can be costly. If you find that your adherence is suffering because of drug costs, don’t give up. You have some options.
First, ask your HCP if your medication is in your health insurance plan’s list of covered drugs, called a formulary. If it’s not, switching to a drug that’s covered can help you save money.
You can also ask about less-expensive alternatives, including generics. Generic drugs are regulated substitutes for brand-name drugs. Check with your insurance plan to see if you get more coverage for certain generics.
Companies that manufacture drugs sometimes offer patient-assistance programs. These programs help cover drug costs for people who qualify based on income and other factors. You can also look into cheaper options for getting prescriptions: Some mail-based pharmacies offer a price break and ship a 90-day supply of certain drugs for less.
Automate your prescription to save time
Getting your prescriptions mailed in 90-day supplies helps solve another issue with adherence: time.
It takes time to refill and pick up medications at the pharmacy. And you have to remember your refill and make sure you have refills available. If you don’t, you’ll risk missing doses while you wait for your HCP's approval. Many major pharmacies offer auto-reminders for refills by text, phone, or email. Some will contact your HCP’s office for you to handle refill requests.
Living with and treating a chronic condition presents many challenges. If you run into any of these stumbling blocks, don’t hesitate to reach out to your HCP. They can answer any questions you have, and remind you about the benefits of following your treatment plan.
