Health-Why and When Not Taking Your Prescribed Medications Is Dangerous

There are some cases in which health concerns that may be related to aging can be managed by diet changes, increased exercise, and natural remedies. However, if you are diabetic or have had a heart attack, failure to take your medications can be extremely dangerous.

There are very few people who enjoy taking medications, but many people, especially as they age, need to prevent condition related problems and thus, failure to take prescribed medications can be very serious.

One such time is after a heart attack. Research done in Colorado looked at 2500 patients from 19 hospitals. Three of the recognized therapies were studied: aspirin, beta-blockers, and statins, and records were gotten 1, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Approximately 70% were discharged taking all three medications, and over 1500 completed the interview after a month.

At one month, 66% were still taking all three medications, and the other members had dropped at least one. The patients that had stopped taking all three had a lower one-year survival rate compared to the patients who took at least one of the medications. This shows a dramatic correlation between taking the medications and a higher survival rate.

The same group studied the Kaiser Permanente of Colorado diabetes registry to check for adherence to medication in diabetics. This included information on oral medication, high blood pressure medication, and statin medications. Adherence was based on the filled prescription records compared to the actual amount prescribed. 11,500 patients were studied, and were labeled as adherent or non-adherent, with non-adherent patients not taking their medication for at least 20% of the time.

About 1 out of 5 of the patients was not in adherence. Even though on average they were younger and had fewer simultaneous conditions compared to the patients that had taken their medication according to prescription, at follow-up appointments their diabetes was not as well controlled, and they had higher blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol. They had a higher rate of hospitalization and mortality as well. These continued to remain higher than the rates of adherent patients even after considerations were made for age and other medical conditions.

The patient is only part of the problem. Some people argue that cost is an important factor in patients not taking their prescribed medications. The physician is also an important factor. Improvements need to be made to the education that a patient receives so that he or she understands why they need to take the drug, what the dosing schedule is, and the side effects of taking and not taking the medication.

Another problem is the dosing of the drugs, since many patients are on multiple drugs or ones that need to be taken several times a day. Drug companies are working on drug combinations to stop this.

If you are considering stopping your medication or switching to an herbal treatment in place of it, always talk to your primary health care provider before going off of the medication. They can help you come up with a different drug plan and/or explain the pros and cons of stopping or changing your medications. In many cases, you are prescribed drugs because they will make an obvious difference in your quality and length of life, so continuing to use them is in your best interest.