No matter how effective the prescribed medicine is, it likely will not work if you are not taking the proper dose at the right time.
When people get tired of taking medicines for long, we often come up with excuses such as: ‘I have a hectic schedule’, ‘weak memory’, ‘forgot the dosage’, ‘prescribed medicine is wrong or non-effective’, ‘forgot where I kept my medication list for type 2 diabetes’
This problem has grown so to the point that every year around 1.5 million people just within the U.S. suffer from worse health conditions due to wrong or irregular medicine intake. And, if you don’t want to be one of them, here are some steps you should start following.
4 Smart Ways to Make Your Medication Management Effective.
Ask a Pharmacist:
There are times when you may forget how your doctor described medicine dosage or regimen. In this case, instead of experimenting or taking guesses, consult a trusted pharmacist. This can take little effort and can save you from a lot of health issues as well as a trip to the doctor. However, keep in mind consulting a pharmacist is only recommended as a backup but that does replace the need of reaching out to your doctor if the case is serious!
Right Dosage Intake:
Medicines are prescribed to be taken with specific instructions. For example: in the morning, as needed, twice a day, before dinner, or immediately after lunch. The instructions can vary greatly between medications so make sure you are familiar with the specific time or medicine intake method. And, if not, consult the doctor directly. A free app like MedManage can be useful to keeping all of your medication directions up to date and displayed clearly available on your phone.
Track Medication via Technology:
As mentioned in the previous section, its always a good idea to install a medication reminder app which are often available for free and come with many useful features. There are smart apps like MedManage (mentioned previously) which comes with features like a medication list, medication calendar, medication log, and visualizations of your progress to suit all your medication management needs.
The app is easy to use as it doesn’t require much knowledge about medicinal terminologies and is simple to setup. All you need is to enter the medications you are taking, pick the proper medicine dosage from the list provided, and enter the directions with the easy to navigate predefined options. Once you do this, the app does the rest by creating a calendar of your medication doses, sending you reminders when doses are due, and maintaining a medication log of doses you mark as taken.
The app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It is available to download for FREE on Google Play Store and Apple Store, respectively.
Visit a Doctor:
In the end, nothing beats a visit to your doctor for them to help you understand your medicine dosage and intake. It may seem awkward to re-ask them questions but they understand better than others the complexity of medication regiments. It is also not worth the risk of health complications that can come from improper medication intake to not ensure you and your doctor are on the same page and aligned in your treatment.
The Bottom Line
Medicines prove beneficial but only when taken at the prescribed time and dosage. If this is not done it may cause side effects to the patients health to a considerable extent. Therefore, being concerned about medication management is essential to treating your condition.