Before we begin, be aware that you can always ask a pharmacist online 24/7 to receive quick but high-quality and personal answers to questions about your medications or general health. If you want more general information, keep reading.
When you’re following a strict medication schedule, you mustn’t miss any dose and pill throughout the day because this may affect your treatment. One of the types of medications that you shouldn’t skip a dose of is antibiotics.
Bacteria are a type of germ that causes infections in humans, like urinary tract infections, cellulitis, strep throat, and more. And to treat these bacterial infections, antibiotics will often be prescribed by a doctor because it works to kill the bacteria in your system and prevent them from growing and spreading.
Just like any prescription, you must take your antibiotic medication as recommended by the doctor. Some people even use medication trackers so they won’t forget to take their pills. But what happens when you forget and miss a dose of antibiotics?
Stick around if you’re curious about the effects of missing a dose of antibiotics and what you should do. Let’s get to it!
I missed a dose. What should I do?
Typically, you need to take antibiotics between 1-4 times a day, as prescribed by your doctor, and taking it as scheduled is extremely important. This is because taking it at the right time ensures that your body’s medication levels remain constant so that the antibiotics work effectively to help clear out your bacterial infection.
When you miss a dose, you can take the missed dose as soon as you remember. For example, if you need to take your antibiotic 3 times a day every 8 hours but missed one, you can take the missed dose 2-3 hours later. But if you forgot to take a dose, and it’s almost time for your next one, skip your missed dose and take the antibiotics as scheduled.
However, if you missed a day’s worth of doses, it’s best to speak to your doctor to help you move forward with your treatment.
Don’t double up your dose
A misconception about antibiotics is that you can double up on your next dose. This is quite dangerous since it can increase your risk for unfavorable side effects, such as rashes, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and even yeast infections.
Why is it vital for me to finish my course of antibiotics?
Even if you’re feeling better, it’s crucial that you finish your antibiotics’ entire course of your antibiotics day!
To help you remember to take your antibiotics, here are some tips that may be beneficial for you:
- Set the alarm for when you need to take another dose
- Associate taking antibiotics with a daily activity, such as mealtimes if you need to take the drug three times a day. If you need to take it twice, associate it with brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed.
- Use a pillbox that has labeled compartments so that you can organize your medications.
- Track your medications by using a prescription tracker app so you can manage all your medications and maintain a daily medication log.
Conclusion
If you want to clear your bacteria infection, taking antibiotics as directed by your doctor is extremely important because staying on track and taking doses as scheduled will help you recover as soon as possible. When taking antibiotics, it’s best to follow our tips above, like setting the alarm or using a prescription tracker app so that you can avoid missing your next dose and that your treatment goes smoothly.
Maintain and manage all your medications with prescription tracker apps, like MedManage. We are a cloud-based medication management system for patients and caregivers to help them maintain a medication log digitally. Try our mobile and web app today!