Filling prescriptions for diabetes or high blood pressure medicines on time can be crucial to your overall health . While some may think that it ’ s common sense that if you take the time to go to the doctor and get a prescription then certainly you will get the prescription and take it as prescribed , but that is not always the case . Failure to fill prescriptions on time and to take the prescriptions as prescribed can have a tremendous impact : such as worsening of primary condition , increased emergency room visits / hospitalizations , and increased number of secondary conditions or complications . In the U . S . about 4 billion prescriptions are written annually but only 50 % of them are taken correctly or taken at all . Among the reasons people give for noncompliance are : cost , dosing , forgetfulness , time , side effects , apprehension , low to no symptoms , etc . Equally important as filling medicine on time and taking them as prescribed , disposing of expired or unused medication can have a huge impact .
Unused prescription bottles may cause confusion as to whether or not you took your medicine yet or it can cause “ ineffective treatment ” if expired .
While a number of diseases or conditions may be lifethreatening if left untreated over a long period of time , most can be treated or prevented . Pharmacists and other health care individuals may serve as professional support and guidance to improving your quality of life . Taking time to personally know your pharmacist may be key to understanding your prescriptions and condition . Also pharmacists may serve as liaisons between doctors and patients . Other tools in place to improve drug therapy and compliance are autorefills and reminders , pilldosing containers , drug utilization therapy , and patient medication therapy reviews . With such an ever changing , fast paced world , there are still a number of ways in which you can stay a step ahead of the game when it comes to your health .
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