How to Catch Up If You Forget Your Meds

To be healthy, many of us use daily prescriptions, but according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), half of these medications are not taken as directed. The capacity to treat numerous diseases can be hampered by poor drug adherence, which can result in more problems and a lower quality of life. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), non-adherence accounts for 30 to 50 percent of adverse reactions for chronic diseases and 125,000 fatalities annually in this nation. 

Even those of us with the most meticulous schedules and the greatest of intentions occasionally fail to remember to take our medications. When this occurs, it is not always obvious how to catch up without creating more issues. 

To learn how to properly catch up when you skip a dosage, continue reading for professional guidance and some important pointers on how to prevent missing dosages in the first place.

1. This Is How to Maintain Your Routine

Your odds of unintentionally skipping a dose of your medication might be decreased by developing a regular daily schedule. According to the FDA, you should take your prescriptions at the same time every day to avoid confusion. Keeping a medicine calendar to note the medications you have already taken is also advised.

Assemble a daily routine around taking your prescriptions, such as cleaning your teeth or preparing for bed. Check to see if your medication needs to be taken on an empty or full stomach before choosing a lunchtime for your regimen.

The world health organization also advises using a monthly pill organizer if you take multiple prescriptions per day; ideally, it should have compartments for various times of the day.

2. Do This If You Forget to Take Your Meds

If you remember that you missed a dose and it was the only one for the day, you can usually safely make up for it by taking your medications immediately. 

It is recommended to forgo the missed pill and just take the following dose at the regular time if your prescription says more than once a day and it is almost time for your next dose. The secret is to constantly examine all of the written instructions given by the physician or pharmacist who is providing the medication. 

When clients pick up their medicines, they typically receive a pamphlet. The leaflet, which typically includes instructions regarding what to do if a dose is missed, should be read by the patient. 

If unsure, get in touch with a health practitioner for guidance. Give them a full inventory of all the medications you are taking right now so they are aware of any underlying issues.

3. Never Take the Same Drug Twice

Even if you missed the prior dose, taking two doses of your medication at once to catch up can have negative side effects. 

This is particularly true for several medical classifications or drug types. For instance, several medications taken to treat high blood pressure, when used in excess, might result in extremely low blood pressure, which increases the risk of falling. 

Low blood sugar can result from taking more diabetes medication than is recommended. If your blood sugar levels drop extremely low for a long period of time, seizures might happen.

While taking two doses of some medications may not be a big deal, doing so with others can have potentially negative effects. When the drug is prescribed, talk about this with your doctor and record it for later use.

4. Consider How the Medication Affects Your Routine

The relationship between your dose time and other times of the day is another thing to take into account. When taking late-day doses of some medications, such as those for ADHD, a patient may have problems going to sleep. 

You can wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom if a water pill dose is skipped and taken right before bedtime. If you take sedative-hypnotics drugs for insomnia throughout the day instead of right before bed, you risk becoming too tired or drowsy to operate through the day. 

Always discuss the potential risks of taking your drugs at an incorrect time of day with your doctor or pharmacist.