Risky business of not following doctors' orders

Thousands of people in Ireland take long-term medication for chronic health conditions.

Yet, new research suggests nearly half of them (46%) are putting their health at further risk by not taking their drugs correctly.

Taking medication doesn’t sound like a complicated task, but when people have several different drugs to take at different times every day, it can get confusing or laborious, says pharmacist Nitin Makadia. He outlines the risks of not following doctor’s orders.

What happens if you don’t take your medication properly?

“It can be life-threatening — for example if someone doesn’t take their blood pressure medicine correctly, even if they have no symptoms, their blood pressure will remain high and increase their risk of a heart attack or stroke.”

Is it important to take medication at a set time of day?

“It’s important to take some medicines at certain times of day, but the exact instructions will vary from drug to drug. For example, your liver makes most of your cholesterol at night, and this means that some types of statins, which are used to treat high cholesterol, should be taken in the evening to be most effective — although some statins can be taken at any time.”

Does not taking medicine properly increase the risk of side-effects?

“There are [increased risks] for certain medicines. For example, it’s important to take anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, with or after food, as they can cause heartburn and indigestion and even stomach ulcers if taken regularly for a long time on an empty stomach.”

Is it risky to reduce your dose without your doctor’s advice?

“Even though a patient may not notice the effect their medicine is having, it doesn’t mean it’s not doing anything — a GP or pharmacist will be able to discuss with you if changing your medicine dosage really is the best option, and if it’s safe for you to do so.”

Is it vital you always finish a full course of antibiotics?

“Antibiotics are generally used to treat a short-term infection and unfortunately many people decide to stop taking them before they’ve finished the course because the antibiotics have successfully reduced their symptoms and people feel much better.

“However, by doing this people can be putting themselves at risk of getting sick again. There’s a good chance that some of the infection may still persist, ready to take hold again. This can be the more resistant strains of bacteria and can sometimes lead to antibiotic resistance, which doctors are very worried about.”