Taking Your Medicines - Patient Guide

Why it matters

About half of long-term medicines are not taken as prescribed. Missed doses are the most common reason blood pressure, sugar, or cholesterol stays high — more common than needing a stronger medicine. If your numbers are stuck, this is the first place we look, and there is no judgment; life is busy.

How to make it automatic

• Use a weekly pill organizer. Fill it the same day each week.
• Anchor pills to something you already do daily — morning coffee, brushing teeth.
• Set a phone alarm, or use your pharmacy's reminder app.
• Refill early — do not wait until the bottle is empty. Ask for 90-day supplies.
• Keep an up-to-date medicine list in your wallet or phone, and bring your actual bottles to visits once a year.

Missed a dose?

For most medicines: take it when you remember, unless it is almost time for the next dose — then skip it. Do not double up. If you are not sure for a specific medicine, ask us or your pharmacist.

When should I call?

• A side effect is bothering you — there is usually an alternative.
• Cost is a problem — generics, coupons, and assistance programs exist for almost everything.
• You are not sure why you take something, or how to take it.