If you miss any of those questions in the doctor's office, you have a second chance to get the information from the pharmacist. In fact, many pharmacists voluntarily provide more details about prescriptions than do busy doctors. You can also assist your physician in prescribing the safest and most effective drugs for you by providing information that doctors don't always solicit. Yet up to 50 percent of patients do not take medication the way their doctor prescribes it, according to M-CARE's HouseCall Newsletter. Noncompliance occurs across all age, sex, ethnic and economic groups and accounts for over 125,000 deaths annually.
Many patients stop taking their medication as soon as they feel better.
Others with serious problems such as high cholesterol nevertheless feel well so don't remember to maintain their course of treatment. Others adjust their dosage without consulting their doctor. Noncompliance is less likely to occur with patients who thoroughly understand the purpose of their prescriptions. Consumers can even participate in efforts to manage prescription drug costs. Your use of generic drugs whenever possible will save money for both you and your health care plan.