Every time you visit your doctor, do you take note of the instructions they give to you, specifically their prescription? Doctors prescribe medications to patients for important reasons (i.e. to manage the symptoms of the disease, to prevent the worsening of the disease, etc.) Unfortunately, not all are able to comply with it. Longwood Pharmacy, a low cost pharmacy, expounds on the factors of medication non-compliance. Check them out below:

1. Forgetfulness

   This may be a simple reason, but a lot of patients are guilty of this. As a matter of fact, not only elders have difficulty remembering taking their medication. This also holds true for patients (young and old) who need to maintain more than two medicines a day. We understand this completely. To help you remember, you can try the following hacks:

   1. Set an alarm.
   2. Stick a note on areas of the house you are frequently around (e.g. refrigerator, hallways, sala, etc).
   3. Make use of a pillbox.
   4. Keep track of your medications through a journal.
   5. Ask for someone’s help.
2. Disability and/or Illness

   Mobility issues caused by disability or illness are other factors of medication non-compliance. These include arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and many more. It prevents patients from going to the pharmacy or even ordering their medications online. If you share the same problem, do not hesitate to ask for support from your family. You can also avail the services of a home care agency.

3. Lack of Transportation or Accessibility

   Lack of transportation is a common dilemma for seniors. Their condition no longer enables them to drive on their own. Sometimes, their family is not around to drive them. In case they run out of supply, it makes it difficult for them to go to the pharmacy to refill their prescription. To resolve this, you can request for us to have your purchases delivered at your home. You can also try our Refill Rx.

4. Ignorance

   Not everyone knows the danger of medication non-compliance. Some may even think it is harmless. The truth is that medication non-compliance can pose serious consequences to your health. For instance, skipping on your prescribed antibiotics can make the bacteria inside your system build antibiotic resistance. Meaning, the antibiotic can no longer kill the bacteria. As a result, the bacteria continue to grow and spread to the other parts of the body. This can lead to further complications. What could have been treatable by a tablet, may now necessitate surgery. If you wish to learn more about the effects of medication non-compliance, feel free to ask your doctor or our pharmacists.

5. Cost

   We cannot gainsay the fact that medications are pricey. The good news is that a pharmacy offers low-cost but high-quality medications. Apart from that, Longwood Pharmacy also renders other superb pharmaceutical services you can benefit from.