Build a better medication routine
A pharmacist shares essential tips to work through common roadblocks to taking your prescriptions and staying on track.
If you have a chronic health condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, it’s likely that your doctor has prescribed medication to help manage your symptoms.
But about half of all patients don’t take their medications as directed. And 1 in 5 of them never fill their prescriptions.
It happens for a lot of reasons — and you're not alone if you've struggled with it. Here's what gets in the way, and how you or a loved one can stay on track.
Reason #1: You’re afraid of potential side effects.
What to do: ”Your pharmacist can be a great resource for you to talk about what to expect from your medication,” says Gabriela C. Cipriano, Pharm.D., BCACP, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University and clinical pharmacist at the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center in Rochester, New York. “Medications will affect everyone differently, so it is important that you understand what these may be so you know what to look out for.”
Reason #2: You can’t get to the pharmacy.
What to do: If traveling to the pharmacy or going inside to get your prescription is a challenge for you, you have options. Ask your provider or pharmacist about extended-day supplies, so you don't have to make as many trips, and set up automatic refills to take the guesswork out of remembering when it's time to reorder. You can also check whether your health plan or pharmacy offers prescription home delivery, or use your pharmacy's delivery or curbside pickup programs, so your medications come to you.
Reason #3: You feel better.
What to do: If your condition improves, you may think the problem has been fixed. But even if you feel better, it’s still important to continue treatment. “It’s important not to stop taking your medicine unless instructed by your pharmacist or doctor,” says Cipriano. “Stopping it abruptly may make you feel not so great and cause harm, depending on the medicine.”
Save money and time with mail-order delivery
For members with prescription drug coverage, your network mail-order delivery program provided by OptumRx® Home Delivery is an easy way to get the medications you take regularly shipped right to you. Log in to ibx.com/login or call 1-888-678-7015 (TTY/ TDD: 711) 24/7 to find out if your prescription is eligible and to change to mail order.
OptumRx is an Optum® company — an independent company that provides home delivery, specialty, and infusion pharmacy services. PerformRxSM is an independent company that performs medication therapy management services for members of Independence Blue Cross health plans.
