Do I need to take my medications all the time?

Most chronic conditions require some type of long term medications to help manage and control the disease. Each condition has many different types of medications, but in principal taking your medications regularly is very important for good control of any disease process.

The hardest part of taking medications is taking them when you don't feel sick. It's always easy to take the pill that makes your cough go away or the medication that helps your pain level, but it’s more difficult to take the medication that works in the background. For example, most patients will not be able to tell when their blood pressure is too high. They may feel fine and have no symptoms. But, in reality that elevated blood pressure is doing damage to your heart and kidneys. That's why it is important to take your medications even when you feel well. Taking medications on a scheduled regimen helps control chronic conditions that can have many complications if not treated appropriately. 

Based on the condition you have, your doctor may order certain blood tests or other markers of your disease progression to help monitor the benefits of medications. This is a good time to review with your doctor what benefit you are expecting from the medications you take and how they work. Also, always let your doctor know how you are taking the medication, especially if it is different from the way it is prescribed as this can have an effect on the benefits from the medications.

Continue to take your medications as prescribed by your doctor even if you feel well. It can be very important to your overall health. The more you understand about what each medication is doing to help you, the better you can work together with your doctor to improve your health.