Managing Your Medicines

Taking lots of tablets? Colleen Shannon, our Health Writer, has some tips.

WE are taking more pills and tablets than ever before. In 2015 more than a billion items were dispensed by local pharmacies, according to NHS Digital. To show how fast it’s changing, that figure has doubled over the past 10 years.

But we probably aren’t getting double the benefit, because between a third and half of people do not take their medicines as intended.

Part of the reason might be the sheer number of medicines that some people with a long-term condition have to juggle every day. The total adds up even faster if you have more than one condition, which becomes more common with increasing age. One in three people over the age of seventy-five is taking at least six different medicines.

So I asked Heidi Wright, English Practice and Policy Lead at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, why it happens and what we can do.

She explained that our health system is very good at getting you started on the right medicines for common conditions such as heart disease, asthma or diabetes. However, it is less successful at making adjustments as your needs change over time.

For example, a medicine that you started several years ago may not be the best option for you today. As we get older, our bodies process medicines differently. Sometimes this means it’s time to switch to a new drug or a different dose.

If your list is growing, it might become too complicated to manage, or you could be worried about side effects and drug interactions.

In this case, don’t try to sort it out on your own. You can talk to your doctor or pharmacist any time about your medicines.

You can also ask your local pharmacist for a medicines review. This free service may be available in your local pharmacy or even in your GP surgery, where pharmacists are increasingly joining doctors and nurses as part of the practice team.

When the time comes for your review, bring all the medicines you are taking, including those that you buy without a prescription. Your pharmacist will ask about any worries you may have about your medicines and how they fit in with your lifestyle.

There might be a version that is easier to swallow or that you can take less often. Maybe it is possible to streamline the number of medicines. If arthritis makes it hard to open the package or press an inhaler, there are gadgets to make it easier.

A pharmacist can also give you simple tips, such as keeping medicines in a place that prompts you to take them at the right time – for example, by your toothbrush. (Always store medicines safely out of the reach of children, though.) Some people set a reminder on their phone. Keeping a supply in your bag when you are out and about – especially rescue medicine like an asthma inhaler – is another idea.

It’s all about confidence and convenience, while getting the best from your medicines. n