Get in the Habit of Taking Your Blood Pressure Medication If you often skip doses of your blood pressure medication or you don’t take it as recommended, your hypertension could get out of control. The following tips to help you remember to take your blood pressure medication regularly:
Remind yourself why you’re taking blood pressure medication. “Take a step backward and say to yourself, ‘Why am I taking this medication to begin with?’”, says David Meyerson, MD, JD, director of cardiology consultation services at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and national spokesperson for the American Heart Association.. He recommends that you think about why your doctor wrote you a prescription for blood pressure medication in the first place, and use that answer as motivation. Another motivator: Family history. Many people with high blood pressure have family members who have had strokes or heart attacks. “You have to understand that history will repeat itself unless we do something to interrupt it,” says Meyerson.Keep your blood pressure medication in a convenient location. Put it where you’ll see it, such as on the nightstand by your bed. Meyerson says that many people intend to take their blood pressure medication before leaving the house in the morning, but then don’t. If this sounds familiar, Meyerson suggests keeping a few pills with you or in your desk at the office, in case you miss your morning dose.Keep your prescription filled. Another common reason that people miss doses of their blood pressure medication is because they run out before getting a hrefill. “Plan ahead so that you don’t run out,” says Meyerson. To help you with this, try making a note in your calendar when it is time to re-order and pick up your prescription.Take a medication you can afford. If the cost of your medication is keeping you from taking it as you should, talk with your doctor. “Many doctors who prescribe medications don’t actually know what the patient ends up being charged,” says Meyerson. He suggests working with your doctor to find a hypertension medication that is both effective and affordable for you.Communicate any side effects you’re experiencing. Sometimes people avoid taking their blood pressure medication because it causes unpleasant side effects. Meyerson says there are many drug options for lowering blood pressure, and your doctor can find the right one for you. “The doctor has the ability to choose from a large group of medications, but he will not know if you are not tolerating a medication unless you clearly tell him,” he says.
What to Do When You Miss a Dose “Everybody that I have ever heard of that takes a medication misses a dose from time to time,” says Meyerson. If you miss a single dose of blood pressure medication, it is usually not a problem. But it is important not to get off track about taking your blood pressure medication since regular doses can help lower blood pressure and reduce the chances that you will have blood pressure-related health problems. “What you don’t want to do when you miss a dose is to double up the next time,” Meyerson says. If you remember at lunchtime that you missed your morning dose, it is fine to take it then, says Meyerson, but if it is late at night or the next morning that you realize it, you should resume taking your medication as directed. Says Meyerson, “The most important thing is to get back on your regular routine.”
