Be Treatment Committed
Take charge of your health
The technical term for a person taking medication as prescribed, especially in the mental health world, is “medication compliant”. These words imply that a patient is being dictated to rather than an equal partner in his or her treatment. Instead, being “treatment committed” puts you in a place where you can work with your doctor and find the right combination of medication. There are a variety of suggestions to help you on this path.
Getting started
Find a doctor you trust
Having a doctor you trust is one of the most important things you can do to stay treatment committed. If you don’t trust your doctor, you’re less likely to trust any suggestions they give you. Finding the right doctor can be trial and error. Sometimes your options are limited due to geography or insurance circumstances but if you have the option, feel free to try different doctors until you find one that you click with.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about your concerns or to move on to a different doctor if there are any issues. I’ve gone through a number of doctors over the years due to moving around. Sometimes the first doctor I tried was a good fit, sometimes I only went to one or two appointments before I decided the doctor wasn’t for me. Failing to follow my instincts with one doctor contributed to me ending up in the hospital where finding a doctor I trusted and worked closely with has helped me become stable.
Work with your doctor
Once you have a doctor it’s time to start working with that doctor. Remember, your doctor works for you as much as you are their patient. They should be willing to answer any questions you have and you should have questions. Ask about why your doctor is prescribing a particular medication and what it is supposed to do. Ask what the side effects are as well. Ask if there are different medication options and don’t be afraid to tell your doctor that you aren’t willing to try a particular medication. If you don’t want to take a medication, there’s no point in taking the prescription and lying to your doctor. Also, ask when you should call your doctor immediately and how best to reach them for an urgent issue or emergency.
Before each appointment with a new doctor, I make out a list of questions I want to ask. Whether the doctor is willing to take time to answer these questions goes into whether I think the doctor will be a good fit. I also come out of the appointment feeling like I understand what the treatment plan is and what to do if it isn’t working.
Do your research
Do your own research on medications. With research, you can take more questions to your doctors and make a more informed decision. On the other hand, you don’t want to go overboard with research and turn yourself off from taking medications. Don’t be scared off after reading about the rare side effects of a particular medication, but do familiarize yourself with what kind of medication you are taking and what it does. Make sure you understand the category of medication you are taking and what it is going to do for you.
Make a commitment to taking your medication
Once you’re home with your medications, make a commitment to yourself that you will take your medications as prescribed. Most medications, especially in the mental health world, take time to work. Taking a pill here and there will make it look like the medication isn’t working whether it would work or not. This could lead to your doctor changing or adding medications unnecessarily while you don’t get better. If you have side effects, let your doctor know, and don’t stop taking a medication unless you’re told to do so by your doctor. Abruptly stopping a medication can lead to withdrawal symptoms or put you in danger of a return or worsening of symptoms. I’ve made this mistake and suffered both withdrawal symptoms and a return of symptoms and learned a hard lesson.
Be accountable to family and friends
Use your support system to keep you on track. Let your loved ones know that you are committing to take medication. Don’t be afraid to ask them to gently remind you to take your medication, especially when you are first starting. Ask them if they start to see a difference in you as you stay on track over time. Family and friends might be quicker to see that you are improving or worsening on the medication. My husband pointed out to me that I seemed happier before I realized that I was feeling better.
Keep up with regular appointments
Don’t miss appointments with your doctor or fail to make further appointments with your doctor. It’s very hard to work with your doctor if you don’t attend appointments. You need to have a chance to talk about what’s going on with medications and to take the next step whether it’s to stay the course or to make adjustments. Many doctors are even doing teleappointments these days to make keeping up with appointments even easier. Making your next appointment at your current appointment can help make sure you get in for your next appointment in a timely matter. Set an alarm or reminder in your phone prior to your next appointment to remind yourself that the appointment is coming up.
Keeping the commitment
Pick up medications in a timely matter
Don’t delay in picking up your new medications and starting to take them. The quicker you start the medications, the quicker you will see how you react to them. Stay on top of refills. If you are taking multiple medications, you may not start them all at the same time as your doctor adds or changes medications. Keep track of when medications are due for a refill so that they don’t run out. Some pharmacies will automatically refill medications for you and give you a reminder to pick them up. Utilize this resource if available to you. The last thing you need is to run out and suffer the consequences.
Find ways to keep on track
Often the problem with committing to taking a medication isn’t a lack of will, but a lack of following through. Find ways to remind yourself that you need to take medications. Setting an alarm is a good way to remember to take medication. Pairing taking your medication with something like brushing your teeth is another way to stay on track. If your medication needs to be taken with food, pair your medication with a meal. Using a seven-day or even monthly pill organizer can help make taking medication less of a hassle day-to-day and give you an advanced warning when you’re about to run out of a particular medication.
Don’t be afraid to discuss any difficulty with your doctor with remembering to take your medication as they might have suggestions or may be able to make adjustments to make taking medications easier. In my case, I was having trouble taking my morning dose of medications because I didn’t have a regular breakfast time and I needed to take my medications with food. My doctor was able to change my medications to all evening time medications which I had an easier time staying on.
Figure out why you’re not staying committed
Keep track of how often you’re taking your medications. If you’re missing any doses, think about why you’re not taking your medications. Maybe you don’t like the idea of taking medication as you don’t want to feel like you’re sick. Maybe you’re having side effects. Maybe you’re just forgetting. Maybe you think there’s no harm in missing a dose here and there. Whatever the reason, be honest with yourself and your doctor so you can work toward a solution.
Don’t feel guilty for missing the occasional dose of medication
Even when you want to take medications every day, you may miss a dose here or there. Maybe you just forgot. Maybe you left your dose at home and you’re going to be out late for the night. Maybe you just don’t feel like it one day. The goal is to not let one or two missed doses put you on a track to continue to miss doses or even to stop taking your medication altogether. If you remember the next day that you missed a dose, check with your medication information on when you should resume with your next dose. When you miss a dose or two, don’t fall into the pattern where you continue to take your medication irregularly. Accept that you missed the doses for whatever reason and then get back on track.
Don’t stop just because you feel better
One of the biggest reasons that people stop taking their medications, especially mental health medications, is that they start to feel better. They start to think that they don’t need the medication anymore and decide to stop it without consulting with their doctor. Unfortunately, I found out when I was in a similar situation that there were withdrawal symptoms and my symptoms returned when I stopped taking my medications. Don’t learn this lesson the hard way. If you think that you are at a point where you can stop a medication, talk to your doctor for their opinion and get a plan to stay on the medication or reduce or stop the medication under supervision.
Celebrate your accomplishments
If you’re staying on track, celebrate. Taking medication as prescribed is hard. Many people don’t even finish taking antibiotics, much less be able to take a long-term medication every day. Be proud of yourself for staying on track or even reward yourself for taking your medication as prescribed.
Taking medications as prescribed is hard for anyone to do. There are a lot of reasons that people don’t take their medications, but by working with your doctor and making a commitment to staying on those medications you significantly raise the chance that you will more quickly find what combination helps you the most with the least amount of side effects. Make a commitment to taking medications and make a commitment to help yourself.
