Taking Your High Blood Pressure Medications Properly: How Can I Take My Blood Pressure Medications Properly

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How can I take my blood pressure medications properly?

Here's how you can get started on taking your medicines properly.

Develop a medication plan

Work with your doctor to develop your medication plan. Talk with your doctor about the following:

1. Names of all medicines. Get a clear explanation of the actions and purposes of each medicine that your doctor prescribes for you. If you understand what you are taking and how it is helping you, it may be easier to stay on your schedule. Write down both the prescription and generic names for your medicines. Have your doctor check the list. You can use this list to verify that the medicines you get from the pharmacy are correct.
2. Medication schedule. Be sure you understand how much of each medicine to take and when to take each one. Ask your doctor if you can make your pill schedule simpler. This may make it much easier for you to remember to take your medicines as directed. You may be able to substitute longer-acting medicines for shorter-acting ones. Longer-acting, once-a-day medicines are easier for people to remember to take.
3. How to handle missed doses. Talk with your doctor about what you should do if you accidentally miss a dose of a medicine. Discuss what to do for each medicine—it may be different for each one.
4. Medication costs. If cost is a consideration in developing your medication plan, ask your doctor if less expensive, equally effective generic brands would be appropriate for you. Compare prices between several pharmacies and consider mail-order pharmacies.
5. Medicines to avoid. You may need to avoid certain medicines. Many medicines can reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medicines and raise your blood pressure. Talk to your doctor if you are taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (for example, Advil, Motrin, or Nuprin), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen, naproxen (for example, Aleve or Naprosyn), or piroxicam (Feldene). Decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, for example), may also cause a problem. Talk to your doctor as well if you are taking any herbal or homeopathic remedies, which also can affect blood pressure.

Get organized

Taking medicines properly means taking the right dose of the right medicine at the right time. When you are taking several different medicines, it may be hard to keep the times and dosages straight. To be sure you are taking your medicines properly, you may want to develop a system to keep track of when and how you take your pills.

1. Make a list of all your medicines. Complete the master list of medicines and keep it up to date. At every visit with your doctor, review your master list of medicines (What is a PDF document?).
2. Plan a daily schedule of medications. Post your medication schedule in a prominent place near your medicine cabinet. Take it along when you travel. Record your medication schedule in a daily planner that has spaces for hourly entries. (What is a PDF document?)
3. Use a pillbox. Get a pillbox that holds a week's worth of pills. You can also label an empty egg carton and use it to organize one day's or one week's worth of pills.
4. Post reminders. Get sticky note pads and post reminders to take your medicines near clocks or on the bathroom mirror, to keep you on schedule.

Taking your medicines

Keep the following in mind as you follow your medication plan.

1. Store medicines properly. Keeping medicines in a location that is too hot or too cold may decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. Find out from your doctor or pharmacist how to properly store your medicines. Always remember to store medicines out of the reach of children.
2. Watch for side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about what side effects to expect. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are having side effects from your medicines.
3. Avoid other medicines. Post your list of medicines to avoid in a place where you can refer to it whenever you need to. Always check with your doctor before taking any additional medicines, prescription or nonprescription. This includes any herbal or "natural" supplements.
4. Review your master medication list. Take your master list with you for each visit with your doctor. Take time to review your list and report any side effects you are having.
5. Communicate with your doctor. Notify your doctor immediately if you have any serious side effects. Let your doctor know if you have any changes in your health that might affect your heart condition, such as weight gain or another medical condition.

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Last updated:	April 24, 2007
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman