Take Your Meds – Real Stories of Medicine Non-Compliance

Family and friends of non-compliant patients often live with the consequences---seeing their loved ones in crisis or deterioration, acting “not themselves” or in some extreme mental cases, actually committing mass murder, as a consequence of not taking their meds or taking them incorrectly.

Nicole, a third year law student, was stressing out. The pressure of her classwork and part time job was giving her migraine headaches and pain in her upper back and shoulders. Her doctor prescribed Vicodin, which helped with the discomfort but soon led to other problems. Her boyfriend started complaining that she was acting “goofy” and told her not to drive. Her actions were slow and disjointed and she was unable to perform in school or on the job. She seemed unable to get ready for any event on time. When her mother drove her to the doctor to get a new prescription, at the boyfriend’s request, she saw the consequences of this medication problem for the first time. Nicol
e was caught stealing a prescription pad from the doctor, was questioned for “shoplifting” at a local store and ended up crashing her car into a tree. The next day, her family brought her to the local hospital for evaluation. After a painful but effective detox and therapy sessions, she was eventually able to recover and eventually ended up graduating from law school.

Susan, a middle-aged housewife, came down with a urinary tract infection and was treated by her doctor with a ten-day course of antibiotics. After five days, she felt better and decided to stop taking the pills. She started to get worse, ended up with an even more severe bladder infection and had to be admitted to the hospital for several days. Although she eventually recovered, she suffered with extensive pain, and at great expense.

John, an elderly man, living with his son and his busy family, had been acting strangely the past few months. She never wanted to get out of bed, was irritable and sometimes appeared distracted and incoherent. His son, Bob, and his wife, who both had careers, and together, looked after four sons, were concerned. Bob hired two teenage girls to babysit the boys after school and keep an eye on his father. But the symptoms continued. He finally figured out that John would take his medication, and then forget, insisting that the teenagers give him more. Bob finally ordered an electronic pill box from an online distributor. The box helped the caregivers keep track of John’s medicine and give him the correct amount. After that, there were no more fights and John got back to his former outgoing, agreeable self.

Although the names of these patients have been changed to protect the innocent, their stories are very real. If you know someone who has had problems because of taking their meds incorrectly, please share, either by adding to the comments section below or going to www.towerviewhealth.com.