Taking your lipid-lowering medicine as directed by your doctor is one of the most important things you can do to manage high cholesterol or triglycerides.

Not taking your medicine as directed by your doctor means:

• Your medicines may not work the way they should.
• You may be at risk for serious health problems, like a heart attack or stroke.
• Your bad cholesterol and triglyceride numbers may stay the same or go up; your good cholesterol number may stay the same or go down.

Taking medicine gets in the way of my day.

Taking more than one medicine at different times each day can be hard. The key is to create a routine that fits your life.

Here are some useful tips:

• Where possible, take your medicines with other daily habits, like in the morning when brushing your teeth or in the evening with dinner.
• Ask if your medicines should be taken with or without food.
• Ask your doctor if your medicine should be taken in the morning or at bedtime.
• Ask your doctor if there are medicines you can take less often. An easier schedule may help you.

If you sometimes forget to take your medicines:

• Use a pill box marked with the days of the week. Take it with you when you are away from home.
• Wear a watch. Set an alarm.
• Leave yourself a note on the bathroom mirror.
• Keep your medicine in a place where you will see it every day.
• Fill out a medicine chart or calendar. Keep it with you all the time.

If you forget to refill your medicine on time:

• Plan ahead for refills so that you do not run out of your medicine. For example, mark a calendar with "Refill on [date]." Choose a date about a week before you will run out.
• Make sure you have enough refills to last you until your next doctor visit.
• Ask your pharmacy to send you reminders to refill your prescription.

 

Other Tools

• My Medicine Schedule