Missing a dose of your medication can leave you feeling anxious and uncertain. What should you do if this happens? Read on for some tips on what to do if you miss a dose of your medication.
If you miss a dose of your medication, the first thing you should do is contact your prescribing doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to advise you on what to do next. In most cases, you will be advised to take the missed dose as soon as possible. However, in some cases, it may be better to skip the missed dose and continue with your normal dosing schedule.
If you are unsure what to do, it is always best to err on the side of caution and take the missed dose as soon as possible. This way, you will minimise the risk of any negative side effects.
Of course, missing a dose here and there is not usually a big deal. However, if you find that you are missing doses frequently, it is important to contact your doctor to discuss this. They may be able to adjust your dosage or switch you to a different medication that is easier for you to take.
In general, missing a dose of medication is not a cause for alarm. However, if it happens frequently, it is important to speak with your doctor so that they can help you find a solution.
Pre-emptive advice
Missed dosing might be interpreted in the context of patient non-compliance, although the issues that arise are frequently due to insufficient information given to enable the patient to correctly use the medicine. Teaching patients what to do if a dose is missed and offering methods for reducing the number of missed doses makes sense.
Providing written information, which includes what to do if a dose is missed, improves people’s self-administration of medicines, including corrective action when a dose is missed.
Giving instructions on what to do if a dose is missed in the real world should not be too difficult for medical practitioners or pharmacists. An information sheet is provided with, or available, for most of the commonly used medicines available through any UK Online Pharmacy.
All sheets have a section entitled ‘What to do if you miss a dose.’ When a patient is initiating therapy, having a sheet the first time they receive a drug and utilising it in discussions with patients at the time of prescription and delivery would prepare them for this eventuality.
Conclusion
For the majority of patients, missing a single dose will have little influence on treatment outcome. The following are some examples of forms that include such statements:
- If you forget to take one or more doses, skip it and go back to your regular schedule. Take your next dose at the usual time and amount. You should not take any more than your doctor has advised.
- If you miss a dose, skip it and go back to your usual routine.
Having this information at the beginning of therapy is a simple technique to alleviate a lot of patient anxiety and, in certain circumstances, prevent undesirable clinical effects.
