Encouraging a person to take medications
Encouraging a person to take medications
Here are ways to help your family member take the medications:
- Talk about medications in a way that is meaningful to the person. For example, point out the reasons to take medication. Say, “Your medications help quiet the voices you hear,” or “Your medications help you study and keep your grades up.” Link taking the medications with things that the person enjoys.
- Give the person options about what to do if he or she wants to stop taking medications. Talk with his or her health professional about what the options are. Make changes in the medication routine only after consulting with the health professional, and keep records about these changes and their effects.
- Ask how the person is doing with the medication treatment. Say, “How many pills do you have left?” instead of “Are you taking your pills the way you should?”
- Talk with the person about any side effects experienced from the medications. Take any complaints seriously and see whether there is anything that you can do to help or that can be done differently.
- Help plan for relapses even if your family member continues to take the medications as prescribed. Relapses are part of the illness.
- Accept the fact that some people will not take medication as they should even with a lot of support. Do not tie your concern and caring to whether your loved one takes the medications. For those who won't or are unable to take daily medications, injections may be a good option. Discuss injections with your health professional to see whether they may be right for the person with schizophrenia.
If you need help encouraging your family member to take prescribed medications, talk with a health professional who can tell you more about the expected results of taking the medications, what side effects to look for, and how to manage them.
Credits
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry |
| Last Updated | February 5, 2008 |
| Last updated: | February 05, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jeannette Curtis |
| Reviewed By: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC |
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