A recent study published by The American Journal of Medicine looked at 20 different studies with over 376,000 people. Researchers looked at medications that could prevent or treat those suffering from heart disease and how many people actually took their medicines.
Researchers found that of the people who were taking medicines to prevent heart disease, only half continued to get their medications refilled over time, which is striking.
Even more striking is that of the people who had already suffered a heart attack, 1 out of 3 people stopped getting their medicine refilled over time. The reason this seems so shocking to us is because we know that these medicines actually save lives.
What this shows us as physicians is the importance of communicating with our patients regarding their medications and making sure they understand the importance of continuing to refill prescriptions.
If you’re given a new medication for your heart, have a conversation with your physician about how long you’re going to be on this medicine and what your concerns are, it could save your life.