I started a new series on tips for improving your adherence with HIV medications recently. Daily adherence with medications is the key to bringing your viral load down to low or undetectable levels, which will dramatically improve your chances of staying healthy. Taking your HIV medication daily also drastically reduces the chances you will spread it to anyone else.
When my clients admit they missed a few HIV medication doses, the most frequent reason is “I forgot.” They didn’t mean to miss. It just happened. Maybe them came home late and when straight to bed. Or maybe they were busy working on a project and became distracted and forgot all about their medications.
Tip #4: Use a reminder device, such as the alarm feature on your smart phone or an alarm watch.
If you have a smart phone and like to use its myriad features, this is easy! Just set one or more daily alarms to take your medications. Pick times of day that are convenient for you to take your medications. Usually picking times around meal times or bedtime work best. Then as soon as the alarm goes off, take your medications. It’s that easy.
I recently started using a free phone app called iStay Healthy to send discrete reminders to my phone to take my medications. It has several features which I like, including the ability to chart your CD4 counts and viral load. You can also enter the names (generic and brand) and dosages of your medications, as well as pictures of your medications for easier identification.
If you prefer, you can get an alarm watch and set the daily reminder alarms. Here are two watches that I like a lot, both from Timex. One is for men, and the other is for women. These watches are durable and easy to set. You can get them from Amazon.com. They cost about $35.
One more thing. If you miss your dose at your usual time in spite of your best efforts, don’t despair. Take them when you remember it. It’s better to be a little late than to miss them completely. If you are within six hours of your regular dosing time, just let it go and get back on track at your usual time. Do not double your dose. If you take Atripla, you may wish to avoid taking it in the morning before you go to work. The central nervous system side effects of dizziness and drowsiness, while usually not a problem during the night while you are asleep, may become a problem if your take it before going to work.
Wishing you health in 2012!
Bill
© William L. Larson, Pharm.D. 2012
Follow me on Twitter: WillLars
Follow me on FaceBook: William Larson, Pharm.D.
When my clients admit they missed a few HIV medication doses, the most frequent reason is “I forgot.” They didn’t mean to miss. It just happened. Maybe them came home late and when straight to bed. Or maybe they were busy working on a project and became distracted and forgot all about their medications.
Tip #4: Use a reminder device, such as the alarm feature on your smart phone or an alarm watch.
If you have a smart phone and like to use its myriad features, this is easy! Just set one or more daily alarms to take your medications. Pick times of day that are convenient for you to take your medications. Usually picking times around meal times or bedtime work best. Then as soon as the alarm goes off, take your medications. It’s that easy.
I recently started using a free phone app called iStay Healthy to send discrete reminders to my phone to take my medications. It has several features which I like, including the ability to chart your CD4 counts and viral load. You can also enter the names (generic and brand) and dosages of your medications, as well as pictures of your medications for easier identification.
If you prefer, you can get an alarm watch and set the daily reminder alarms. Here are two watches that I like a lot, both from Timex. One is for men, and the other is for women. These watches are durable and easy to set. You can get them from Amazon.com. They cost about $35.
One more thing. If you miss your dose at your usual time in spite of your best efforts, don’t despair. Take them when you remember it. It’s better to be a little late than to miss them completely. If you are within six hours of your regular dosing time, just let it go and get back on track at your usual time. Do not double your dose. If you take Atripla, you may wish to avoid taking it in the morning before you go to work. The central nervous system side effects of dizziness and drowsiness, while usually not a problem during the night while you are asleep, may become a problem if your take it before going to work.
Wishing you health in 2012!
Bill
© William L. Larson, Pharm.D. 2012
Follow me on Twitter: WillLars
Follow me on FaceBook: William Larson, Pharm.D.
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