Pharmacists estimate that of the 1.6 billion prescriptions written every year, fully half are taken incorrectly. Among the elderly, who take many more medications than their younger counterparts, even more prescription medicines-about 55 percent-are taken incorrectly.

Some people believe that if one dose is good, two must be better, and they take too much of the medicine that was prescribed. Other people only take their daily medicines when symptoms occur-for example, asthma, glaucoma, osteoporosis, hypertension or high cholesterol. Still others choose to take what pharmacists call "drug holidays"-two- to four-day interruptions in their medications-without considering the risk of consequences. Patients with asthma, for example, may experience increased wheezing, or even an attack, if they take a drug holiday, or women on birth control pills may find themselves faced with an unwanted pregnancy. Some people don't even have their prescriptions filled. You can work with your healthcare professional or pharmacist in finding a medication regimen that is easy for you.

The consequences of not taking your medicine when you should can range from minor to severe:

• You may miss work because you don't feel well;
• You may be back in your healthcare professional's office when your health fails to improve, when you have a relapse, or when you get sicker;
• Hospitalization or nursing home admission-you may need to be under full-time medical care to get your symptoms under control; and
• Premature death-with some medications, your life depends, quite literally, on taking the right amount of medication at the right time.

When your healthcare professional prescribes a medication, the prescription contains precise instructions about how to take the drug so it will work. Noncompliance is the word healthcare professionals and pharmacists use to describe any way of taking the medication that varies from these precise instructions. Compliance is a team effort. By working with your healthcare professional or pharmacist on how to take your medication properly, you will get the best results. Five types of noncompliance are common:

• Not having the prescription filled,
• Taking the wrong amount,
• Taking the medication at the wrong time,
• Forgetting to take one or more doses, and
• Stopping the medication too soon.

Pharmacists have studied why it is sometimes hard for people to take their medications the way they should. You may have experienced some of the following things:

• "The instructions confused me. They were too complicated."
• "I wasn't that sick. I thought taking medication would just be a bother."
• "I worry about side effects."
• "I forgot. I forget a lot of things lately."
• "I hate taking medication!"
• "I couldn't read the label."
• "Prescriptions are so expensive."
• "Nothing makes me feel better, so I didn't think the medicine would help."
• "I just couldn't get into the habit."

People with family support tend to do better at remembering to take medication and to take it correctly Healthcare professionals and pharmacists realize that some patients simply don't understand their illnesses. They may have false notions about what will happen if they don't take their medications correctly.

Times have changed in healthcare. At one time, your healthcare professional might have come to your home to treat an illness, and if you went to the hospital, you would have stayed long enough to establish the good habit of taking medication. Nowadays, however, patients must play a much more active role in their own healthcare. Here are ten ways you can take control of your own health:

• Ask your healthcare professional why this medication is important and what it's supposed to.
• Learn everything you can about your illness and about the medication your healthcare professional has prescribed.
• When you talk to your healthcare professional or your pharmacist, be an active listener. Take notes. Repeat the instructions you have been given so the healthcare professional or pharmacist can let you know that you've understood.
• Ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist for printed information about your illness and your medication.
• Read the label as soon as your pharmacist gives you the prescription. Tell the pharmacist right away if you have difficulty seeing the label, reading the instructions, or understanding the instructions.
• When you talk to your healthcare professional or pharmacist, explain why taking medications on time and in the right amounts is sometimes hard for you. They may have special packaging that can help.
• Ask for suggestions to help you be more compliant, such as taking medicines tied to your routine daily activities, like brushing your teeth.
• Know what to expect from your medication. Find out how soon you can expect to see results and what you should do if the medication doesn't work.
• Ask what you should do if you accidentally forget to take a dose.
• When you talk to your healthcare professional or pharmacist, explain your fears and frustrations about your illness and about the medication.

Think of the three of you-your healthcare professional, your pharmacist, and you-as a team whose goal is to keep you healthy To be successful, teams need to work together, talk openly and honestly to each other, and help each other reach the common goal. Compliance isn't as difficult as it seems, especially with the support of your healthcare team.