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THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR MEDICATION
Published: 6 December 2021
The Club often sees cases where crew have become ill because they have not been taking their regular medication or where they have run out.
We are grateful to Dr Glennda Canlas from Halcyon Marine Healthcare Systems in Manila for some practical tips on taking your medication.
It is very important to take your medication regularly as prescribed by your doctor. This is especially true for chronic conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
For example, taking anti-hypertensive medications (such as Beta-blockers) can reduce the risk of a stroke by 30% and the risk of a heart attack by 15%. However, when medication is not taken to control the blood pressure, an increase in systolic pressure of 20mmHg and an increase in diastolic pressure of 10mmHg doubles the risk of strokes and heart attacks and increases the need for hospitalisation.
It is important to remember that it may take some days to get medical help or evacuation if you become ill on board and for conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, this delay could have serious consequences. Risks are less if you take your medication regularly as prescribed.
It is important to have enough medication on board with you. Always take extra just in case your contract is extended or if there are problems with crew changes due to COVID-19 measures.
TIPS TO HELP IN COMPLYING WITH MEDICATION COMPLIANCE
- Take your medication at the same time every day and link it to a daily activity such as brushing your teeth or before or after a meal.
- Keep a medicine log to record and keep track of intake.
- Use a pill container to prepare one week to one month’s worth of medication at a time. This will make it a convenient part of the daily routine and is an easy way to see if the day’s pills have been taken or not.