Thinking about prescription drugs has become more important than ever while trying to conceive and during pregnancy. I began to ask myself important questions like what drugs am I taking? Why am I taking them? Am I taking them as prescribed or recommended by my doctors? I have suffered with terrible allergies, eczema and asthma my whole life, which I have been told are all connected. They have been so bad in the past that I remember having days I would stay home from school as a child during this time of year when they were out of control. As a result, I have been put on many different prescription drugs over the years to help alleviate the symptoms.
I have to admit that until the past couple of years, I was definitely amongst the nearly 100 million Americans who do not take their prescriptions correctly. According to Walgreens, this number includes forgetfulness, inconvenience or simply a lack of education. Regardless of the cause, it is an alarming number that clearly needs to be addressed.
According to Walgreens around 100 million Americans are not taking their prescriptions as directed
In my case, it was a combination of all 3 factors. Due to a combination of forgetfulness, inconvenience and not understanding how the drugs I was on worked, I eventually realized that I was no longer sure what exactly I should be taking. I ended up talking to my doctors and figuring out which of these was safe to stay on and necessary while trying to conceive and pregnant. My most extreme symptom, which runs in my family, is severe dry itchy eyes. Thankfully I’ve been able to stay on my prescription eye drop, which is my daily life saver.
In the past, there were days I would wake up and notice that the tiny container was out of drops. This would make it impossible to put in my contacts and be extremely uncomfortable for a number of days, depending on how long it took for me to get it filled. I would be so mad at myself for forgetting to refill it… anyone else been there? Thankfully I have recently switched to refilling my prescriptions using the Walgreens app (download it here). The app alerts you to stay on top of medications and makes refilling prescriptions quick and easy. I also love that there is a 24/7 pharmacy chat feature- something I know will come in handy in the future with a baby on the way and potential late night worried parent questions!
In the current state of our nation, this is one of the most critical health issues we need to tackle head on
I am excited to partner with Walgreens in sharing their Wake Up Call PSA. My goal is that starting this conversation helps you to reflect on the role prescription drugs play in you and your loved ones’ lives. Do you and your family members know and understand what drugs you are taking? Are you taking them as prescribed? Given the current state of our nation, this is one of the most critical health issues we need to address and tackle head on, starting in our homes. I am grateful for companies like Walgreens helping to facilitate these important conversations and provide tools for enabling families to become empowered to make drug adherence a priority.
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