When you feel sick, it's easy to remember to take your medicine. Your don't feel well and you want to get better. You know that by following the advice of your doctor and dutifully taking your medication, your health will improve in a few days.

High blood pressure, however, doesn't necessarily make you feel sick. In fact, it's known as the “silent killer” because it usually has no symptoms at all. It can be difficult to remember to take your medicine or medicines on a daily basis for a long period of time when you are feeling well.

The Dangers of Noncompliance

Compliance is a patient's ability to follow and enact treatment programs prescribed by his or her doctor, such as remembering to take medicines at a particular time of day or sticking to a diet.

A recent study showed that poor compliance by patients may have resulted in almost half of all failures to lower blood pressure levels. Doctors may attribute the inability to lower blood pressure levels to the medication and not to the patient's failure to comply with his or her treatment schedule. As a result, doctors may alter prescriptions. Also, patients themselves may not be aware of how many doses they are missing.

With high blood pressure, not complying with treatment can have serious health consequences. High blood pressure can put you at an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help increase compliance.

Compliance Strategies

Here are some strategies to help you become more compliant with your blood pressure treatment:

• Get educated: Understand why you are taking medicine and what it is designed to do.
• Know outcomes: If you know your health status and how therapy can improve it, you are more likely to be compliant.
• Monitor your progress: By keeping tabs on your condition, you are more likely to see how therapy is working. Talk with your doctor about using a home blood pressure kit. By taking your blood pressure on a daily basis, you'll know whether you are at your target level.
• Daily reminders: This can be a note on a calendar or a phone call from a friend. Taking your medicine can also be associated with a daily routine, such as brushing your teeth or watching the nightly news.
• Special reminders: When on a business trip or vacation, you may need to design special reminders to help keep you on your routine.

Compliance requires open communication between you and your health care provider. If there are factors in your life that make it hard for you to follow your doctor's orders, you need to make him or her aware of them. By working together, you and your doctor can determine the best approach to managing your high blood pressure.

Some Help From Technology

In addition to the above strategies, technologies are being produced to help patients comply with their medication schedules. Special pillboxes have been developed which contain a microchip in the cap. These containers can record when and how often they've been opened. This information can then be downloaded onto a computer and graphed to provide a visual record of how well you are adhering to your medication schedule.

In a recent study of the effectiveness of these pillboxes, most of the patients who used the technology were able to lower their blood pressure levels. Patients knew they were being monitored and were more likely to follow instructions. In fact, compliance ranged from 70% to 100%.

In the past, electronic pillboxes were only available for research purposes. However, they are becoming more affordable and more available for general use. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to see whether these containers are available.

High blood pressure, with appropriate medical intervention and lifestyle changes, can be effectively managed.