Medication Nonadherence: Why People Skip Doses and How to Fix It

When someone doesn’t take their medicine as prescribed, it’s called medication nonadherence, the failure to follow a prescribed treatment plan. Also known as poor medication adherence, it’s not about being careless—it’s often about confusion, cost, or side effects that aren’t talked about. In Canada, up to 50% of people with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression don’t take their meds correctly. That’s not laziness. It’s a system problem.

Why does this happen? For seniors, it’s often too many pills at different times. A simplified pill schedule, reducing daily doses through once-daily meds or combination pills can cut confusion in half. For others, it’s fear—like the worry that antihistamines, common allergy drugs like Benadryl might raise dementia risk with long-term use. Or maybe they’re scared of corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia, high blood sugar from steroid treatments and don’t know how to monitor it. These aren’t side notes—they’re reasons people stop taking meds.

And then there’s the cost. Mail-order generics save money, but if the pills arrive warm or get lost, they’re useless. Pharmacists can help—pharmacy consultation, a 15-minute chat to review all your meds—can catch dangerous interactions, suggest cheaper options, or even help you set up reminders. You don’t need a degree to ask. Just walk in.

Some people skip doses because they feel fine. But conditions like glomerulonephritis or fatty liver don’t always scream for attention. That’s when tools like inhaler technique, the 8-step method to make sure asthma meds reach your lungs matter. If you’re not using your inhaler right, you’re not getting the drug at all. Same with biologic injections—if you’re scared of infection, proper training changes everything.

This isn’t about blaming patients. It’s about fixing the gaps between what doctors prescribe and what people can actually do. The posts below show real solutions: how to cut pill counts, how to talk to your pharmacist, how to store meds safely, and how aging changes what your body needs. You’ll find advice for seniors, new parents, people with chronic illness, and anyone who’s ever thought, ‘I’ll just skip today.’ Because skipping isn’t harmless—it’s dangerous. And it’s fixable.