A key to successfully managing type 2 diabetes

So, you’re taking medication for your type 2 diabetes. Good for you; you are taking another important step in successfully managing your condition.

However, when you aren’t having any symptoms of your type 2 diabetes, it can be easy to forget about your illness—and your medication! It’s never okay to skip doses of your type 2 diabetes medications, and it may even put you at a greater risk of landing in the hospital in the years to come.

It can be frustrating to fit your life around a dosing schedule. So don’t! Make your medication fit around your lifestyle.

What’s causing you to miss your dose?

First of all, figure out the things that may cause you to miss a dose. Some common reasons include:

• Sleeping through a scheduled dose.
• Troublesome side effects.
• Away from the house without medication on hand.
• Feeling sick.
• A recent change to your therapy.
• Feeling depressed.

Ways to stay on target

The most important step in sticking to your dosing schedule is to think ahead.

1. Get a pill organizer from your pharmacy. Prepare each dose for a whole week ahead of time. Not only will this make things quicker when it comes time to take them, but you’ll be able to see if you missed a dose.
2. Set an alarm. Use a watch with an alarm to remind you every day when it’s time to take your medication. Many watches have an alarm, but if yours doesn’t, you can always set an alarm on your cell phone, your bedside radio, or even your kitchen clock.
3. Call in refills early. Many pharmacies work hard to make filling your prescriptions easier than ever. They may have a website set up where you can create an account and arrange for automatic refills. Some pharmacies will even send your medications right to your house! Take advantage of these services if they are available to you—they’re a great way to make sure you don’t run out.
4. If you have a daily planner, write your dosages down. This way you can check them off like any other item on your to-do list.
5. Talk to your health professional about reducing the number of pills you take. If you are taking more than one medication for your type 2 diabetes, ask your health professional if a combination medication could work for you. Depending on what medications you are taking, there may be a prescription available that combines more than one of them in one pill.