Here’s how I remember to take my medication for MS

I am a pharmacist and I teach at a pharmacy school. Being a healthcare professional, I understand the importance of taking my medication every day, which is called medication adherence. But do I really take my medication 100% of the time? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

The World Health Organization identifies poor medication adherence to long-term treatment of chronic diseases as an “increasing, worldwide problem of striking magnitude.” It noted that “in developed countries, adherence among patients suffering from chronic diseases averages only 50%, and it is even lower in developing countries.”

Medication adherence in chronic illness appears to be similar regardless of the disease, whether it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression, for example.

A large study published in 2021 reported that 12-month medication adherence in multiple sclerosis (MS) ranged between 53% and 89.2% for oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and between 47% and 77.4% for injectable DMTs.

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I was pleased to find out that medication adherence to DMTs appears to be slightly higher for MS than other chronic diseases based on this study. Poor medication adherence is the primary reason for not achieving the full health benefits of medications in general.

I estimate my medication adherence to my DMT to be about 90%, which is pretty good. I use medication adherence tools to help me. If I didn’t use these tools, my medication adherence would be much lower.

Making it part of my daily routine

I’ve made taking my DMT part of my daily routine. After showering in the morning, I brush and floss my teeth, apply facial moisturizer, and then take a break to drink my morning Diet Coke. (I’m not a coffee drinker but need my morning caffeine boost. Don’t judge.) Then I take my morning medications, including my DMT.

This works for me about 90% of time. If I don’t go through my normal daily routine, my system can fail. Any change in my morning routine can result in me forgetting to take my medication.

When these situations occur and later in the day I think about whether or not I took my morning medications, I’m often unsure if I took them or not. If I can’t recall, I’ll skip that day because I don’t want to risk doubling my dose. This happens to me at least once or twice a month.

I know I’m more adherent to my morning medications than my evening ones. For this reason, I take my DMT in the morning. I think my evening routine is less regimented and varies depending on my schedule that day, which increases the risk that I’ll forget to take my medications. Also, to be honest, some nights I’m just tired (and maybe a little lazy) and don’t want to be bothered by having to take medications.

Traveling can also throw off my routine and negatively impact my medication adherence.

I recently purchased a pillbox to help me when I travel. I actually had to buy two because I take several medications, including vitamins in the morning and the evening, and they won’t fit into one pillbox. These are great but require some preparation time to fill them because I put the exact number of pills I take in the morning and evening in a specific spot for each day of the week.

These medication organizers are useful and would also help me at home on a daily basis if I’d just take the time to prepare them each week. Maybe this could be my New Year’s resolution for 2026!

Other useful medication adherence tools include using alarms to signal that it’s time to take medication, taking medications at the same time as others living in your home, and having another person remind you to take them.

Some pharmacies can package medications differently than putting all of it in one bottle. For example, a month’s supply of oral medication can be packaged in a multidose blister card so you can easily identify whether you took the medication or not.

Pharmaceutical companies developing DMTs for MS have made significant advancements in how medication can be given. Several new DMTs are delivered by an intravenous infusion just twice a year. This totally eliminates the need to remember to take medications every day.

I’m committed to being adherent to my DMT, as I believe it is one of the primary reasons my MS has remained stable over the last five years. If you aren’t using medication adherence tools, I encourage you to educate yourself about them and consider using them.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.