Misuse of Alcohol Increases Risk of Medication Non-Compliance
Misuse of Alcohol / Medication Non-Adherence / Patient Non-Compliance
Medication non-adherence, or not taking the medications prescribed by a doctor, is common and is also associated with adverse outcomes.
According to an article published in the issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, alcohol misuse is associated with an increased risk for medication nonadherence.
Investigators from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Puget Sound Healthcare System in Washington State studied over 22,000 veterans attending primary care clinics at 7 VA hospitals who were taking medications for high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure. Using a simple 3-question alcohol misuse screening test, the investigators sought to determine if alcohol misuse was associated with medication non-adherence.
They found that, among veterans who were being treated with medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing amounts of alcohol use were associated with increased risk of medication nonadherence. There were no statistically significant differences in medication adherence among veterans who were being treated with oral hypoglycemic medications for diabetes.
