By Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on February 18, 2009
Why learn about Medication?
Many people take medication to help control or manage the symptoms of their illness. A clear knowledge and understanding of medication and possible side effects combined with knowledge and understanding of both oneself and one’s illness is often important in achieving a sense of personal control over the symptoms of the illness.
Knowledge enhances your ability to self manage your medication to get the maximum benefits from it while reducing the potential for side effects and the risk of relapse. Research has shown that the average risk of relapse is 70% for people who stop their medication but the risk of relapse reduces to 30% for people who keep taking their medication as prescribed.