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 December 2, 2008 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 nonadherence. 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.

The findings of this study suggest that, at least among veterans, screening for alcohol use and misuse may be an important component of primary care, especially because daily medications are the cornerstone of treatment for chronic diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In addition, research has shown that brief counseling interventions decrease alcohol use. However, further studies are needed to assess whether counseling that leads to decreased drinking will also improve medication adherence.

Source

JAMA. 2008;300(21):2489-2496.