Time Your Meds So They Work Better

I've always understood that they are better times to take a medication than another. Here's an interesting section of an article I just read concerning that. Check out the 35% increase in effectiveness of statins depending upon the time taken! Wow, that's a huge difference.

From: Light Up Your Health

Time Your Meds So They Work Better

Taking some medications to coincide with the peaks and troughs of your light-regulated body clock can increase their effectiveness. For instance, French researchers found that timed doses of chemo on people with late-stage colorectal cancer outperformed nearly all other treatments. Everyday prescription drugs also work best when synched up with the body rhythms influenced by light. Always check with your doctor before altering your meds in any way. Here's a breakdown of what works better when.

For Allergies

Medication: Antihistamines

Take at: Bedtime. The active ingredient will be in your bloodstream before symptoms are at their worst in the morning.

For Arthritis

Medication: Long-acting painkillers (Celebrex, Naprelan)

Take at: In the morning for osteoarthritis, with an additional dose at night for rheumatoid arthritis.

For Asthma

Medication: Oral prednisone

Take at: 3 pm. Research shows it's more effective at controlling nighttime symptoms (which tend to be more severe) than an 8 am dose. The same study found an 8 pm dose was only slightly more effective than a placebo.

For High Blood Pressure

Medication: Hypertension drugs (Covera-HS, Innopran XL)

Take at: Bedtime. This provides highest drug levels in the morning when blood pressure is highest.

For High Cholesterol

Medication: Short-acting statins (Zocor, Lescol)

Take at: Bedtime. Because your body makes cholesterol at night, the drugs reduce cholesterol 30 to 35% more effectively than with a morning dose.

Simply Recipes' "Baked Scallops"

"If we don't change the direction we're going, we're likely to end up where we're headed." - Chinese proverb