Patient was educated on how to take Diltiazem as follows:
- Take the medication at the same time every day, to avoid forgetting the medication.
- Maintain strict compliance with intake of the medication as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of Diltiazem.
- Do not change the dose on Diltiazem without consulting your doctor.
- Take a blood pressure reading always before you take the pill. Maintain a log of every day blood pressure readings.
- If the blood pressure or heart rate are too low, you can defer taking the medication for that dose. Notify your doctor of the same. Notify your doctor, if more of such occurrences are happening, so that, your Diltiazem dose could be revised.
- Also, notify your doctor, if your blood pressure continues to be high or if signs and symptoms of heart failure do not improve or get any worse further.
- If a dose is missed, it should be taken at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, the missed dose can be skipped. Compensating for the missed dose by taking an extra dose can pose serious risk for an episode of extremely low blood pressure and bradycardia.
