How many medications do you take in one day? If the answer is more than 3 then you know how hard it can be to keep up with them. You’ve got to remember what time to take each one.
Then there is the matter of knowing which ones require you to eat food with them and you end up having to carry around a bunch of little pill bottles with you. It’s a struggle unless you have a handy medication regimen in place.
We can help you create one. Keep reading to find out more about how you can organize your medications and make them easier to take.
Table of Contents
1. Keep a List
Most of the time when you make a doctor’s appointment one of the first things they’re going to ask you is for a list of your current medications. This will leave you stuck with either trying to recite complicated medical names or carrying around all your pill bottles.
To make things easier on yourself create a list of every single medication you take. This includes any over-the-counter medicines and supplements. Not only does a list make appointments easier but you can use it as a small written reminder.
For it to serve the purpose of a reminder, make sure you also write down the dosage instructions beside each medication.
2. Use a Pill Box
Using a pill box allows you to have all your medications in one place rather than carrying them around in bottles. It also can keep you organized if you get one that’s labeled with the days of the week.
You can go a step further to keep track of your medicine by using two separate boxes. Keep the pills you take during the day in a lighter colored one and the pills you take at night in a darker colored one for example.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to label your pillbox with what time you should be taking your medication. It’s for this reason that you should use this method together with some kind of calendar or time chart.
3. Find a Refill Routine and Stick With It
Remembering to refill all your medications can be a pain unless you make it a part of your routine. Using the same pharmacy for every single one of your medications is a good start. It makes refilling easy to remember because you’re getting it done all in one place.
The best way to make refills a part of your schedule is to pick a pharmacy that’s either within walking distance from your home or easy to get to on your way home from school or work. Sometimes if there is a long line you’ll be tempted to leave and come back another day and then forget.
To avoid this, don’t go to the pharmacy during lunchtime or 5’oclock when work is letting out for some people. Try to stick to mid-afternoons and morning.
4. Work the Pills Into Your Daily Routine
Your pharmacy isn’t the only thing you should work into your daily routine. You can do the same with your pill taking. Incorporate them with an action that you do every day.
For example, take your pills in the morning right after you brush your teeth or at night right before you lay down to go to sleep.
5. Give Yourself Little Reminders
Write your pill schedule down on your calendar as a small reminder to take your medication. You can also place sticky notes around the house in places that you frequent.
You can place one eye level with yourself on the bathroom mirror. Put one on the stirring wheel in your car or on the sun visor. Anywhere that will help trigger your memory.
6. Set Alarms
You’ve got to set an alarm on your phone or clock in order to wake up and start your morning. Why not do the same with your medicines?
If you set one on your phone you can add in a note that will tell you what medication the alarm is for. You can also set up calendar reminders on your phone that can double as an alarm to take your medicine.
7. Make Taking Pills Easy for Yourself
If you make taking pills easy on yourself it will become second nature. If you need to take your pills with food, buy a few snacks like granola bars that can act as a fast meal. Need to cut your pills?
Don’t do that with a knife, buy a handy pill cutter. If your medication tastes bad you’ll be less willing to take it so grab something flavorful to wash it down with.
Need to dilute your medications? Learn where to buy bacteriostatic sterile water and pick some up. Don’t make healthcare harder on yourself then it needs to be.
8. Enlist in Homecare If Need Be
If you’re a senior who is having problems figuring out when to take your medication then you may benefit from enlisting in homecare. It’s not as bad as it seems.
Other than helping your remember your pills they can also assist you with your basic chores and give you a lift to your doctor’s visits.
Keep Yourself Organized With This Medication Regimen
If you take more than a few medications a day, you know how hard it can be to remember them. That’s why you need to keep yourself organized by coming up with some kind of medication regimen. Try out some of the tips on this list and start making healthcare easier on yourself.
Looking for more ways to stay healthy? Check out our blog daily for more articles like this one.
