5 Tips for Better Medication Management

I take a lot of prescription medications. I also take a lot of supplements. Being that I have chronic illnesses, of course these are essential!
For non-spoonies reading this (and if you don’t know what a spoonie is you can find out here), my medication does not “cure” me. It is targeted to specific symptoms and attempts to manage them. You may be thinking “Why take medication at all if it won’t make you better?” And the answer is that it helps. It doesn’t work 100% and a lot of trial and error is involved in getting the best regimen for each patient but when you have an illness that the FDA has approved exactly zero medications for, like POTS (yes you read that right, 0, zilch, absolutely none), then that’s just the way it is.

If you’re like me you probably take a lot of pills, which involves a lot of pill bottles, which when combined with things like brain fog can be daunting. Did you remember to take your meds? When was the last time you took that emergency pain med? Can you have more yet? Did you move that one bottle you need? How many refills do you need to pick up this week? Is there anything at the pharmacy now?

It’s a fun life.

Here are some quick tips to make medication management a bit easier:

1. Get a pill organizer. It takes me forever to sort my meds, simply because there are so many of them! But it’s always worth the energy in the end, because it saves spoons in the long run. You ALWAYS know if you took your meds or not, and it’s extremely satisfying when you’re finished! Click here to check out my favorite weekly pill organizer from Amazon.
2. Use a pill box, or pill bags. I got these adorable little bags at CVS and they even have little boxes to check off what time to take them and you can write what day they’re for. I use these for going out, and keep a few bags in my purse with my daytime and evening doses so that if I were to ever not bring my day of meds with me for some reason and I get in a jam where I can’t get home to get them, I’m okay. You can also sort your week’s pills in them too if you prefer that to a pill organizer! I prefer these to a single-welled pill box because not only can they carry as much or as little as I need, they’re also inexpensive and disposable. Once you take your pills you can throw the bag away (or reuse or recycle it!) and there’s no question as to which bags need to be restocked. However, if you don’t take a ton of medications or take your medications with less frequency, a pill box may be perfect for you! Click here to check out pill bags on Amazon.
3. Set alarms on your phone. I have alarms on my phone for each time I have to take meds. Why? Because I’m not perfect. I don’t automatically know that it’s 1:00 pm and I need to take my 1:00 pm meds. That’s okay, but I also can’t afford to miss my 1:00 pm meds. By putting an alarm on my phone that’s one less thing I need to try to remember. This is something I would definitely recommend to anyone who has to take medications of any sort throughout the day.
4. Keep everything in one place. Have a designated basket or cabinet that is home to all of your pill bottles. This makes life a million times easier when you need your migraine med and are trying to instruct a family member as to its whereabouts. One place for everything, and you’ll never have to worry about losing or misplacing a bottle again.
5. Call refills in a week before you need them, and put a notepad with your pill bottles where you can keep track of what refills have been called in, and whether or not they’ve been picked up. Running out of meds is one of the least fun things I can think of, and miscommunication is enjoyable for no one. This is especially helpful if you aren’t the one making runs to the pharmacy.

That rounds out my five tips to never forget to take your medication again. Do you have a tip for better medication organization? Did you see something you want to implement? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking to try something new, and would love to hear if this post helped you!

If you have a forgetful friend who struggles with managing medications, or even taking vitamins! Send this post their way. After all – you’re looking out for their health!