If you are taking several medications every day, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Not only can you forget to take them, you might even mix up similar-looking tablets and end up taking too many of one and miss out another entirely. This can be very dangerous and risk overdosing, which in turn can result in a medical emergency.
There are many ways in which to organise your medications to ensure that you take the right ones at the same time and in the right amount. This is also handy for any carers or family members who are looking after an elderly person.
Always check your prescription
Before starting to organise your medication, check your prescriptions thoroughly to ensure how many times you need to take it. Check the expiration dates of your medication thoroughly too and dispose of expired products properly.
Next, always make sure you have enough medication. If it is available for refills, call your pharmacist so you don’t miss any doses. Submit your prescription in good time in case the pharmacist is low in stocks.
Create a medication routine
Your medication routine or schedule is central to you taking your medication safely and on time. Create a medical chart that tracks what you need to take every day, with boxes available for you to tick-off medications that you’ve taken,
A chart can be easily created on your computer with a simple Excel spreadsheet or a word processing programme. You might also want to add some notes about storage as some need to be kept in cool or freezing conditions.
Keep a tab open where you can jot down your reactions to the medicine. This might be helpful upon your next visit to the doctor.
Remembering to take your medication
There are several foolproof methods that will ensure you take your medication as and when you need it. Choose a pharmacy that offers to make up daily medication pouches specifically tailored to you and deliver them to your door. This way, all the hard work is done for you and is handled by medical professionals.
Other easy reminders include setting alarms and reminders on your phone or requesting your caregiver to handle the medication schedule for you.
Pick one pharmacy for all your medications
If you’re being prescribed medications from lots of different pharmacies, it can be difficult to keep track of it all. For this reason, it’s a good idea to pick one reliable pharmacy and use them for all your prescription needs. In this way, you can also develop a strong relationship with your pharmacist and call them whenever you have any questions.