If your physician prescribed you a maintenance medication for a specific health condition, you must ensure that you are taking it regularly. By doing so, you can ensure that whatever health condition you suffer from won’t get worse, and you will be in control.
However, managing medication daily can be challenging, especially since we live in a fast-paced world. Everyone is busy and in a hurry, and forgetting about some vital things in life like prescription medication, is common.
With that said, here are five different tips you can do to improve your medication management. These tips will work whether you are new to this medication routine or you have been doing it for many years. Follow the tips below, and you will notice a huge difference in managing your medication.
Acquire a Prescription Medicine Discount Card
The first thing you must consider is ensuring you can buy all the medicines and follow your physician’s instructions without any worries. One thing to do this is to acquire a prescription medication discount card. You can save more money on medication if you have a discount card.
You can also ensure you can purchase your medicines on a tight budget. To start managing your medication properly, start shopping around and look for the best prescription medication discount card that suits your needs.
Many discount card providers are available today, and getting overwhelmed when choosing is normal. However, by checking out the provider’s offerings and the feedback of their existing clients, you will know which medicine discount card provider is best for you.
Use a Pill Box or Dispenser
After you ensure that you purchase the correct number of your medication, start thinking of how to organize your medicines properly and make them readily available for you when it’s time to take it. A medicine box or dispenser is an excellent way to organize your medicine to ensure that it is stored properly and to help you not to forget a dose.
Pillboxes and dispensers are labeled with the days of the week. You can even purchase a pill box that has 30 compartments that is suitable for storing and organizing a month’s worth of medicine supply. Using pillboxes and disposers, you can also monitor your medication and quickly know whether you missed a pill.
Include Your Medicine Regimen With Your Daily Activities
This next tip is suitable for individuals who live busy lives. If you are busy, it is easy to forget about your medication, especially if you are still new to this additional routine in your daily activities. Therefore, linking your medication routine into your daily activities would help you avoid forgetting your medication no matter how busy you get.
You have to time your medication per the guidelines your doctor provides and insert it into your daily activities accordingly. For example, if your doctor requires you to take a specific medication before bedtime, it would help if you place your pillbox on your nightstand for you to remember taking it before going to bed easily.
The same goes if you are instructed to take your medicine before or after eating your breakfast, your pill box should be placed on your dining table where you typically eat your breakfast. It is vital to refer to the kind of medication you are taking to know what time of the day it is advisable to be taken.
For instance, a study has stated that high blood pressure medicine may be more beneficial if taken before bedtime rather than in the morning. Doing so may cut the risks of diseases and death related to the heart. However, it is still best to talk to your doctor if you are thinking of changing the time you should take your prescribed meds.
Set a Reminder for Yourself
Setting a reminder is the most effective way to remind you to take your medicine. It is an added step you can do on your medicine routine to ensure that you are always right on track with your pills.
Using your smartphone to set the alarm daily to remind you to take your pill can be helpful. There are also mobile apps that you can install on your smartphone to help you manage your medication, including setting a regular reminder.
Keep a List of All Your Medicine
Keeping a list of all the medicine prescribed to you and placing it in an area where you can easily see it will help you keep track of the drugs you are taking. You will know what medicine, the dosage, and the time you need to take a specific medicine. For example, if you’re taking medication for ADHD, ensure that you discuss with your doctor the common faq and info about the drug.
Doing this will also help protect you from dangerous drug interactions. Finally, it will serve as a guide for proper medicine intake, which reduces the risk of overdose and other mistakes that could cause life-threatening risks.
Start Managing Your Medication Today
It can’t be stressed enough how vital it is to properly manage your prescription medication to ensure that you are doing it right and to protect yourself from improper medicine use. Use the tips provided as a guide, and you will rest assured you are on the right track in medicine management.
