Tips for Managing Your Medications

With an estimated 24% of Americans taking four or more prescriptions every day, it’s no wonder that medication mistakes happen. From the potential of confusing one pill for another or taking the wrong pill at the wrong time to forgetting to take a medication entirely or taking too much, the opportunity for errors is high. In fact, every day 750 older Americans are hospitalized due to medication-related issues.  

The key to not being a part of that statistic is staying informed and organized. Here are a few tips for managing and organizing your medications:

Make a list: Write down all medicines you take, including OTC drugs, as well as supplements and vitamins (Click here for a convenient tracking sheet). Note the name of each medication, who prescribed it, what it’s for, what it looks like, the prescribed dosage, and when you take it. Keep a copy of this document at home and carry one with you to share with any healthcare professional you see.  

Keep a paper trail: Save all the printed information that comes with your medication and keep it somewhere you can easily refer to as needed.

Use a daily pill organizer: Pill organizers can be a real lifesaver for anyone taking multiple medications. Available at drug stores and online, organizers have ‘bins’ for each day of the week. In many cases, pills can be organized by both the day and time of day they are to be taken.

Use a reminder app: There are several apps available for smartphones and tablets that you can set up to remind you to take your medication. Some include alarms, refill reminders, medicine-specific notifications such as ‘take with food,’ and some even have an audio voice message feature that’s especially useful for people with low vision. To review some popular reminder options, click here.

While these tips will help you stay on track of what to take when, it’s just as important to understand why you’re taking certain medications, how they work, and any potential side effects.

When you’re prescribed a new medication, be sure to ask your provider the following:

• What is the name of the medicine and why am I taking it?
• Is there a less expensive alternative?
• What medical condition does this medicine treat?
• When should I expect the medicine to start working? How will I know if it’s working?
• What type of side effects might I expect, if any? What should I do if I experience serious side effects?
• Will this drug cause problems if I am taking other prescriptions, OTC medicines, or supplements?
• What should I do if I want to stop taking this medicine? Is it safe to stop abruptly? 
• Will I need a refill? If so, will I need a follow-up appointment or other testing before I can refill the medication?

In addition, when you get your prescription filled, ask your pharmacist the following:

• Is it safe for me to drive while taking this medication?
• Should I take the medicine with food or not? Is there anything I should not eat or drink when taking this medicine?
• How much medicine should I take?
• How many times a day should I take it? At what time(s)? If the bottle says take “four times a day,” does that mean four times in 24 hours or four times when I am awake?
• What does “as needed” mean?
• If I forget to take my medicine, what should I do?

If you’re ever questioning whether you should or shouldn’t take a medication, or if a medication is causing side effects, call your healthcare provider’s office for advice. Never stop taking a medicine on your own. Some medicines must be stopped gradually to avoid complications. 

Spencer Ciancola, PA, is a member of the ExpressCare team at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.