There is a GREAT new commercial out for Tylenol. The Vice-President of something or other at the company talks about how if you aren’t going to follow the directions and take Tylenol properly, she’d rather not have you use it at all.
This advice is good with any medicine, prescription or over-the-counter. If you don’t take your medicine exactly as it is prescribed, it can be harmful instead of beneficial. So how do you remember to take the right dose at the right time?
- Make it a habit. Take your medicine at the same time every day. Whether it is the first thing you do when you wake up, an appetizer before breakfast, or the last thing you do at night, make your medicine part of your daily routine.
- Use a special pillbox to help you keep track of your medicine. You can find boxes divided for the days of the week and even into the parts of the day! My grandmother has one that has seven different sections — each section is divided into four parts for pills you take at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. You can see at a glance whether or not you have missed a dose.
- If you tend to get confused, write a list of all your medicines, what the current dose and frequency is, and which doctor prescribed it. Update the list every time a doctor changes your dosage.
- Ask your family or roommates to help you remember to take your medicine on time.
- Use an alarm clock to help you remember to take your medicine at a certain time, or a timer to help you take doses at the right time — for example, if you have to take an antibiotic every four hours.
- Use a dry erase board to keep track of your medicines. List all your pills on the board; as you take each pill, mark the board. At the end of the day, erase the marks and start again tomorrow.
- Timer caps are available to place on your pill bottles to remind you of the right time for your medicine. You may also be able to find a pill container that beeps when it is time for your medicine.
- Refill your weekly pillbox at the same time every week. Make it part of your routine!
- Understand your medicine. Know which doctor prescribed it, what it is called, how much you are supposed to take, and what it is supposed to do. Keeping a list of all your medicines can be helpful if you don’t think you can remember all the information on your own.
- If you are planning to travel, make sure you carry enough of your medication with you! You may also want to bring the original bottles so you have the prescription, pharmacy, and doctor’s office information with you in case of emergency.