Remnants Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 How do you remember to take your meds? How do you go taking them at the same time everyday? Especially if you have a varied schedule. I go to uni, so Monday/Friday I'm up early & some other days, but when I don't have early classes or anything on I like to sleep in. I just started on an AD that seems to have a short half life & I've been really sensitive to withdrawals in the past so I feel like I need to figure out how to take this everyday at the same time. I'm thinking maybe keep it in my bag & take it around 10 then I know I'll be up. Even if it means taking it in class, I always have water on me. It's just remembering if I'm out or doing something where I'm more engaged & won't necessarily check my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 53 minutes ago, Remnants said: How do you remember to take your meds? I remember to take them (for the most part) because they are in 4 piles, pretty much within eyesight all the time (because I am always on the computer, and they are on a desk next to them). 56 minutes ago, Remnants said: How do you go taking them at the same time everyday? Especially if you have a varied schedule. They are in pill boxes and then I lay them out in 4 piles of which to take when. If I miss a does of something because of being out or something, I either take it when I get home, or just take the next dose when it is time to. 58 minutes ago, Remnants said: I just started on an AD that seems to have a short half life & I've been really sensitive to withdrawals in the past so I feel like I need to figure out how to take this everyday at the same time. How about a small, hand held pill box? I bought one that was a keychain one. So it was on my keychain all the time if i needed one of the meds or something that I couldn't take at home. This one was a similar one to what I had: https://smile.amazon.com/Pillbox-Keychain-Profile-Gifts-Medicine/dp/B00GG13Q7Q/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1489787526&sr=8-4&keywords=pill+keychain They have other ones, but this was what mine looked like. I bought it at CVS awhile back. (bold) Although, I just realized that I didn't answer your question ... Idk how to remember to take it at the same time each day. Maybe take it at the time a class is, so when you are going to that class you can associate taking the med with that? 1 hour ago, Remnants said: It's just remembering if I'm out or doing something where I'm more engaged & won't necessarily check my phone. That is hard to do, IME. For me, I just wing it. Maybe for you, when you start feeling like you need the med, you can take it right then? I mean I know it would be ideal if there was an overlap time so you never got to the point of feeling a withdrawal from it, but if that happens (you feel the withdrawal) you would know then that you need to take the med. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterflykisses Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I use 2 single 7 day slot pill boxes. I keep my morning pills in the purple pill case and I keep my nighttime pills in the blue pill case. I refill the cases every week. Doing this has allowed me to be able to recognize if I had already taken my pills. Also it makes things easier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I use the box that holds a weeks worth of pills, separate compartment for AM and PM. I am lucky as almost all my meds are taken once or twice a day. The box solves the question "Did I take my meds?" as others have mentioned. Then I use Google Calendar to schedule times to take the pills. It sends notifications to my phone when it is pill taking time. This way I don't have to dole out pills each time I take them, I find I am more consistent having the pill box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I use a pill organizer too, for my AM and PM meds. Taking those is just part of my getting up or going to bed routine. It sits on the counter in the bathroom next to the sink, so basically, whenever I go to the bathroom, I check if I should take my pills after washing my hands. I've never been on something so sensitive that a couple hours one way or the other (to account for varied sleep schedules) was a big deal. When I've had to take meds in the middle of the day, I used a keychain pill case like Melissa linked to combined with alarms on my phone. I also tried to tie the mid-day dose to something like a meal that I was likely to do at close to the same time every day (e.g. I eat dinner at pretty much the same time no matter when I get up). Try not to worry too much about withdrawal symptoms. If anything, it will train you to be more aware of the time of day so you take your med earlier. Usually within half an hour or so of taking the med (often sooner if you take it with food), withdrawal symptoms will go away. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunder Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I have an alarm on my phone. It's set to vibrate, so it's not disruptive to other people that I might be around, but is enough to remind me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 7 hours ago, Remnants said: How do you go taking them at the same time everyday? Especially if you have a varied schedule. Just want to say I answered your question in my first post in this thread as if you were on the go all the time and weren't home to see the pill box there. Sorry if i misinterpreted it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Lots of good ideas. I'm currently taking some pills (not MI meds) for post op pain and there are some that are every 3 hours, one thats every 6 hours and another thats 3 times a day and the morning, evening stuff that I put in a weekly pill box. The 6 hour pill is not critical although forgetting it can cause a lot of discomfort itching etc. The real problem (For me anyway) is the noon pill and the 3 hours pills. If I forget and it gets 4 hours apart it just hurts like heck and trying to keep that from not happening in the daytime? Well... Don't laugh but I set the timer on the Kitchen Stove for 3 hours. Sleeping I generally wake up either right before the 3 hours are up and I stare at the clock or at 4 hours they wear off and I wake up from that. Someone who has Google phoning them has to explain that some more. That sounds pretty incredable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisHarleQuinn Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I've personally never liked pill boxes. I usually leave my meds in their bottles. But I got to where I kept forgetting to take them. And with a lot of mental illnesses consistency in life is a must because it helps us more than we know. I actually just downloaded an app to my phone and picked the most annoying notification sound possible and it will scream at me as I like to say until I open the app and check off my meds one by one as having taken them. Every twelve hours. Unless I'm passed out sleeping. I'm home 99.9% of the time because I don't work. So. It won't bother anyone. Its been working good for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remnants Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 Thanks everyone. I appreciate your replies. I think maybe a vibrating alarm might be best because if I'm taking them at a time that suits me sleeping in when I'm not going out, I'll either be in class or at volunteering when I take them other days. My other current med is a night time take & it's so much easier to remember. I'll probably get a small pill box to put a few in to take with me. Or even just cut out a few from the foil sheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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