A medication’s intended purpose is to keep you healthy and manage your medical issues. Not taking your medication properly, however, could have some negative consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20-30 percent of prescriptions are never filled, and more or less 50 percent of patients do not take their medication as prescribed by their doctor.
Going against the instructions of your physician or pharmacist could lead to your disease getting worse, hospitalization, or even death. If you’re having trouble taking your medication as prescribed by your doctor, here are strategies that can make managing multiple medications easier.
1. Get Motivated
Make a list of all the reasons you don’t take your medications as they’re scheduled. This might be physical reasons like lack of appetite, nausea, or constipation. Or, they might be more psychological, such as anxiety, fear, or even loss of hope.
Then, make a list of all the reasons you should take your medication – your health, your family and friends, and so on. Put the lists up on the refrigerator and your bathroom mirror. When you start feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, look at the list and think about the consequences of not taking your medications on time.
2. Create a Medication Routine
Telling yourself to “take your medication at any time of day” can make it really difficult to remember to take your medication. However, taking your medication at the same time each day can make it easier to remember to take them. Your body will get into a routine of taking your medication, effectively creating a habit that you wouldn’t forget easily.
3. Use a Calendar or App to Help You Track Your Medication
Using a calendar or a smartphone app like MedManage to track your medication can help you remember to take your medicine. Track your medications by tapping your daily schedule. Just think of the apps or calendar as your medication reminder and use it to log all your prescriptions and create reminders and alerts.
4. Organize Your Medications
When you’re trying to remember to take your medications, it helps to keep all your medications in one place. If you can’t do this with your current situation, you can create a pill organizer.
Pill organizers not only help you remember to take your medications but can also make taking your medications easier by keeping them organized and separated. This makes it easier to know what to take and at what time of day.
5. Ask Your Pharmacist to Compound Your Medication
Compounding is the process of mixing two or more medications into one pill or capsule, thereby making it easier for you to take these medications. For example, you may be taking three different medications. But, because your pharmacist can compound these medications into one pill or capsule. This way, you only have to take one pill instead of several different ones. Even if you’re able to combine only two medications, that’s still one less pill to take. Also, your pharmacist may also be able to tell you if any medicines should be taken together.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that managing your medications requires a commitment from you and your family. By taking an active role in managing your medications, you can improve your ability to manage your health and manage your disease. Lastly, even if you’re able to take your medication just fine, it’s good to have a reminder system.
The best way to keep track of all your medications is to use a state-of-the-art app like MedManage. Take advantage of our cloud-based prescription tracker and daily medication log for patients and caregivers. Take control of your health by downloading our app today!