Medication Organization: Tips to Improve Adherence

Improving Medication Adherence and Management

Managing several different medications can be overwhelming, confusing, and time-consuming. Without effective medication management, errors and missed doses may happen easily. This can lead to ineffective drug therapy and not getting results from taking medications. One key to proper medication management is organization. There are simple ways to create organizational systems into your daily routine to get the most benefit from your drug therapy.

Medication Management Tools

• Pill Box: One of the simplest ways to keep medications organized is to use a daily or weekly pillbox. There are a variety of sizes and colors to fit your needs. These range from simple ones that have a compartment for each day to more complex ones that have dividers for each dosage time (ex: morning, afternoon, evening).
• Medication List: Keeping and maintaining a current list of all the medications you take is very useful to keep up to date on your treatment. It is important to include all over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and herbals that you may take as well. Taking this to your doctor appointments and the pharmacy ensures all your providers are aware of your medications and can help prevent duplicate drug therapies and potentially harmful drug interactions.
• Medication App: There is an app for about anything – including managing your medications! There are several apps available to download to your phone or mobile device. Read about the different features of each one and then choose one that best meets your needs. These are available for both android and apple devices. Some examples are:
  • MyMeds: Connects patients, caregivers, and providers to help have a better understanding of current medications
  • MyMedSchedule Plus: Simple and easy to use, offers reminders, pictures of medications and tracks how often the medication is taken
  • The ScriptSave WellRx App: In addition to providing prescription price transparency, the ScriptSave WellRx app allows patients to set Take Your Pill reminders, as well as when it’s time to refill prescriptions.
    
    The WellRx platform also provides free access to some potentially life-saving functionality:
    • Drug Interaction Warnings: Patients can receive and share warnings with their caregivers when drugs in their personal in-app Medicine Chest might interact with each other.
    • Lifestyle Interaction Warnings: This includes warnings about potential drug interactions with certain foods patients eat, or activities they might engage in.
    • Expanded Drug Information: Patients can view detailed information, images, and videos for drugs within the Medicine Chest. Much of this information is available in English and Spanish.

Tips for Managing Your Medications

Now that you have all your medications organized, the next step is remembering to take them! It is easy to forget or miss a dose of your medication but with a few helpful tips – you can minimize the number of times this happens and improve adherence.  

• Reminders: This can be as simple as programming a daily reminder or alarm into your phone that alerts you when it is time to take your medication. You could go the more classic route and have a note that is posted in a spot where you see it every day such as the bedside table, bathroom mirror or fridge. You can also set reminders in the ScriptSave WellRx mobile app.
• Timers: If a device separate from your phone is more your style, there are several options that can provide an alarm or noise to help remind you that it is time to take medication. Likely, there are many items you already own, such as an alarm clock or kitchen timer, that can be set to the time you need to take medication. E-pill^® offers several medication alarms and even has devices that combine pillboxes with reminder alerts.
• Routine: Include taking medications into a daily routine. First, think of a task you do every day, such as brushing your teeth. Make a point to take your medication at the same time you brush your teeth. By joining the tasks together, taking your medications will become part of your daily routine and decrease the chance of missing a dose.
• Medication Synchronization: Many pharmacies offer medication synchronization programs that allow you to pick up all your medications at one time. This not only cuts down on trips to the pharmacy but also lessens the chance of allowing a prescription to run out before returning to the pharmacy for more refills.
• 90-Day Supply: If allowed by your insurance, obtaining a 90-day supply of medication is a good way to have adequate stock and minimize pharmacy trips. Similar to the idea of syncing your medications, there is less of a chance of running out of medication and missing doses.

With all these organization and adherence tips, you’ll be a pro at knowing your medication and taking them on time! There are many benefits that come from organization, such as reducing the stress of managing and taking multiple medications. Additionally, it may decrease health care costs by saving the need for more doctor appointments or medications due to gaps in drug therapy.

These are easy steps that can be done to increase how well your medicines work for you. By using the tools for a good organization system and following the adherence tips, you can improve your overall health and well-being.

References:

Fayed, L. (2019, June 24). How to Manage and Organize Medication for Your Safety. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/ways-to-manage-your-medication-514511

MyMeds: Redefining the Medication Experience. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://my-meds.com

MyMedSchedule: Free medication schedules, reminders, and health tracker. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://secure.medactionplan.com/mymedschedule/

Pill Timers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.epill.com/alarms.html

ScriptSave WellRx App Makes Medication Management Easier: https://news.wellrx.com/2019/01/23/scriptsave-wellrx-app-makes-medication-management-easier/