Tips For Remembering to Take Meds: The BPD Lifestyle

OK, at least half, if not more, of my readers have at least one daily med. And if even half of that half is like me, well, that shit is hard to remember. Even if you’ve been in the habit for years! I, myself, am the queen of forgetting everything. So forgetting to take meds? You betcha! The thing is, maybe a missed dose here and there won’t hurt you. But something like Geodon? Instant withdraw after just one forgetful evening. You don’t want to forget something like that!

So, how can you remind yourself? There are many tricks, and some work better than others depending on the person. So here they are:

  1. Pill box. This has never EVER helped me remember to take them, but it has helped me remember if I already took them if I second guess myself. Plus, it keeps them organized so you don’t have to sort them out with each individual dose. I wouldn’t recommend this method on it’s own, but pair up with something and you are good to go!
  2. Notes! This is very simple as long as you put some thought into it! Write a few notes and post them in plain sight in places you are sure to be around the time you have to take your meds. Do you take them every morning at breakfast? Then post the note on the cabinet that holds your breakfast cereal! The catch with this is, eventually you are so use to them, you stop seeing them. So either change them up when this happens, or move on to another reminder method.
  3. The daily routine! This can be paired with the second one. What is something you do at the same time every day? Add taking your meds to that routine! Then like I said, post a note there as well. Even if you stop noticing the note, hopefully it’ll be so completely a part of the routine, you won’t need the note any longer.
  4. Phone alarms. This one pretty much requires some sort of set schedule. If some days you sleep till 8, but other days noon, setting your AM med alarm for 8:30AM isn’t going to work. Likewise, if some evenings you work until 6, and others 11, a PM med alarm at 9:00PM isn’t going to work, unless you can take your meds at work the second the alarm goes off. Don’t count on remembering to take it on your next break.
  5. Put your pills where you can see them plain as day, every day. (Though out of reach of children and pets, of course!) If you can’t see them, how can you be expected to remember to take them?
  6. Remind a friend! If you have a friend or family member who forgets nothing, maybe they would be willing to help out. Some will be more willing to get involved with this than others. If the meds are long term, this is quite the commitment. Plus, I don’t know about you, but this sets them up for a daily cranky response from the med taker of, “Yes! I know!” So uh, should someone agree to this, be kind. Or you have no one to blame but yourself if you find yourself on your own! Plus, if you really knew, you wouldn’t be relying on someone to remind you.
  7. Use a calendar that’s in plain, hard to miss sight. Put a big red X on each day you remember to take your meds.
  8. If you are really good at computers, there is a way that you can make a daily reminder function that pops up as a really annoying dos window that will remind you. Don’t ask me how. I’ve done it only once with step by step instructions when I needed to remember to take my glucose test at an exact to the second time. BUT it worked!
  9. Apparently there are services out there that will send your phone a text at the same time every day to remind you. I don’t know anything about it, but you are welcome to look it up if this strikes your fancy. I’d look it up and link but I’m running out of time and I’m sure there are a few to choose from with different pros and cons.
  10. Divide and conquer! Put your meds in a couple different spots so that if you don’t notice them on the table, you’ll notice them by the coffee pot. Or, put your notes I mentioned in a few different spots. Same idea.

Also, it doesn’t hurt to carry a dose with you at all times that way should you get to work and go, “Oh crap!” you are covered. Better late than never!

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