Its only the 2nd day and the biggest issue I have with taking my medication is that I have 3 other medications I am currently on. Each of them have different directions. I considered using a pill box type of reminder but those do not help with distinguishing what to take in the morning vs. in the evenings vs. with meals. Any suggestions?
The biggest problem for me is forgetting to take my medication with meals. I've been consistently taking the medication 1-2 or more hours after a meal. Taking the medication this way I am probably not receiving the full benefits of the drug. I may need to implement some sort of reminder associated with meals.
The biggest problem I am having is remembering to take my medication with meals. I am not always hungry when it is time to take my medication so I do not always take it with a meal. I try to have a snack with this medication to help with the food requirements with it.
Bo: There are pill boxes with morning and evening spots. I would use one of those but when it comes to with meals that is more difficult. If it didnt matter with the other medications that you are taking I would take them all with meals. If some cant be taken with meals then maybe get the box that has morning lunch and evening spots and put the ones with meals in the spot that you eat your first meal and then keep the others in a separate compartment so you know not to take it with food.
The biggest problem I am having with taking my medication is remembering to take it at the right time. I think about it, but then I forget to take it when the actual time comes around.
Jeff: Perhaps to help you remember to take your medication WITH meals, WITHOUT storing it in the kitchen, or wherever you prepare your meals, you could try putting a post-it note in the kitchen to visually remind you as you are getting your meal ready. I have also used cell phone alarms in the past to remind me to take a medication, which you could try setting for normal meal times.
@lroberts: Thanks for the suggestion. I actually did not know that some pill boxes have morning and evening spots. I took your suggestion and put my mid day dose with my lunch and it was alot easier to remember to take my medication.
I have had very few issues taking my "medication" this week; however, today I have my follow-up INR appointment. I suspect (and hope) this will be the biggest obstacle because my car is currently in the shop, and I had to find someone to take me to my appointment, despite it not being at a time when we have class. I can understand where follow-up monitoring and appointments may be difficult for different patients that cannot drive or do not have access to their own transportation. Fortunately, I have been able to set up rides for the day to my appointment, school, etc., but it was the greatest challenge to remain adherent.
My biggest challenge is incorporating the regimen into my schedule. It's the first week of school so I haven't settled in with a regular routine and I tend to forget to take my medications on time. I'm finding myself taking the medication a couple of hours later than I intended.
Emily...I cannot imagine what it's really like for people who take coumadin for real because so many people are in different situations like yours (not having a car) and they must find it very difficult to adhere to the medication regimine and all their appointments. This activity really puts that into perspective because when patients come get their coumadin filled, I always tell them that they have to go weekly for their INR appointments and it's that simple to say, but in actuality, it's not very simple at all.
I need to take the Acyclovir every 4hours as prescribed but Im not going to wake up 4am in the morning to take it. So right now Im taking 2 before I go to bed and then Ill take 2 in the morning when I wake up.
The biggest problem I have with taking my medication is that I am supposed to be taking my medication twice a day with food, but I have been sick this week and have not been eating regularly. This has been very difficult to create a regular schedule for taking the medication.
My biggest obstacle has been adherence. I took my first dose on the first day and forgot about the rest. I did not take it as seriously as I should have but I guess that's natural when your health does not depend on it.
@Jessica I agree with you. Taking a medication with food is more difficult especially when your eating patterns are irregular. I find myself eating dinner at one time some nights and another time other nights, based on work...etc. So it is very difficult to get in a habit of remembering to take it with food.
@Jessica: I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well this past week. Although you are not feeling well, it is still a good idea to get something in your stomach along with the medication. Even if its something small like applesauce and yogurt twice a day. Hope you feel better!
@ Emily: I cannot imagine trying to get around without a car to make doctor's appointments and such. I think that is something that most of us do not think about as we are all used to simple things like being able to get around when needed. This also made me think about the patients who are homeless and do not even have anywhere to store their medications. These patients, I am sure, could benefit from things like complimentary pillboxes to at least help them organize and store their medications.
A final thought I had at the end of the week that I am sure many of you may agree with is that remaining compliant is far more difficult on the weekends. Having a daily routine during the week, and waking up at the same time every morning and taking morning medication is not difficult. However, the erratic schedule and travel that happens on the weekends makes remembering to take medications far more challenging.
@Emily. You're right. I actually went away this weekend and it made me think about those patients who come into the pharmacy because they forgot their medications at home while on vacation and how we always have to get an override, etc. It definitely is a lot easier when you have a daily routine that you are used to. This weekend I definitely was not as compliant with my medications because I was doing activities different from my daily routine.
Its only the 2nd day and the biggest issue I have with taking my medication is that I have 3 other medications I am currently on. Each of them have different directions. I considered using a pill box type of reminder but those do not help with distinguishing what to take in the morning vs. in the evenings vs. with meals. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem for me is forgetting to take my medication with meals. I've been consistently taking the medication 1-2 or more hours after a meal. Taking the medication this way I am probably not receiving the full benefits of the drug. I may need to implement some sort of reminder associated with meals.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I am having is remembering to take my medication with meals. I am not always hungry when it is time to take my medication so I do not always take it with a meal. I try to have a snack with this medication to help with the food requirements with it.
ReplyDeleteBo: There are pill boxes with morning and evening spots. I would use one of those but when it comes to with meals that is more difficult. If it didnt matter with the other medications that you are taking I would take them all with meals. If some cant be taken with meals then maybe get the box that has morning lunch and evening spots and put the ones with meals in the spot that you eat your first meal and then keep the others in a separate compartment so you know not to take it with food.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I am having with taking my medication is remembering to take it at the right time. I think about it, but then I forget to take it when the actual time comes around.
ReplyDeleteJeff: Perhaps to help you remember to take your medication WITH meals, WITHOUT storing it in the kitchen, or wherever you prepare your meals, you could try putting a post-it note in the kitchen to visually remind you as you are getting your meal ready. I have also used cell phone alarms in the past to remind me to take a medication, which you could try setting for normal meal times.
ReplyDelete@lroberts: Thanks for the suggestion. I actually did not know that some pill boxes have morning and evening spots. I took your suggestion and put my mid day dose with my lunch and it was alot easier to remember to take my medication.
ReplyDeleteI have had very few issues taking my "medication" this week; however, today I have my follow-up INR appointment. I suspect (and hope) this will be the biggest obstacle because my car is currently in the shop, and I had to find someone to take me to my appointment, despite it not being at a time when we have class. I can understand where follow-up monitoring and appointments may be difficult for different patients that cannot drive or do not have access to their own transportation. Fortunately, I have been able to set up rides for the day to my appointment, school, etc., but it was the greatest challenge to remain adherent.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge is incorporating the regimen into my schedule. It's the first week of school so I haven't settled in with a regular routine and I tend to forget to take my medications on time. I'm finding myself taking the medication a couple of hours later than I intended.
ReplyDeleteEmily...I cannot imagine what it's really like for people who take coumadin for real because so many people are in different situations like yours (not having a car) and they must find it very difficult to adhere to the medication regimine and all their appointments. This activity really puts that into perspective because when patients come get their coumadin filled, I always tell them that they have to go weekly for their INR appointments and it's that simple to say, but in actuality, it's not very simple at all.
ReplyDeleteI need to take the Acyclovir every 4hours as prescribed but Im not going to wake up 4am in the morning to take it. So right now Im taking 2 before I go to bed and then Ill take 2 in the morning when I wake up.
ReplyDeleteGreat posts!! Just imagine if you had 10+ meds to take a day! I'm not sure how some of patients I see do it :)
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I have with taking my medication is that I am supposed to be taking my medication twice a day with food, but I have been sick this week and have not been eating regularly. This has been very difficult to create a regular schedule for taking the medication.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest obstacle has been adherence. I took my first dose on the first day and forgot about the rest. I did not take it as seriously as I should have but I guess that's natural when your health does not depend on it.
ReplyDelete@Jessica I agree with you. Taking a medication with food is more difficult especially when your eating patterns are irregular. I find myself eating dinner at one time some nights and another time other nights, based on work...etc. So it is very difficult to get in a habit of remembering to take it with food.
ReplyDelete@Jessica: I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well this past week. Although you are not feeling well, it is still a good idea to get something in your stomach along with the medication. Even if its something small like applesauce and yogurt twice a day. Hope you feel better!
ReplyDeleteMy medication was Metronidazole 250 mg, 1 tab q8h x7 days.
ReplyDelete@ Emily: I cannot imagine trying to get around without a car to make doctor's appointments and such. I think that is something that most of us do not think about as we are all used to simple things like being able to get around when needed. This also made me think about the patients who are homeless and do not even have anywhere to store their medications. These patients, I am sure, could benefit from things like complimentary pillboxes to at least help them organize and store their medications.
ReplyDeleteA final thought I had at the end of the week that I am sure many of you may agree with is that remaining compliant is far more difficult on the weekends. Having a daily routine during the week, and waking up at the same time every morning and taking morning medication is not difficult. However, the erratic schedule and travel that happens on the weekends makes remembering to take medications far more challenging.
ReplyDelete@Emily. You're right. I actually went away this weekend and it made me think about those patients who come into the pharmacy because they forgot their medications at home while on vacation and how we always have to get an override, etc. It definitely is a lot easier when you have a daily routine that you are used to. This weekend I definitely was not as compliant with my medications because I was doing activities different from my daily routine.
ReplyDelete