In this instance I am, and am curious to hear any similar experiences from my fellow Dopers.
Like many people who have to take a daily medication(s), I will frequently absently take it (or not take it) and then spend the day distractedly, obsessively wondering “Did I take that or not?”
So I hatched up this solution: At night after I brush my teeth (with the Justin Bieber singing toothbrush, of course) I rinse my mouth out and then place my cup UPSIDE DOWN on the counter. If/When I take my pill in the morning I leave my cup upright - Now I can tell at a glance if I’ve taken my pills or not (Provided I remember to flip the cup down in the PM - has worked great so far.)
I can always tell if I haven’t taken it - the hacking and sneezing is a fair indication of the hayfever meds, and if I haven’t taken those … I didn’t take anything.
Mind you, my current cold is playing havoc with that system.
Too problematical: If you take your meds absent-mindedly and then can’t remember if you took it, you are also liable to forget to turn your cup or pill-bottle over, and then not remember if you did that. ETA: Also problematical if you take lots of pills all day long.
I take 2 to 4 pills at a time, regularly 4 times a day, with occasional extras as-needed. I set up a collection of 7 empty pill bottles labelled Sunday through Saturday, and every Sunday I set out my entire diet of pills for the week. Every morning, or whatever time I drag myself out of bed, I dump out that days pills on a kitchen counter and arrange them into little groups according to when I will take them. At any time, I can tell what I’ve taken and what I haven’t just by looking. I’ve been doing this for about 7 years now.
I had the same problem with my insulin, which I have to inject twice a day. The solution is to use the same needle in the evening that I used that morning (yes, it’s safe). If there’s a needle sitting there during the day, it means I did the injection that morning. If it’s still sitting there late at night, it means I hadn’t done the evening injection.
I also take a handful of pills each day, and I’m not going to try describing how I keep track of them.
Sweet jumping jebus, is it so damned hard to go to your pharmacy and buy a pillbox? hell, I have one with 4 compartment removable mini boxes so I can toss that day’s box into my purse and haul it with me if I am going to be out. The one I have even has enough space to cram in my needle for my lantus pen with my bedtime meds. :rolleyes::dubious:
Well, it kind of was difficult to go buy that pillbox. The last thing I want is to see, sitting out there in front of og and everyone (I forget if it’s not on the counter), is proof of how many damned pills it takes to keep me from being crazy, having an asthma attack, high blood pressure, low iron, brittle bones, etc.
My mother has two pillboxes: one of those large weekly ones, and a smaller “traditional-style” one. The weekly one is used at home and in hotels, the pretty little enameled box for eating out.
My husband uses the pillbox – the one with seven compartments.
The only “trick” I’ve devised is to help remember which pills I’ve put in the box. I take all the bottles out of the cupboard and put each one back after loading the pillbox. Otherwise, I’ll have to look twice to see which pills are in the box.
I wonder about whether I turned off the stove or oven after cooking - if I look at the stove to check before going out, I’ll say out loud, “Stove is OFF!” so I’ll make a mental note of it, rather than just glancing at it distractedly.
I would always wonder if I’d remembered to close the garage door back when I had a garage. I never did find a solution to that. I’d end up having to drive around the block and double-check.
I use a large, multi-compartment pillbox for the 10 meds/vitamins I have to take each day, some of them twice. I have a small, key fob style pillbox in which I keep some painkillers and cold/allergy meds when needed. I also have to use 2 inhalers and give myself insulin injections 4 times a day. The only one I often forget is my long-acting insulin before bed. Sometimes I’m so tired I just stagger in and collapse.
:rolleyes::dubious:
