From Pill Organizers to Apps, How to Manage Your Meds
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It stands to reason: The more drugs you take, the greater your risk of skipping a dose, taking the wrong pill at the wrong time, or making another mistake.
That’s why it’s essential to get organized, says Michael Steinman, M.D., a professor of geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. That includes using such things as daily pill organizers, as well as taking these steps:
1. Keep a thorough log. Include all your pills—prescription and over-the-counter drugs, plus supplements. Note their brand and generic names, your dosage and schedule, the reasons you take them, the name of the prescribing physician, and special advice, such as whether you should take them with food or drink. Describe the shape and color of the meds. And write down your pharmacy’s phone number, any allergies you may have, and emergency contact info.
For help, download one of these printable templates: the Food and Drug Administration’s “My Medicine Record,” a “Personal Medicine Form” from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, or “My Medicine List” from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
2. Make copies. Store one in your wallet or purse, post another in your home, and give extras to a friend, family member, or caregiver. Review the log regularly with your doctors to make sure it’s up-to-date and to double-check for medication you might be able to eliminate. (See Give Your Drugs a Checkup: Reviewing Your Medication List Can Prevent Errors.)
Editor’s Note: This special report and supporting materials were made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by a multistate settlement of consumer fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin).
This article also appeared in the September 2017 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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