Yesterday on Medpage Today is an article referring to a study in J. Epidemiology and Community Health that reminds us that only the medicine we actually take can help us. You have all heard of the statin group of medications to lower cholesterol. They have been linked to many wonderful benefits, including reduced risk of heart attacks strokes, and other cardiovascular disease problems. Unfortunately the rate of taking these medications when prescribed is about 50%. This may be from many causes, but high on the list of causes is forgetting to take the meds, and patients not wanting to be on “all that medication.”
This article shows that more lives can be saved by modest improvement in compliance in taking the medication that by increasing medication use by prescribing the med to people with less severe risks of cardiovascular disease.
I wanted to use this as a time to suggest a few ways to remember to take your prescribed medication:
- Pour you pills two weeks at a time. Get two week-at-a-time pill boxes. Fill them both and put them in a prominent place. This will allow you to remember if you have taken today’s medication. The second box will assure you have a full week of medication left when your bottle runs empty, and plenty of time to refill the medication before you run out.
- Most of us have cell phones. Set a daily alarm for when medication is due.
- Put a reminder somewhere you go every day. Examples: a ribbon on your toothbrush handle, a lipstick note on your bathroom mirror, or a sticky note on your breakfast table seat.
Whatever it takes, find a way to remember to take your important medications, whether they are birth control pills, statins, blood pressure medication, or maybe just vitamins. If you have your own ways to remember, leave a comment.
If you liked that try this:
Grand Rounds Volume 6 Number 47 by Dr. Pullen on August 17th, 2010
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My First Print Article by Dr. Pullen on July 30th, 2010
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Grand Rounds this week by Dr. Pullen on July 20th, 2010
I have pill boxes that I fill two weeks at a time and that system works very well. The meds taken with breakfast and dinner are always taken. The meds taken with lunch are only forgotten on days that I skip lunch.
There is one exception, though. My bedtime pill is forgotten six days a week, and I’m looking for a better system since it’s probably not doing much good when I don’t take it – maybe keeping it on my bedstand instead of in the kitchen, if I can then figure out a way to get a drink in there, too.
Think about using an alarm on your cell phone daily for the bedtime dose. Ed
Thank you. That gave me an idea (since I don’t much use a cell phone) – I just added it to my computer calendar, and will now get a pop-up a reminder every night.
Wanted to follow up since it’s been a month. Every night I check my e-mail before going to bed, and every night when I sit down at my computer, there’s a big reminder in the middle of my screen “Go back downstairs and take your pill.” It’s working great! Thank you.
Get the pilllboxes that have 2 sides…one for AM and one for PM. You don’t get confused or forget to take your meds. It’s worked for me for 5+ years…right after my heart attack. Haven’t missed one dose yet. Nor have I been back to the hospital. Docs enjoy compliant patients.