How many of you guys use pill organizers? And how forgetful are you with your meds?

I recently became manic, and I just realized that I haven't been taking my Abilify. I'm supposed to take it in the morning, but now I can't remember the last time i took it! So I'm going to buy an AM/PM pill organizer today and use a phone alarm this time.

I just have such awful memory. I can't remember when to take my pills, and I can't remember if I took them or not! hence the need for a pill organizer. Oh yeah, and I keep forgetting to turn on my phone alarm after it shuts off...

Stupid me...

[p00dlez]

I have a pill organizer with an alarm on it. With all the meds I take for various illnesses I would be totally lost without it. I got it at Walgreens think it was like 20-30 bucks. I still do forget my morning meds on occasion, like if we are going somewhere early in the mornings, but most of the time the alarm helps me to remember to take everything.

I have a pill organizer. It is a box with a smaller box for every day of the week and the smaller box has space for Morning, Noon, Evening, Night, and PRN.

[hopeless2015]

I use one...it's easy to forget and I missed doses a lot before I got it

[Treyfrancis21]

I do great at night, but I am struggling to adjust to taking morning and daily meds. I think I have 2 alarms in my phone for each pill, but I still forget sometimes.

[Unrigged64072835]

I use one and I set alarms on my calendar app to take them.

[mindwrench]

I am terrible at staying on track with pills, vitamins, etc. I have a pill box with a compartment for each day of the week. I also carry a fob in my pocket with extras in case I am away from home and need something. My main issue is like having a aches/pain and picking up a bottle of Advil, taking some out and taking them. Then I question if I just took them, or was getting ready to take them. So I wait a little bit and see if my pain gets better. If not is it because I didn't take them? Or because I don't know for sure if I did, and the placebo effect is not helping the headache because I don't believe without a doubt that I took them. So I take them again. (I go through a lot of Advil). I do the same thing with blood pressure meds, only I know when I have screwed up because my blood pressure will be high or low several hours later. I can put them all in a daily organizer pillbox, and still not trust that I am on track, because i may have screwed up filling it, or think it is a different day than it is. Or maybe I took one out of my pocket? GRRR! Of coarse I do the same thing with locking doors, and setting alarm clocks, and tightening bolts, etc.

I'm considering putting a camera above my pillbox, as I already have a surveillance system that records others cameras. Then I could review the time stamped video and know for sure what I have taken.

Originally Posted by p00dlez

I still do forget my morning meds on occasion, like if we are going somewhere early in the mornings, but most of the time the alarm helps me to remember to take everything.

Originally Posted by Treyfrancis21

I do great at night, but I am struggling to adjust to taking morning and daily meds. I think I have 2 alarms in my phone for each pill, but I still forget sometimes.

Good to know I'm not the only one who struggles with morning meds!

I always wake up at different times and my mornings are never the same. That's what throws me off.

I would use a phone alarm to wake up and take my meds, but I like to wake up naturally. If I use a phone alarm and wake up earlier than I need to, then I feel tired the whole day.

Originally Posted by mindwrench

I am terrible at staying on track with pills, vitamins, etc. I have a pill box with a compartment for each day of the week. I also carry a fob in my pocket with extras in case I am away from home and need something. My main issue is like having a aches/pain and picking up a bottle of Advil, taking some out and taking them. Then I question if I just took them, or was getting ready to take them. So I wait a little bit and see if my pain gets better. If not is it because I didn't take them? Or because I don't know for sure if I did, and the placebo effect is not helping the headache because I don't believe without a doubt that I took them. So I take them again. (I go through a lot of Advil). I do the same thing with blood pressure meds, only I know when I have screwed up because my blood pressure will be high or low several hours later. I can put them all in a daily organizer pillbox, and still not trust that I am on track, because i may have screwed up filling it, or think it is a different day than it is. Or maybe I took one out of my pocket? GRRR! Of coarse I do the same thing with locking doors, and setting alarm clocks, and tightening bolts, etc.

I'm considering putting a camera above my pillbox, as I already have a surveillance system that records others cameras. Then I could review the time stamped video and know for sure what I have taken.

Pill fob is a good idea. I should do that with my Ativan, even though I think Ativan sucks.

I also have the issue of forgetting if I took my meds or not. That's partly why I want a pill organizer. But I can definitely see why you'd worry that you're screwing up filling your pill organizer. I'm sure I'll be the same way, although this time I will put on a calendar alarm like Farriage (except do it weekly) to remind myself to fill the damn thing. lol.

I have my medication 'blister packed' by my pharmacy. This is a free service. It has really helped me. I don't have to ogranize my meds at it is done for me. It actually halps me remember to take my medications - and the correct ones.

I still have a little trouble with the evening meds as I never go to bed at the same time. I, haha, have a post it note on my clock radio reminding me to take them.

[NoIdeaWhatToDo]

I have an am/pm organizer, and I leave it on the kitchen counter. I take them when I have my first glass of water in the morning (while getting kids ready for school), and then while making dinner. Occasionally, I'll forget, but then it's very easy to see a little later (because I'm in the kitchen constantly throughout the day), and I rarely miss by more than a couple of hours, which is OK for me.

[bioChE]

I use an AM/PM organizer. It's on my nightstand, so I always see it at the right times. I've been at this med game so long that I don't forget....it's kind of like brushing my teeth.

[scatterbrained04]

I used to use one but don't anymore. I'm pretty good at remembering. My son takes meds twice a day at the same time as me.

When I was on meds, I religiously used a pill organizer. My husband does too. I was fine with just one container a day generally. I could remember what time of day to take which ones. My husband, on the other hand, needs one with divisions for morning, noon, supper, and bedtime.

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

Good to know I'm not the only one who struggles with morning meds!

I always wake up at different times and my mornings are never the same. That's what throws me off.

I would use a phone alarm to wake up and take my meds, but I like to wake up naturally. If I use a phone alarm and wake up earlier than I need to, then I feel tired the whole day.

I had an issue with this too and found that when I switched to putting the alarms at 11:30 am and 11:30 pm, I did a LOT better with remembering. AND with dosing. (It had previously been set for earlier, but I'd often be out running errands when the pm one went off. Taking meds in grocery line? Yeah right(!) Lol.)

The problem that I'd had with dosing was taking night meds at "bedtime", which is not a terribly consistent time for me. Then morning would come, and, on autopilot, I'd take my morning meds. Only when I'd start feeling like crap did I realize. Then have to ride out, them already being in my system. This was mostly an issue with my lamictal, because there was a reason I'd had to go to split dosing at higher doses(!) And this craptastic phenomenon would only really happen on workdays (on account of otherwise not getting up that early). Not fun.

Back to 11:30 solution. It was a matter of figuring a set of times that fit the parameters of being likely to be awake and likely to being in a location condusive to taking (it's lunchtime on workdays). Only tricks are to remember to pack the morning meds for work (which can be solved by carrying a backup set) and and actually taking them when the alarm goes off (as opposed to "in a minute", because distraction --pretty much a given(!)-- would lead to forgetting).

And ABSOLUTELY a pillbox. I was hopelessly confused before that.

[bioChE]

Whenever I switch meds, I don't use my organizer for a few weeks. This forces me to remember which pills to take at what time, and it also allows me to get familiar with the color and size of each.....so when I do resort to the organizer, I can identify each pill at a glance.

[OctobersBlackRose]

I don't use pill organizers, but I am constantly forgetting to take my Lamictal, I'm supposed to take it in the morning, but I take my Geodon so early I don't want to take my Lamictal at 6am, but I'm going to have to start.taking it then just to remember to take it. Today I took it around 1:19pm, oops, almost forgot.again.

[bioChE]

Why don't you want to take your Lamictal at the same time as your Geodon?

[OctobersBlackRose]

Originally Posted by bioChE

Why don't you want to take your Lamictal at the same time as your Geodon?

I just feel 6am is too.early, but I'm going to start taking it then so I don't forget.

I just bought the prettiest organizer. It's lavender and light blue. Too bad it isn't pink because then it'd be the cutest pill organizer ever. I'd also be super fashionable within the MI community. But alas...

[BipolaRNurse]

I have two pill boxes, one for AM and the other for PM. I fill it every Monday morning and it takes me through the week. I hate the task of setting the meds up, but am always glad I've done it because I have to take six meds in the morning and 11 at night (I'm on blood pressure and diabetes meds too). There's no way I'd remember them all.

[manicminer]

I have 2, one for day one for night, that organize a weeks worth.
With three Rx's and a slew of supplements, I'd never remember to take them correctly without this.
Used to keep everything in a fishing tackle box

I only take pills at night. I am spot-on except for when getting manic. Then I use a pill box, for sure.

[99fairies]

Some of my older meds messed with my memory so I had no idea what I was supposed to be taking. Now I have a pill box. It makes it so much easier.

[99fairies]

I'm no longer on any of the meds in my signature but don't know how to fix it... Anyone know?