Tips for Keeping Up with Your Meds
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- It can be difficult sometimes keeping up with taking your medications for a number of reasons. In this video, we go over some tips and tricks for how to better stay on top of taking your meds.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:39 - Prescription auto renewal
02:27 - Pharmacist prescribing power
03:04 - Blister packaging
03:55 - Get a pill organizer
04:48 - Set reminders in your phone
05:24 - Put your meds in a spot that will cue you
06:10 - Ask family for reminders
06:30 - Adherence
07:44 - Long acting injectables
08:47 - Talking about side effects
10:04 - Best time of day to take meds
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As a pharmacy tech, there's no need to be embarrassed for daily dispense!! There are SO many people that use this and for SO many different reasons. Often times its even per patient request, especially for elderly. We are happy to see you taking your medication and will do anything (within what we are allowed to do) to make it easier for you.
Of course there are some bad apples, but generally speaking no one cares (in a bad way) about how and when you get your meds.
I’ve been taking meds for years and I had no idea the pharmacist would separate your pills for you. That is amazing!
Great tips. Another tip I have is to choose a pharmacy with a drive-thru pick-up window. For me it doesn't take much to keep me from doing something I need to do because I experience a great deal of avolition. Not having to find a parking spot, get out of the car, put on a mask, go inside a pharmacy, wait in line, walk back to my car, buckle up, crane my neck around to see behind me while backing out is a huge help.
I definitely agree with being assertive with your doctor about medication. I wish I had more autonomy when I was 13 and hospitalized, and they were treating me with so many different medications.
The pill box was a game changer for me. It helps so much because sometimes I didn’t know if I had taken them and I would take double the dosis I needed
Thank you. I struggle with medication sometimes. I know that I’m “better” when I adhere to the doctor’s orders but occasionally I’m certain that the medication is what is making me sick. I have gone off my meds and have usually ended up going inpatient for a week or two in order to stabilize me again. It’s hard to feel so paranoid no matter what I do. Thank you for your honesty and please know that you are helping myself and others. 💖
You should stick with the meds
Meds are better than the hospital for me.
My meds make me eat everything and sleepy then I stop taking them... then I get dangerous and delusional. Please just go back to the doctor and take your meds. So tired of jail and hospitals.
For Christmas my husband (my main support person) and I gifted ourselves a HERO medication dispenser. It takes almost all the stress out of taking multitudes of meds multiple times per day. We absolutely love it
One way I've been better with medications compliance since journaling. It really sets a good remember and challenges some of the minimalization I do sometimes with bipolar depression.
A second tip I have relates to the lingering sleepiness in the morning from my bedtime antipsychotic. With breakfast and my morning meds I drink a 2ounce energy shot from Dollar Tree. It does not cause jitters like coffee would but it stops the sleepiness from continuing into my day. No need to buy the expensive ones at gas stations. Dollar store ones work great.
Hello Paige
I agree! My relative has been much better since starting monthly injection of Abilify (diagnosis is bipolar I). I sympathize with his distress over the side effects of various drugs (weight gain, lethargy, kidney damage, anhedonia, tremors, etc.) I have urged him to keep a journal, so he can review his general psychological state and prescriptions with his psychiatrist, but he hasn't tried that yet.
Happy new year! I remember what it is like to be pressured and ignored by my doc to take meds. The "Its not working? Up the dosage" ignorance. I do it my way and the way my body has adapted. Not always perfect. That's not the point. Self "control", better than doc guessing.
Awesome videos with great and helpful ideas! Thank you!
(I think we use the same pharmacy chains. I’m Canadian also. 🇨🇦)
Happy New Year Lauren. Thankyou for your help over the past months. Best wishes. Hannah.x
Always, very informative. Thank you.
Dante-Nashville, TN. I would set an alarm on my phone for each time of day I needed to take my meds. Complete with a message (I. E. Name of meds)
You had several good ideas that I hadn't thought of ! Happy New Year!!!!
Thanks!
I rely on the bubble packs and my pharmacy delivers it weekly. I still miss some pills but a lot less then before I got bubble packs.
I keep a 5 inch by 7 inch notebook with me at all times. I keep it in my bed and take it with me to my desk and put in in my purse if I'm going somewhere. I write the time, the dosage (one pill, 1/2 a pill, etc.), and the medication, then I put a check mark next to it immediately after I swallow it. Otherwise I forget if I took it or not because I tend to drift off and stare into space while holding the bottle or pill. This also would be helpful if I needed emergency medical treatment because the doctors, etc. would know exactly what medications are in my body and what time I took them. In addition, if I start having side effects I write those down as well (with the times and the specifics). This helps me to explain to my doctor or nurse what is going on, since I don't have a good hold on time or memory.
I am diagnosed with depression with psychotic and mixed features but my psychiatrist thinks I am in the prodromal phase of developing schizoaffective disorder (only time will tell...). Your videos are so helpful to me and even if I end up not developing schizoaffective disorder I am glad to be more educated about schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. :)
Eat foods rich in Omega' 3 fatty acids. Take supplements and also vitamine D. I hope you will not get the disease as I have the disease
Thanks for your videos they are very helpful, wishing you a happy new year ☺️
Hello Ruth
Just got out of hospital yesterday this is super helpful
Josh used bubble packs. I use a magic marker and write the day of the weak on each blister.
I’ve been taking my primary antidepressant for ~5 years now, 3 times a day and I still keep an alarm set for the second dose since that’s usually when I’m the most busiest through the day or the feelings of “ugghhh do I really need to or have to take it? It’s a lot of work” and what I’ve found helpful during those more struggling periods is when the reminder alarm goes off, hit the snooze button 1 time only, take those few minutes to just sit/acknowledge your feelings/check in with yourself/think through what might be causing these thoughts and feelings/remind yourself this is okay and normal/give yourself that time for a self “pity party” of just how much this can really suck at times/etc and then when the alarm goes off again I’m usually past that ugh feeling and able to take them just fine. At work, if you’re comfortable speaking to a coworker or someone you know who is also on medication for any reason, I find it nice to have that work “medication Buddy” to help remind each other or in my case I work with a guy who takes meds at around the same time I do (we work overnights) so it’s nice /helpful if we get caught up doing something and one of us looks at the time and have that initial outloud reaction “oh damn look at the time, I’ll be back, going to get some water” which is a reminder to the other one of “oh wait, I gotta go get some water too” or give each other a “water break” reminder if your not comfortable mentioning that you take medication.
Happy New Year
Hey Lauren! Thanks for making this video! Some of the people in your comments section are yikes!
My loved one who has SAD is on a lot of meds but still experiences constant 24/7 hallucinations. Would you say that this is abnormal for meds? We have no context, and they’re nervous of ever switching meds because they don’t want to make anything worse. But they deal with a lot of side effects and still deal with the hallucinations constantly. They’ve never switched meds since being put on them 4+ years ago.
I got them a AM/PM pill organizer and I just fill it once a week. It literally made a WORLD of difference. I didn’t know about the pharmacy blister pack thing, that’s SO cool. Thanks!
happy new year.
Very good advice
Happy New Year to you and your family 😊
Hello Sharon
I don't know if it's available in Canada but in the US there is the HERO It is also covered under Medicaid too.
I do autorefill with my pharmacy too, such a weight off my mind. You don’t need to think about it because they do it all for you, you just go pick it up when they text you.
You can put a light on an automated timer so when it comes on or goes off you know it's time to take some medication.
Hi Lauren,
I have one with four slots per day. Have you seen it? lol
My son used to use one that also had four slots per day and was in a base. It's great for all of his meds since he is a transplant recipient.
I feel like keeping up with all the meds are a full time job. Sometimes I just want to quit them all.
My sleep schedule is so bad, I miss my meds, even though I have medical box . I also have alarm set to remind me to take my meds, but I sleep too long & then missing meds
I take Metoprolol for blood pressure and I can tell you from recent experience the pharmacy screws up!, I went to the doctors office for a refill and his first response was back so soon?, he did admit the pharmacy never called them for a refill.
I have not had a problem taking my meds for years. I did start taking lithium decades ago cuz the psychiatrist said I was manic-depressive. Gave me the runs, so I quit taking it.
Hey Shala! I’m not a doctor, but I do take meds that benefit those Manic Depressive Disorder, now known as Bipolar Spectrum Disorder.
Lithium used to be one of the only options, but you might like to know that science has progressed to second generation medications that have less side effects and can even work better! You might want to talk to a doctor about new options about Bipolar Disorder because they are seriously modern marvels!
Wishing you the best of luck! 💜
I forget whether I've taken my daily meds or not so often! I have a pill box but I've got to get better at filling it. 😬
You can ask a person who loves you and take care of you to fill it. I enjoy filling it for my daughter because it decreases my anxiety about her and I believe it helps her.
Hi Lauren I have my meds set up in a good way now I have the meds I need set up in a pack for me to take comes when I need them they are set up easy for me now to take so it's in a good way for me to take other than missing one or skipping would be a problem I am set up good every week in a pack and I take them I would just have to watch missing or stop taking them wich would be a big problem for me wich will not happen for me going by my weekly pack with the meds I take daily its going good I'm not missing them and don't plan to having them set up for me every day weekly in a pack is really helping doing good
I had to get 7 day medication organiser kept forgetting if I have taken them or not.
What do you do about taking a medication that leaves you comatose?! I’m a single mother of two. My daughters are older, twice with this med I was unable to get her to school, BUT my heavy duty hallucinations are gone. (I think). Just frustrated with having to choose between getting stable or be available to function.
a cto would suck.
When u take the pill do u still hear voices
I supposed to take my meds twice a day but I keep forgetting to take my afternoon dose. Good ole adhd
What pharmacy do you use? I had Walmart and they kept losing my prescriptions. I switched to Walgreens and their auto refill is bugged (ordered 8 refills in a week) so I'm looking to switch again. Also, I'm really bad at taking meds as well. I keep thinking they are poison which is common for me or I just lose track of it. I can have the reminders but my attention span is so small. Don't know how to address it. Lol.
Do you have someone who worries about you like your mom? She might enjoy to fill your distribution boxes for you! If you don't skip your pills you will be less suspicious about the poison.
@@agrafenakarmanova6568 I actually am my moms caregiver. I try to help her with her pills. Idk. I'm all over the place with my own care but her care must be right.
I take my medication intermittently in the evening, as needed.
Depot it's shit.
I gifted one to my wife who has schizoaffective disorder, however she threw it away because she is refusing her diagnosis and believes she doesn’t need medication….it is just a matter of time before the next involuntary commitment visit to psychiatrist hospital for another evaluation. When she gets there (psychiatric hospital) she will be giving 2 choices: taking medication willingly or be forced medicated.
After her fourth hospitalization in a year she is still not convinced that she has a mental disorder.
I am getting fed up with this nonsense
Seven meds at once? Aiyah that’s a lot girl.
Josh uses his Alexa
Now What
(A schizophrenics plea)
Have you ever lost reality?
Has everything in your life gone crazy, including your mentality?
Have you ever been lost in a familiar town?
Do you ever feel like the jokes being played on you, by everyone around?
Have you ever begged the voices to go away?
But they keep tormenting, no matter how much you pray?
Did you ever just ask for someone to tell you why this is happening to you?
Yet when they tell you, they then turn it upside down, making suicide the only thing you can do?
Have they ever pushed you to the edge?
Sending you out on to that ledge?
You can't see them, but you can hear them, telling your worthless ass to jump?
Yet you're to scared, so all you can do is hit yourself till your head is one big lump?
Then 7 hospitals and 7 straight jackets latter, they finally tell you what's wrong with ya...
And it's fucking schizophrenia!
Now what?
Tisha Pollard
One thing I need to say about the injection in my experience is that this solution especially in times of self quarantine rules can still be less flexible than you think.
I get abilify which a person needs to mix first. According to my health worker its recommended that it be injected by a nurse. So this is pretty self explanatory, I think.
Let me tell you now, a pharmacy nurse whose possibly tired of injecting so many people for covid is not going to inject you as expertly like your health worker...
I feel compassion for your difficulties but I have no idea why people with schizophrenia affective disorder go off and on medications. Each episode of psychosis off the medications has negative impacts on the brain compared those that stay on meds.
Some people have paranoia about taking medications or maybe experience side effects
There are many reasons why someone might get off medications, it's not always as easy as just taking them
Drugs are not the solution. There are people that can help you get off it.
Can we not? It is Lauren's BODY. These medications help me, lauren and millions of other people with psychosis from hurting ourselves. These medications have saved lives. Just because you don't want to take medication doesn't mean you can force your beliefs about it.
@@lovelypeachesperiodbloodcu4458 People addict to all kind of drugs (cannabis, heroin, LSD...) would sign very similar messages. That doesn't mean it is true.
Provide evidence of that before unleashing this claim in an audience of people who commonly get unduly worried about the purpose of their medication and the intentions of doctors
@@etherspin It is not unduly. All the mental health approach has always been questioned. And for good reasons.
@@fgomez209 ok? No said anything about addiction and lauren is not "addicted" to her meds lol