Taking your medication correctly is extremely important, in fact, your health depends on it. Veering away from a prescribed medication plan can reduce the effectiveness of your prescribed treatment and potentially cause serious side effects.
There are as many reasons for not sticking to a medication plan as there are reasons for taking medication in the first place. Life gets busy and sometimes patients simply forget. Some patients stop taking their medication because they feel better, which of course may actually be happening because the medication is doing its job! (If this is you, please check in with your Dr!)
Regardless of the reason, it’s easy to stray from a prescribed medication plan, so we’re going to make it easy on you. Here are five ways to make sure you take your medication correctly.
1. Schedule Your Refills
Time flies by! One minute you’re picking up a prescription from the pharmacy and the next, your down to your last dose. Take the pressure off having to remember by setting a regular reminder on your smartphone’s calendar. You’ll be amazed at the mental real estate you’ll free up by simply automating your refill requests this way, and it’s so easy to do! Make it even easier by contacting your primary care doctor and asking that all of your prescription refills be made available at the same pharmacy on the same date every month.
2. Set Daily Reminders
There are many free smartphone apps you can use to make sure you take medication correctly by regulating your routine, such as Medisafe. Find the calendar app you like best, or simply use your smartphone’s alarms, and set an alarm for each time you need to take your medication. Automate it so that the same alarm goes off at the same time each day, this way you won’t have to worry about resetting the alarm. Also, be sure to set an alarm with a different ring tone to remind you about picking up your prescription refill each month.
If high tech turns you off, try a pill reminder such as the TabTime Timer. This is a handheld timer that is small enough to fit in your pocket, with eight different alarms that beep when it’s time to take your meds.
3. Use Medication Blister Packs
At People’s Choice Pharmacy we offer a blister packing service for an additional fee. Blister packing looks like an advent calendar, except there are medications inside of the plastic bubbles instead of chocolate. We can communicate with your doctor to verify your medications and dosages, and put the various medications into a custom-tailored blister pack that clearly separates and bundles your medications by day and time of day. That way you don’t need to remember which medications to take together – you only need to open the right blister. This form of packaging comes as close to a foolproof method for taking your medications as possible.
Our blister pack service is especially helpful for patients with complex medication routines. Many seniors take multiple medications, some required daily and others multiple times per day. This can become confusing, and when medication routines become confused, so does the patient. Opting for a blister pack can give you much-needed peace of mind in knowing you’re taking the right medications on the right day. Call us to talk about creating your unique blister pack – and ask about home delivery options too!
4. Stay Informed About Your Medication Needs
Schedule a regular medication review with your pharmacist or doctor to make sure you’re staying on the right track with your medications. This is especially important for patients who are taking multiple medications for different things. Scheduling a recurring consultation on the same day and time every other month can help you and your pharmacist or doctor keep better track of your progress. With regular consultations, both you and your pharmacist or doctor will gain a better, more current understanding of your medication routine so nothing slips through the cracks.
5. Get a More Accurate Dose With Compounding
Sometimes patients have a hard time obtaining the correct dose of a particular medication because it’s only commercially available at a higher dose than what’s needed. Medications that are mass-produced by large pharmaceutical companies often don’t meet the needs of the individual because the lowest dose is preset to fit what most people need. This “one size fit’s all” approach doesn’t always work when it comes to health. For example, your doctor might prescribe a 10mg dose of a medication that is only commercially available at 30mg. This is where the professionals at a compounding pharmacy step in.
People’s Choice Pharmacy in Richmond Hill, Ontario is the place to go to have your medication compounded safely. Our experienced compounding pharmacists are here to help you with your regular prescriptions, medication blister packs, medication reviews, custom compounding and more, give us a call: 905-770-3113
About People’s Choice Compounding Pharmacy
Serving Richmond Hill, Toronto, Markham & Vaughan
Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, People’s Choice Pharmacy is a state-of-the art, innovative, full-service compounding pharmacy serving Toronto, Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan, and shipping across Ontario. Our certified technicians with 45 years of experience will custom compound your medications using top quality, lab-tested ingredients. Call to speak to a friendly, knowledgeable Pharmacist today!
