Remembering to take your prescribed medication every day can be a daunting task. And we all know how important it is to stick to the schedule prescribed by the doctor — to not miss even a single dose.
Forgetting to take your medicines on time can have multiple side effects. It could prevent your body from healing at the recommended pace, and might even lead to some unwanted health issues. To make sure nothing like this happens, it’s very important to remember to take your medicines on time every single day.
Yes, it’s different, but you can apply some creative ways to make it a part of your routine. This article discusses some simple steps you can apply right away to make sure you never forget to take your medication on time.
1. Learn about your medicines
Knowing exactly what each medicine does and how it helps your body heal can be a strong motivator to make sure you take them on time each day. So, do some research, read about the medicines online, and learn how they can help you become healthier. This will act as a trigger so your brain makes you warier of not missing them from now on.
2. Use pillboxes
We all have seen an older relative, a parent, or a grandparent use pillboxes to remind them to take their medicines on time. You might be young, but that’s not a reason to not resort to helpful tactics, especially if they help you remain in good health.
Get a pillbox, sort through your medicines, and store them in separate compartments. You can also add a sticky note to each compartment, and take it off after you’ve had them. This will make sure you don’t miss a dose and will serve as a motivator to remind you to stick to the schedule.
3. Calendar alerts
You can turn to technology to help you take your medicines on time. Set an alarm on your phone for the week in advance, so you don’t miss your medicines when it’s time to have them during the day.
You can also download a free habit tracker where you mark each day on the calendar you’ve successfully stuck to your brand new habit of taking medications each day. Seeing an unbroken streak will make you want to prolong that phase as much as possible and will motivate you to not skip your medications.
4. Link your medication doses with a daily activity
An important step in building any habit is to tie that habit with a “trigger.” A trigger can be an activity you perform daily, like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, writing in your journal, etc. Make a mental note to tie your new habit of taking medication to a habit you perform every day.
Thus, when you next set out to perform the triggering activity, your brain reminds you to take medication too. Choosing a trigger is a personal activity, and you can choose any habit that you perform every day without fail.
5. Get help
Talk about the need to take the medication with your family and friends. Ask them to remind you if you forget, or to keep track of the days when you’ve successfully had your medicines.
Having someone to hold you accountable goes a long way in ensuring you don’t miss even a single day of your new habit of taking medication. If you can’t find a friend or a family member to remind you of your daily habit, you can hire an accountability coach. These are trained professionals who will hold you accountable for your new habit of taking medication on time and will help you get back on the wagon if you ever fall back.
6. Look for ways to simplify your regimen
The next time you visit your doctor, ask them for ways to simplify your regimen. Maybe a few medicines can be combined in a single dosage. Or, instead of taking medicines throughout the day, you can have them at a single go after a meal, like lunch or dinner?
You should take care to not self-diagnose in this case, and always take such decisions under the full supervision of your doctor. It might not work out and you might not have any alternatives, but trying never hurts, right?