Sunday, November 27, 2011

Chronic Illness Means Plenty of Meds

Last month, I broke down and bought one of those pill dispenser thingies at the dollar store. 



For ages, I'd thought that I didn't need one because I can remember which meds I take when. But several times, I'd find myself halfway through my morning or evening routines and find myself distracted and not sure which pill I had just swallowed. Or realize belatedly that I'd just taken my morning meds at bedtime. 

So I decided to try one of those weekly pill dispensers. And discovered that I really like it! It's nice to not have to say "ow" as I open those child safety lids the pharmacy sends them home in. They're always particularly hard for me to open in the mornings when my hands are at their stiffest. 

In fact, it's just so much easier that I sort of wish I could have a monthly one, although I suspect that would be too easy to get confused about what day it is. :)

An added benefit is that since I only need to get pills out of the pharmacy bottles once a week, I managed to clear them off my bathroom counter and it looks much neater. Decluttering is a Good Thing.  And when we went to Chicago in October, I only brought prescription bottles for the meds that are considered controlled substances; it made for a much smaller bag of meds in my carry-on than I've had previously.

The only downside is that it's not at all childproof, particularly since I keep it on my bathroom counter. But I've had lots of conversations with Ellie about how medicine isn't candy, even if it looks like candy, and how she should never touch my medicine. I think she's probably old enough now that it's not an issue, but I worry a little anyway. It helps that she doesn't use my bathroom and is almost never in it. 


What do you do with your medications, especially if there are young children visiting or living in your home? 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would certainly screw up my meds if I didn't have those thingys. In fact, I will do four weeks of meds at a time, so on Saturday night I don't have to think about filling one up...it's already dne.
mo

Aviva said...

Oooh! That's a good idea! Minimizing the number of times I have to open those pill bottles is awesome. Thanks for the tip!

Jamie said...

I've had a weekly pill dispenser thing for a few years, and I love it! It kinda makes me feel old, but it works for me. I can't stand the child-proof bottles. Luckily, I don't have any small-children to worry about, so I have my pharmacy dispense my meds without using child-proof lids. I do wonder, though, what I'll do, if we have children in the future...

Aviva said...

Jamie: You'll find other ways if/when you need them! Goodness knows, they have plenty of things for sale for child proofing. :) But oh, I know what you mean -- using that pill dispenser makes me feel like an old lady! :)