# Do You Sometimes Forget To Take Your Meds?



## Lee (May 7, 2020)

I only take one pill and it is a preventative and quite often I forget to take it.

Yet I never miss the cat's daily doses.

What about you, ever forget and how often or never?


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## hollydolly (May 7, 2020)

No I don't forget because like you mine is preventative, but I have to take it on an empty stomach, which means first thing in the morning.... and I can't eat until at least an hour afterwards


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## PopsnTuff (May 7, 2020)

Never ever, so far.....my memory is still intact to remember.....


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## JustBonee (May 7, 2020)

No prescription drugs,  but I do keep assorted vitamins, etc.,  on a lazy susan in a cupboard over the sink.    
I don't take them all at once,  
and not all of them everyday,   so I keep a cardboard divider between bottles to remember what I've taken that day.


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## Pecos (May 7, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> No I don't forget because like you mine is preventative, but I have to take it on an empty stomach, which means first thing in the morning.... and I can't eat until at least an hour afterwards


Same here.


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## C'est Moi (May 7, 2020)

No.  I only have a single pill to take each day, for blood pressure.  I invested in a pill box so I can tell at a glance whether I took it or not.   (I was more afraid I'd accidentally take it twice and overdose than forget to take it.   )


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## Rosemarie (May 7, 2020)

Yes, very often, but I don't seem to suffer any ill-effects, which makes me wonder if I really need them.


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## Yo-Yo (May 7, 2020)

No, I have been taking my one pill for quite some time now so I remember it regularly. Now that I am taking Mucinex and Delsym every 12 hours I just add those to my day as well.


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## Aunt Bea (May 7, 2020)

A couple of times a year if my routine changes for some reason.

Sometimes I can't remember if I took them or not but this pill minder from the $tore pretty much took care of that.


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## Lewkat (May 7, 2020)

If I become involved in something and time gets away from me, I do.  For some reason, I'll look at my watch and find I am astounded as to how much time has passed.


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## Sassycakes (May 7, 2020)

*I've been on Medications from when I was 15yrs old and that was a long time ago, I never forget to take my medicines. I fill my pill box every Saturday and always check it. My Husband just went on medications about 2yrs ago. I fill his pill box ,but I still have to check to make sure he takes it.*


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## Pink Biz (May 7, 2020)

*I use a pill box that I fill weekly. Without it, I'm sure I would forget or get confused. Too many meds and too few grey cells! *


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## Em in Ohio (May 7, 2020)

I use a pill box that I fill weekly.  I have an annoying rooster crow alarm on my laptop to remind me.  And yet, with all this planning and organization, I forgot to take Wednesday's pill!


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## Aneeda72 (May 8, 2020)

Lee said:


> I only take one pill and it is a preventative and quite often I forget to take it.
> 
> Yet I never miss the cat's daily doses.
> 
> What about you, ever forget and how often or never?


Yes, I forget.

All my meds are important,  not taking prednisone could cause my death.

I put my weekly doses in a daily pill taker, put the pill taker by my tv chair, and I still forget to take them.  Sigh.  Sometimes I remember by 6 or 7 pm and then I have to take them and try and remember the next day to take them later in the day so I’m not doubling up too badly.

Such a pain.


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## Ken N Tx (May 8, 2020)

PopsnTuff said:


> Never ever, so far.....my memory is still intact to remember.....


I have a routine of taking my meds when I put my coffee cup in the sink..Works for me!!..


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## Lakeland living (May 8, 2020)

Nope not anymore, picked up a pill box...


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## MarciKS (May 8, 2020)

Sometimes I forget to take my last dose of stuff at the end of the day.


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> No.  I only have a single pill to take each day, for blood pressure.  I invested in a pill box so I can tell at a glance whether I took it or not.   (I was more afraid I'd accidentally take it twice and overdose than forget to take it.   )


Same here.

I have two pill boxes, with a compartment for each day.

Pillbox #1 is for my morning low-dose aspirin and multi-vitamin.
Pillbox #2 is for my evening Lipitor and COQ10.

I have a few pillboxes kicking around because I use to be on a mega-vitamin regime.  I had a box for the morning, one for the afternoon, and one for the evening, all stuffed full.  Now I just take the multi.

Without them, I would be lost.  I often look to see if I took my pills that morning or evening.  I'm not worried that my memory is failing...it's something I do every day, so there's no reason I would remember any specific dose.  Heck, I did this when I was working and _had_ a routine.


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Yes, I forget.
> 
> All my meds are important,  not taking prednisone could cause my death.
> 
> ...


My email service has a Calendar in it that sends me an email as a reminder for appointments I've set up.  You can enter an appointment once and set it to Repeat Daily/Never Ends, and you'll get an email at that time of the day, every day, until you modify/delete that reminder.

You can do the same thing with the Calendar in your phone, if it has one.  You phone will chime a reminder and display on the screen until you Close it.

I used these a LOT since retiring because I no longer have a routine.  Nearly everything I do is a one-off exception.  I put my appointments in both...no reason not to.

If I have something I need to do and want to nag myself, I put it in the email Calendar to Repeat Daily/Never End and I get an email every day until I get that thing done, then I go in and Delete the appointment so it stops reminding me.

If you have Yahoo and need directions on how to do this, I'll post them for you.


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## Gary O' (May 8, 2020)

Ken N Tx said:


> I have a routine of taking my meds when I put my coffee cup in the sink..Works for me!



I take mine right after I brush my teeth before bed



Lakeland living said:


> Nope not anymore, picked up a pill box...



I did the pill box thing when I was taking three BP meds
The doc reduced it to two (I've been a good boy)
Filling the pill box ever week got tedious
Hey, it's just two pills.....I can handle it

I do, however, have two (*easy to get a pill style) pill bottles that I fill once a month
It helps me keep track of my 90 day supply
Once I'm down to 30 days I reorder (Wally World has spoiled me a bit)

* I hate some of the bottles meds come in
They have an edge near the top that makes it hard to get just one out


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## Marie5656 (May 8, 2020)

*Sometimes yes. Since I live alone, I keep my meds in the table by my chair in the living room. I try to remember to take them every day after dinner. I take 4, and one is a "take in the evening" med.*


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## treeguy64 (May 9, 2020)

Homemade, and effective. I flip a wagon wheel when I take morning/noon/evening vitamins and supplements. Red means not taken, gold means taken. The swivel attachments keep the threads from twisting.


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## In The Sticks (May 9, 2020)

treeguy64 said:


> View attachment 103665
> Homemade, and effective. I flip a wagon wheel when I take morning/noon/evening vitamins and supplements. Red means not taken, gold means taken. The swivel attachments keep the threads from twisting.


Nice touch with the barrel swivels, treeguy.

I had myself on a 3-times-a-day supplement program for quite a while and have retreated to a multivitamin and a just couple of other things.


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## peppermint (May 9, 2020)

I have 2 pills to take....One in the morning and one at night....


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## treeguy64 (May 9, 2020)

Please be careful with the multis: I went back to a multi, about five years ago. About two hours after taking the first multi, one I took, previously, for about twenty years, I was hit with a stab of pain, in my chest, that burned like a hot poker! ZERO doubt that the multi had triggered that. I threw out the bottle. Never had an incident like that, before or after, thankfully. 

Our bodies change, over time, as we all know. Thing is, what was fine, yesterday, might be fatal, today, or tomorrow. Again, be careful.


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## mike4lorie (May 9, 2020)

I forget almost every day, I have reminders on my phone, but sometimes I even forget to acknowledge that...


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## Buckeye (May 9, 2020)

Well, it's 5:00 pm here and I just took my morning pills, and I just gave my SO her "noon" pills.  I use weekly pill containers, so we seldom totally forget, but we do often take them late.  I only have 5 meds, one of which is twice a day.  SO has a dozen or so, some twice a day, some 3 times a day, etc.  She is forgetful, so I do my best to keep her on track.  I want to keep her around!!


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## Victor (Feb 8, 2022)

I am like Lee. I forget to take them midday, even when they are on table while I eat. Maybe I just don't want to--preventative blood pressure. But I never forget my cat's pill he needs every day. Then I take 2 pills late at night. Funny, but I have those pill boxes but don't use them now.


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## Purwell (Feb 8, 2022)

treeguy64 said:


> Please be careful with the multis: I went back to a multi, about five years ago. About two hours after taking the first multi, one I took, previously, for about twenty years, I was hit with a stab of pain, in my chest, that burned like a hot poker! ZERO doubt that the multi had triggered that. I threw out the bottle. Never had an incident like that, before or after, thankfully.


I do not know what a "multi" is, can you please explain?


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## JaniceM (Feb 8, 2022)

I don't take anything other than occasionally aspirin.


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## feywon (Feb 8, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> No I don't forget because like you mine is preventative, but I have to take it on an empty stomach, which means first thing in the morning.... and I can't eat until at least an hour afterwards


I take my thyroid med late at night for same reason.


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 8, 2022)

The most difficult to remember is the midday pills because most of the time I am into doing something. The morning and evening pills I usually don't have a problem with.


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## Purwell (Feb 8, 2022)

I take about 6 first thing and rarely forget those, midday I usually remember but the bedtime one I forget about twice a week.


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## feywon (Feb 8, 2022)

Occasionally i take them late, but don't forget entirely. Use 2pill boxes - 1 for thyroid med other for vitamins and supplements.  Only 2 imperative Rxs, the thyroid med and anti-rejection eye drops due to corneal implants. 
I keep the pillbox for thyroid med near bed, the other in a kitchen basket where i also keep a container with eye drops and alcohol wipes to clean my fingers. I take that pillbox and container down when i get up and place where highly visible, put them up after taking pills, administering drops so i know i've done them.


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## feywon (Feb 8, 2022)

Signe The Survivor said:


> The most difficult to remember is the midday pills because most of the time I am into doing something. The morning and evening pills I usually don't have a problem with.


That's part of why i developed my system, but i'd have to figure something more out if i had a midday must take one.

So grateful i only have the 2 and works out to to take thyroid pill at night and do eye drops in morning when i take the OTC vitamins etc.


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 8, 2022)

feywon said:


> That's part of why i developed my system, but i'd have to figure something more out if i had a midday must take one.
> 
> So grateful i only have the 2 and works out to to take thyroid pill at night and do eye drops in morning when i take the OTC vitamins etc.


I also have the pill box on the dresser next to my bed  and I sort the pills weekly. My son who does call me everyday is also a daily reminder for my pill taking as well in our conversations.


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## Lavinia (Feb 8, 2022)

I think this raises another question....does it matter what time of day you take your pills? Are they less effective if taken at certain times? I know that the human body has a cycle, which affects how it handles anything ingested, so it would be helpful to know this. If you miss your morning pill, does it matter if you take it later in the day?


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 8, 2022)

Lavinia said:


> I think this raises another question....does it matter what time of day you take your pills? Are they less effective if taken at certain times? I know that the human body has a cycle, which affects how it handles anything ingested, so it would be helpful to know this. If you miss your morning pill, does it matter if you take it later in the day?


I do believe there are certain pills that say must be taken 8 or 12 hours after last dose and other medications are more lenient that way.


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## hollydolly (Feb 8, 2022)

Purwell said:


> I do not know what a "multi" is, can you please explain?


TG can't answer you because he no longer posts here, but I believe he was talking about Multi vitamins ...


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## JaniceM (Feb 8, 2022)

This info should be on the label. 
It often matters when it's taken.


Lavinia said:


> I think this raises another question....does it matter what time of day you take your pills? Are they less effective if taken at certain times? I know that the human body has a cycle, which affects how it handles anything ingested, so it would be helpful to know this. If you miss your morning pill, does it matter if you take it later in the day?


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## dobielvr (Feb 8, 2022)

I have 2 that I take at night.  I try to be consistent w/the time...but sometimes I fall asleep.
Then, I wake up around midnight, trying to remember if I took them or not??

I sit there half asleep..thinking did I or didn't I?


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## win231 (Feb 8, 2022)

Aunt Bea said:


> A couple of times a year if my routine changes for some reason.
> 
> Sometimes I can't remember if I took them or not but this pill minder from the $tore pretty much took care of that.


Good idea.  I got one of those recently.  I leave the little door open after I take one to remind me.


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## StarSong (Feb 8, 2022)

I keep a two-week pill minder on top of my Tupperware container of refillable coffee pods.  Since I have 3-4 cups of decaf every morning, there's very little chance of forgetting to take my morning vitamins or thyroid prescription - or of taking them twice.


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## feywon (Feb 8, 2022)

Lavinia said:


> I think this raises another question....does it matter what time of day you take your pills? Are they less effective if taken at certain times? I know that the human body has a cycle, which affects how it handles anything ingested, so it would be helpful to know this. If you miss your morning pill, does it matter if you take it later in the day?


Those kinds of questions are best answered by your doctor or pharmacist if the info is not on bottle or info in the package. I've had some short term meds  that said take when you remember as long as it isn't too close to next dose, usually specifying what is 'too close'.


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## Tish (Feb 8, 2022)

So far no!


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 8, 2022)

feywon said:


> Those kinds of questions are best amswered by your doctor or pharmacist if the info is not on bottle or info in the package. I've had some short term meds  that said take when you remember as long as it isn't too close to next dose, usually specifying what is 'too close'.


Usually when I go to the pharmacy to pick up my medications the Pharmacist will tell me even without asking, especially if he/she knows it is a new medication for me. Most of the time it is on the pill bottle written in such small lettering. I am glad that they do tell this information though. That and if the medication needs to be taken with food.


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