- Have I checked my blood sugar?
- Have I taken my medicines?
- Did I missed my follow up or sugar test?
- When I have to take this pill?
If you keep on asking yourself after being a diabetic then it can really affect your health. It is true that we all forget one thing or other but the consequences of it are minor ones but in case of diabetes, missing your medicinesin diabetes or taking them incorrectly even once can greatly affect your sugar level. One study has showed that 40% of diabetic patients who forget to take their prescribed medicines end up in hospital due to their careless behavior. You don’t want to hospitalized for such thing, Isn’t it?
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If you don’t want to have such bad experience then here are some tips and tools which will help you in managing your medicines.
Use memory tricks
This is the most effective way of reminding yourself about the medicines. You can mentally connect the timings of your medicines with some activities of your daily routine. For example, some medicines in diabetes are instructed to be taken empty stomach which you can take just after brushing your teeth, the medicines which need to be taken in morning after meal can be taken just after breakfast and the bedtime medicines can be taken when you are getting ready for your bed. If you will link these simple activities with your medicine time then it will become your second nature and you will never forget to take them.
Here are some tips on how you access your medicines just after your reminder activity before you forget about them:
- Keep medicines visible – Keep your medicines at the places which are easily accessible by you. For example, if you have to take the medicine after breakfast and you have a habit of drinking water after meal then you can keep your medicines on top of your fridge so that you can access them before you drink water. If you have small kids then keep your medicines on some height so that they can’t reach to them.
- Written reminders – If you think that you are likely to forget the medicines even if they are accessible to you then you can put stickers on your fridge, mirror or on side table. Choose bright colors which immediately catch your or your family member’s attention so that even if you forget then also someone else remind you about your medicines. You can also use the calendar applications of your mobile or email service which will remind you about your medicines on daily basis.
- Ask your family for help – Family is all about helping each other in good and bad times so don’t hesitate to ask for your parents or spouse help or you can also ask your kid to remind you about your medicines when he/she is about to go to school. They will be glad to help you because you are important to them, you are part of them. Read more – How family can be helpful for Diabetic patient?
Simple tools for managing your medicines in diabetes
If you have been prescribed more than couple of medicines then a better management is necessary to prevent any confusion. here are some proven but simple tools which will help you in managing your medicines.
- Lists – make a list of your medicines and neatly write their name, time of consumption, dose, their purpose and their appearance on paper. It will help you memorize the names of your medicines and other concerned information about them. Studies have shown that listing your medicines and sharing them with your medical care team reduces the chances of side effects, drug interactions and other medicine related problems and it also improves the quality of your treatment.
- Pillbox – Diabetes patients need to take multiple drugs daily and managing them and handling many pill bottles leads to confusion that if you have taken that medicine or not. The chances of missing any pill or taking more doses are common problems while dealing with multiple medicines. Pill box is a small boxes provided with different compartments to accommodate your pills according to their the consumption time like breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are easily available online or at pharmacy and they are considerably inexpensive but very effective in managing your pills.
- Special packaging – You can request your pharmacist to pack your medicines separately and label their doses and how many times they need to be taken in a day. It will help you in easily recognizing your medicine and reduce confusion.
- Refill reminders – before you run out of your stock of insulin or any other medicine, set a reminder for you in advance so that you have enough medicine till you buy the next lot. You can mark the calendar or set reminder on your phone or email which will remind you about the refill purchasing.
- Devices – A number of digital and electronic devices like smart watches, fitness bands, personal digital assistants, cell phones, blood glucose meters, and insulin pumps can be set to remind you through alarm, vibration, flashing light at the time to take medicine. Small tape recorders can be used to record the instructions of doctors about medicines. These audio recordings are helpful for those with low or impaired vision or have trouble in reading the instructions.
- Pill dispenser – There are sophisticated pill dispensers which can be set to dispense particular pill at specific time. Some dispensers has alerting or reminding facility in case the patient has missed his/her medication.
Now you must have understood that managing your medicines is not a herculean task because it just need a little attention and an effective strategy to store and use them. So take your medicines in diabetes regularly and live healthy life without stressing over your condition.