Managing Several Medicines

HEALTH · GLOBAL

Managing Several Medicines

Why it gets complicated, pill organisers and blister packs, reviews and what not to do

Taking several medicines a day is genuinely difficult to keep track of, and a few systems make it considerably easier.

Why it gets complicated

Different times of day, some with food and some without, some weekly, plus changes after appointments. Around half of people taking long-term medication do not take it exactly as prescribed, which is a normal human problem rather than a failing.

Organisers and blister packs

A weekly pill organiser filled once makes it obvious whether a dose has been taken. Pharmacy-filled blister packs do the same and are prepared by a pharmacist, which removes the sorting step.

Not every medicine is suitable for a blister pack — some degrade out of their packaging, and some must be taken as needed. Ask your pharmacist rather than decanting everything yourself.

Practical habits

Tie doses to something fixed — a meal, brushing teeth — rather than to a time you have to remember. An alarm helps. Keep a current list of everything you take, including supplements, and carry it to every appointment.

Ask for a medication review

Pharmacists and GPs review repeat medicines, and reviews frequently find things that can be stopped, simplified or timed better. Anyone taking several medicines is entitled to ask for one.

What not to do

Do not stop, halve or double a dose on your own, and do not take someone else's medicine. If a dose is missed, follow the advice in the leaflet or ask a pharmacist rather than taking two.

Do not crush or split tablets unless told it is safe, since some are designed to release slowly.

Helping someone else

Filling an organiser for a relative is common and should be done from the current prescription rather than from memory, with the pharmacist told what you are doing. Keep the original boxes and leaflets.

Changes after a hospital stay are where errors cluster, so check the discharge list against what is at home.

Travel and routine changes

Take more than you need, keep medicines in hand luggage, and check time zone changes with a pharmacist for anything time-critical such as insulin or contraceptives.

Side effects

Report anything new to your GP or pharmacist rather than stopping on your own, since many effects settle and others mean a different medicine is needed.

Keeping a record

A single current list of medicines, doses and times, kept on a phone and on paper, is what makes appointments and emergencies straightforward. Update it every time something changes.

Include allergies and anything bought over the counter.

Storage and disposal

Cool, dry and out of reach of children. Return unused medicines to a pharmacy rather than binning them.

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