Ways to Remember Taking Your Medication

how to remember to take medication

<< Go back to blog

Forgetting to close the cupboard may upset your spouse, and it’s not a big deal if recording the game skips your mind now and then. But forgetting to take your medication may be a big deal for some people if staying on that mediation exactly as directed is key to overcoming an illness or managing a disease long term. Cancer medication would be a good example. It is an unfortunate that many people have their memory worsen with age, but it is what it is. Even younger people with busy lives may need to be excused for not remembering and may also ask how to remember to take medication.

We mentioned cancer there, but there are all sorts of other diseases and serious-risk conditions where you need to be taking your medication when you need to be taking it – no ifs, ands, or buts about it! Medications for birth control are another example. While a pregnancy certainly isn’t going to mean anyone’s dying, it certainly is something young women will want to avoid for now and so remembering to take medication every day is a big deal here too! Antiepileptic medication might be another example. People in epilepsy treatment will certainly agree that how to remember to take medication is important.

Travelling can add a whole added angle to this, as not only do you need to remember to take your meds but you also need to make sure that you take your meds with you. Any means of remembering to take them isn’t going to do a lick of good if you touch down without them in your luggage. It is possible to get prescriptions filled in another country, but you’ll likely spend way too much of an entire day of your precious vacation time taking care of that.

For all these reasons and more you too may be wondering how to remember to take medication and do it reliably. That’s what we’ll look at here with this entry. Giving you some suggestions that have worked in the past and would still work well today, and other ones that are more modern fixes for people who have trouble remembering to take their medication.

String on Finger?

That’s one of the classic ways people would remember to do things in previous generations. They would actually tie a string around the finger and by having it so noticeably tied and always in view, they would remember whatever it is they needed to. Few people will still do that today, but a rubber band around your wrist is a similar method that’s also effective and much less conspicuous if you need to be out of the house. Choose a brighter colored one maybe and this can be an effective basic reminder for how to remember to take medication.

The next consideration is that unless they’re retired most people taking important medication are going to be going to work every day. Work will involve something different for everyone, but if you’re the type who is seated at the same desk or a similar arrangement for 8+ hours a day you can go with the ubiquitous sticky note option. Stick it somewhere in plain view and it’s almost impossible that your eyes won’t cross paths with it several time a day at the very least. Of course, sticky notes are now digital too, and will serve the same function without any real adhesive.

Part of how to remember to take medication? Could be. But let’s move into the 21st century now, shall we?

How to Remember to Take Your Medication – Go Digital

It may be an entirely different subject, but the high prices for Rx drugs in America have some people skipping doses to save money. Admittedly there is nothing forgetful in that – they are choosing not to take their medication but forgetting not to take medication or choosing not to take it creates the same level of risk. It’s not something you should do voluntarily or not, and most people know full well they need to know how to remember to take medication. These days nearly everyone has a smartphone with them nearly all the time, and there are smartphone medication reminder apps that you can use.

It will provide you with an audible alert as well as appearing as a pop-up on your lock screen so that you don’t miss it, even if you don’t hear it at first. This is a reliable means for how to remember to take medication and many of these medication reminder apps are inexpensive and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.


IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.


<< Go back to blog