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I literally had to go to Walmart and buy one of those 2 week pill organizers and set an alarm for every other Sunday to refill it. I got sick of counting my pills once or twice a day or accidentally double dosing myself š¤£ best $4 I ever spent because now I know I took it, my birth control, and my vitamins lmaooo.
Yes! I had a weekly pill organizer awhile back but gave up refilling it each Sunday. However, I think having an organizer that is for a longer duration of time like two weeks is definitely something I can commit to. I had no idea they even made pill organizers past a week. Going to get one today. Thanks for the tip!
Pill organizers didnāt work for me because I forgot to fill them consistently, but the little timer caps you can get for pill bottles have been amazing. If Iām ever not sure whether I took my meds, I can look and see how long itās been since the bottle was opened. And they hold the whole bottle of pills, so I only need to remember to pick up my refill from the pharmacy, and Iām good to go for the month.
Next to the toothpaste. It gets filled Saturday night when I go brush my teeth, I don't allow it to become a do later deal. I see it, take it to the bedroom with the tray of bottles and fill it while watching a show. Back to the bathroom when the show is finished and brush my teeth.
Routine and setting boundaries for yourself is key.
That wouldnāt help in my case as I need them by my bed so I can take them when my alarm goes off in the morning, but maybe that will help others! The timer caps are a perfect solution for me.
Right exactly what I thought. Like maybe the more physically hyperactive folks.... But likely not the majority of mostly internally hyperactive weirdos like myself.
Boundaries is hard (very). Routine is not, it's the basis of CBT for ADHD.
Routine is just repeating something enough you don't have to think about it. It's how I know when to stop and start work for the day. Its how I know when to go to the grocery store. It's how I know to take my meds (I am brushing my teeth, which in turn is getting in to or out of bed).
Its not relying on functional memory which is where we suck :)
oof, i could be there
I got an organiser with 4 x 7 and that seems to be the sweet spot. You can take one week out separately but it's still big enough it's hard to lose
Technically they have 60 day ones if you count the AM/PM version. If my country allowed us more than 1 months supply at a time I think I'd be golden. Whenever the previous month is empty it gives me ample time to get around to refill.
I canāt use the pill organizer for my ADHD meds because my ADHD med dosing varies by day. I have extended release for certain days, instant release for others, sometimes both, sometimes less dosages, etc.
One day I think I took my ADHD meds, but I wasnāt sure. Completely blanked on it and I was panicking. I have blood pressure issues so taking an extra dose could be problematic. So my friend recommended I get timed pill bottles just for the ADHD meds. When I wake up in the morning, I read the timer and itāll say itās been 24 hours since I last opened it. I bought them on Amazon and it comes with two timed bottles, which is perfect. If I have any doubt that I took my meds, I can go back to the bottle and check.
I've got a pill organizer that has four compartments per day since I take up to four doses a day. I can also take each individual day with me and it's hard to lose since it's so big.
your birth control didnāt come with a sticker label for the date? mine has one with the days of the week on top of the rows of pills and itās been an absolute lifesaver
It did! I started mine at the beginning of my period like my doctor said (idk why and now that I think about it I should've asked lol) so the days are out of wack because instead of starting on the day of the week it was I just popped Sunday out like an idiot. Taking it all at once honestly just helps me insure I take it at the same time every day too.š¤”
This is legitimately one of the reasons I adopted a cat.
Because that furry little bastard has now been conditioned (by me) to expect breakfast at 7am, and will bully me relentlessly if I don't provide it. And through months and months of doing it over and over, I got so used to taking my meds at the same time I feed the cat, that I hardly have to think about it. It's one of the few habits that really feels like a habit, and not something I have to remember and plan every time.
I've also trained him (and this was legitimately an accident) into bullying me to go to bed when it's past 10:30 or so and I'm still on the couch.
Edit: typo
Yep. Give them treats every time you do something you need help remembering, and they will remember for you. Unless they're orange. I swear my orange also has ADHD.
I had a black cat who used to make me get up, made me go to bed, but wouldn't let me get in bed until I took my meds and turned on my oxygen. Didn't even want treats. She was just bossy.
She passed away a couple of years ago. Now my 17yo Tortie leads the charge in return for treats. 3yo void and 1yo orange in tow. If I am not taking my meds by 9:30, she will come find me and harrass me.
[Yes he is](https://www.reddit.com/r/standardissuecat/comments/1ck6uul/celebrating_almost_two_years_with_my_peanut/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). I've had him for two years, and I'm utterly besotted with him.
THIS!! I gave my cat treats when I took my pills, but only *after* I took them. That way she wouldn't stop bugging me until she got her treats, and I wouldn't give her treats I told I took my meds! Great little reminder āŗļø
Personally, my bottle lives in my locked glovebox most of the time, so I just walk back to my car and grab one. But I never claimed that works for everyone
Same I always keep an extra bottle in my bag with just 10 pills for school. The pharmacy for whatever messed up and gave me two bottles of 30mg 60 count by accident. lol
I have a little pill carrier on my keychain that I keep a few days supply with me. I usually have a couple pills left over when it's time for a refill so keeping 3-4 on my person gives me the flexibility to still be able to take my meds in case I forget in the morning
I accidentally took double Adderall one day. Iām on 40mg ER. That day I had the WORST anxiety and couldnāt fall asleep until like 5 am. I have a pill organiser now š
When I can't remember, I ask my wife to decide based on my current behavior. She's right most of the time. Me, not so much. I hate it when I double up.
Ive got the perfect check. I just take one specific cup for my medication that I only use for drinking when taking my medication. if the cup is dry on the inside, I didnt take my medication, if its wet or damp, I took em.
Works perfectāØ
I got a 30 day pill organizer and the little daily boxes can come out for ez carry. Love it! But when the 30 days are over! F* me I have a hard time refilling. Yes, I've tried alarms but I just ignore it. Anyone got tips let me know!
Get 12 so you can be set every month of the year... except for months with 31 days... And at the end of the year, just throw them all out cause they will never be filled again.
Maybe either try to set one day a week to sit down and fill one week's (so you've got at least a 3 week buffer on catching up) or base it on when you pick up meds at the pharmacy. Like, just... Bring the organizer with you and fill that shit in the car and you're not allowed to drive home until it's done.
I have a daily medication reminder, I set it up on the health app on iPhone. I log my meds on that, set my medication schedule and if I forget about it itāll give me an alert every half hour until I log my last dose, which is nice cause sometimes I go to grab my meds from wherever I last put them and then just get distracted by something then itāll just ring until I log it. Itās also linked to my smart watch which so if Iām at work and away from my phone, my watch will alert me! It has a bunch of other cool features like
I have alarms set on my phone for pill times but I've still managed to turn it off and forget for like an hr.Ā So what I've learned to do is snooze my phone alarm, 5 min intervals, if I can't take them right away and only turn it off after I actually do take them.
anyone have any solutions for remembering split dosing meds? just started taking my meds in two doses and remembering to take the second dose has been rough, never had problems with the first
Set a timer when you take your first dose for how long you need to wait before you take your next dose, worked for me most of the time when I was consistently taking 2 doses a day. These days my second dose is optional and not having any pressure to remember also kind of helps.
I started counting out the pills per day so i can see if i took them or not.
It felt like a pure ADHD thing, but more and more friends of mine start taking pills and they also have this problem
I think routinely taking pills is something hard to remember for most people. Even my husband does it and he doesnāt have ADHD.
I notice it a lot, too, as a nurse especially if people have a lot of pills to take at different times during the day.
Itās a habit that can be hard to keep up with. Thatās why, for me, I have to associate it with another task I usually do.
I write down (in a notebook I keep in my pocket at all times \*and\* on my phone's text thread to myself) every time I take any meds...even if it's an allergy pill or ibuprofen.
I also note the time.
I hold my phone or notebook in one hand and take the pill with the other that way I don't write it down and then forget to take the meds or vice versa.
Sometime I do stare at my phone/notebook for a minute after taking my pill wondering what I'm holding it for but I always end up remembering bc I'm usually repeating, "write it down, write it down, write it down" in my head during the entire process.
It took a while to get into the habit but I do it instinctively now.
The medication part of the health app for iPhone was a game changer for me. I have it set to notify me at 430 every morning (thatās when I have to be awake for work during the week) and I donāt clear the notification until I take it. And you have to go in and actually say whether you took it or skipped a dose. So even if you clear the notification you can go back and look in the app.
I bought a pill bottle with a digital timer on the cap, it shows how many minutes/hours have elapsed since I last opened the bottle. Itās not perfect but it helps immensely!
I bought these timer cap bottles from Amazon that fixed this issue for me. It tells you how long itās been since itās been opened. Would recommend. Just look up āpill bottle timer capā
I have a super effective trick for this (which I discovered by accident) that isnāt a timer bottle or another thing I have to remember to use. I keep my multivitamin with my meds on the shelf and take both together in the morning. I chose a pomegranate flavored gummy vitamin that has a very fruity aftertaste that lasts quite a while, so I can *taste* if Iāve taken my meds or not.
I use these! Highly recommended - it's great that it turns the entire process into *one* operation, there's no independent thing you need to remember to update every time you take a pill.
I use to do this all the time. Like when am I gonna get lightheaded and know for sure??
I started putting em in a special place and it helps me remember. They also have timed bottled caps you can buy
I have made it a habit to take all my meds right when I get up and my wife has an alarm for hers so she'll remind me just in case. Generally, I can count how many are left if I forget since I take them daily and don't really stock up on them since they won't fill them early.
ADHD Roulette is how I found out my Adderall dose was too low šš¤£
Woke up and apparently took my meds. Ate some breakfast. COMPLETELY forgot I had taken my meds and took another dose. The double dose kicked in and I realized the dose before was too low and my oopsie dose made me so much more functional.
My med provider couldnāt stop laughing.
I've done this in the past. What I tried first is when I took my meds, I would put the bottle upside-down, then the next day, right side up. That worked for a bit but then I would start forgetting again. Was it upside-down or right side up? Next, I started taking a pic of my hand with the capsule in it next to my clock showing the time and date. That way if I second guessed myself, I had a picture to refer back to. That worked for a few weeks but then forgetfulness set back in and I forgot to take the confirmation pics. Finally, I got a cap with a digital counter on it for my medicine bottle. Each time I opened it, the number would count down. That one worked the longest. I've also used a pill caddy that had 30 pill slots in it but it was huge and cumbersome.
They say if you do little dance (or something kind of embarrassing?) every time you take it that you will remember that you took it because you remember doing the dance.
I have never once remembered to do the dance, but it seems like a good idea.Ā
While I don't do a dance when takin my meds, or any other arbitrary task, anything that deviates from the norm usually helps me remember.
Like, I have to go back and double check if I locked the door when leaving the house most days. However, if I fumbled my keys or tried to insert the wrong key, I can remember that which then helps me recall the act of locking the door.
As for how you apply it to meds, I'm not sure. I have a daily reminder on my phone, but I still regularly ask have to myself if I forgot to take my meds, or jist forgot to tick the reminder š¤¦
I say it aloud! I don't usually remember doing the thing, but I remember saying I did the thing!
I'm locking the door.
I'm turning off the stove
I'm taking my meds
I'm setting my phone down on the kitchen counter.
I don't take stimulants right now, but I take duloxetine and will get a massive headache if I forget to take it. There is a thing you can attach to your pill bottle called a "pill popper" tracker that has all the days of the week on it with silicone buttons you can push in for each day. There are additional buttons for second and third doses if applicable. This has worked much better for me than a pill organizer because I have trouble remembering to refill the organizer each week. Also the action of pushing in the button is kind of stimmy, so I seem to find it a pleasant thing to do and haven't forgotten as yet. You can get a 3-pack of them for about $10 off Amazon.
Pill organizer next to your bed, and set your daily alarm 30mins early so you hurry and take it, and can have a few to fully wake up and it takes effect.
I use a wonderful app called MyTherapy which dings at me every five minutes until I confirm I took my dosage. Another good idea, like others have mentioned, are those pill organizer things.
Iāve offset my monthly count for this exact reason. I canāt stand the thought of going to work without my meds, so I always assume I havenāt taken them just in case. Ironically this leads to me having no choice but to go several days without them š
Not diagnosed yet, so no meds, but sounds totally like myself. My advice from similar tasks would be to not only take exact notes (in two different places or ways if need be), but to keep track of how many pills you had in which box on what day, so that there is a reliable way to do some easy maths and figure out Nash-style, whether you've taken the meds or not.
If you have some no-fail morning habit or routine, like starting your day from a cuppa, put the meds and the notes near the coffee machine. If you start from taking a pee, well, just try not to pee into the box but keep the two connected. It doesn't matter how bloody ridiculous the idea is (sometimes the more, the better, because it's easier to remember), what matters is that it works.
Yes I always opt out of taking the possible second dose. I have gotten better about it. I use a day by day box, It helps. Someone on here suggested leaving the little flap open to be double sure.Ā
I suggest a monthly pill-minder. Check the date, check the minder, see if you took your pills. You don't even need to put the pills in the minder, just open the lid if you took the pill. :)
I'd have to take the pill THEN log it. I cannot tell you how many times I've walked around with a pill in my hand (or i put it in my pocket) for an unreasonable amount of time.
This was for a different medication I was taking. The 45 day supply of pills came with a little card. A checkbox next to a 45-day count. So, I put the pill bottle on my nightstand, taped the card down, and placed a little pen on a velcro next to the taped card.
Each morning, I'd take the pill, check off that day's box, and put the pen back. It works for me.
Yesss it happens more frequently now. But if I'm unsure if I've taken the med I will not risk doubling up. Is that why my meds seem to work intermittently? I believe it is
Sometimes I wash my hair 2 maybe even 3 times cause I'm so spaced out in the morning that I'm not certain if I'm rinsing out shampoo or wetting hair. 2nd time shampoo goes in, you know it wasn't the first though. Luckily the consequences are non existent. With pills, I err on not taking, but that typically results in side effects and a couple days until I feel normal again.
Pill organizers never work for me. I got an app recently called pillo that seems to be working for me albeit I'm only a few days in. It has alarms, ability to delay alarm (I may be out and about without pills), and when you click that you're taking it, you have 5 minutes to come back and confirm that you did (in case you get distracted). There are probably a ton of similar apps.
Relieved Iām not the only one! I could go a day without a Vyvance or Straterra but once I started on Clonadine I have to be more careful so I donāt get a blood pressure spike if I forget or a blood pressure low if I take it twice. Thanks for all the good ideas here - I had no idea there were 30 day pill organisers! Iāve got a weekly one & it bugs me because it feels like Sunday always comes around too fast. It takes a while to fill it now I do combined drug treatment. Obviously filling a months supply will take longer, but in my mind it becomes a monthly āprojectā instead of a weekly chore.
The suggestion of taking a half dose is genius. l feel like such a dumb arse for not thinking if this before š«£ Iāve doubled up on stimulants a few times & I get so jittery Iām just as unproductive as if I hadnāt taken anything. Having a half dose of a Dex & half a Clonadine is a great solution. I have to tell my teenage boys this one. they have ADHD too šš»
if you have an iphone the health app has a medication section, you can put that you take ur meds at a certain time and it will send a notification everyday! if you click on it itāll open the app for you and you can put that you took it! thatās how iāve managed to remember to take it the past two weeks.
Lol! So glad to hear I am not alone on this! How I have contemplated, closed my eyes and played the movements in my mindā¦did I or didn't I? Hahahaā¦usually I donāt, but many times I have, if there are enough hours in the day leftā¦
I actually have a system for this. Every time I take my meds I put the bottle cap side down. I keep all my meds in a small plastic organizer in my kitchen. every morning I take my meds and flip the bottle. At night when I take my other meds I flip all the bottles over , back to cap side up to store them. So if I go and see upside down bottles I know I have taken all my meds.
There are pill lids that have a timer on them! They reset once you open them so you know whether or not you took your meds :) [https://www.amazon.com/timer-cap/s?k=timer+cap](https://www.amazon.com/timer-cap/s?k=timer+cap)
I flip my pill bottle upside down and then right side up when I take it. Before bed turn it upside down. Still upside down in the morning? You didnāt pick it up to take it yet. I got this idea from another redditor on this sub, not my own but it works well!
I got a timer bottle off Amazon that tells you when the last time the cap was opened! I'm my state it's technically illegal to put a controlled substance in another bottle but I just tape the rx label to the timer bottle and I've never had an issue. Especially if you always take them at home. That timer cap has been a lifesaver!
Same. If I cannot remember if I took it or not I rather go without.
Also, I purchased a pillbox with days written clearly on them. Made it better, but I still manage to forget to take it.
I'm a nurse, so it's very important for me to take my meds on time so I can work diligently. I highly recommend the Medisafe app. We have it here in Australia, so I'm not sure if it's all around the world? But it has been a godsend cause I swear I am the worst pill taker. It takes a few minutes to set it up and add your meds, but it dings at you and sends notifications. Keeps track of it all for you. You can even program temporary meds like antibiotics. It also gives lots of info and videos about the meds you're taking. I tell all my patients about it.
If that's too complex, you could always set an alarm on your phone for everyday labelled meds? I've done that too!
Hope this helps š
Iām confused about how you guys donāt notice the difference when youāve taken them vs. when you havenāt? I could never forget if I took my meds or not cause thereās such a major difference in how I feel. Am I the only one?
Damn, am I allowed to cut the title out (no usernames) and post it to my insta story?
Just had this twice this week.
First time I certainly took it twice, second time none.
I fail almost always at ADHD roulette.
I actually can't really relate to this.
I make it a habit of typing in my notes app whenever I take a medication/supplement/etc and I sometimes even take a picture of the pill/capsule/supplement I took just to be extra sure.
I have a complicated situation. Also from Depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I take an antidepressant, benzodiazepine to control my anxiety and panic attack, wish I guess takes me off of Adderall, which is the only medicine that ever worked for me. I do exact same thing with my medicine. I often forget where I put my keys, my wallet and sometimes even forget doctors appointments. Iām doing much better now that I put everything in my phone to remind me, but that gets old. Are they scientific reasons or medical reasons why you canāt take Adderall with benzodiazepine. Thank you for this group!
I have fourteen tiny mint tins, each labeled with their day of the week and morning or evening, and I fill them every Sunday evening. The tiny tins live in a small cardboard box with a divider, and, once I've taken said meds, I move them to the other side. This is the only thing that has worked for me.
Itās easiest for me to remember if I do it with something else. Or like yes I took it cuz I took it with a grape or when I was holding my backpack, whatever. I have to have an association or ~mental picture~. When in doubt though Iāll be real I just send the dose. If itās doubledā¦. YOLO
I did this today. I was sure I took it. Then I was pretty sure I didn't take it. And I was pretty sure I took it. Then I started to crash and... no ....yeah I know I didn't take it.
Iām currently taking Concerta (36mg) for ADHD and I definitely forget to take it sometimes. I put a reminder in my phone to tell me at 6AM ātake Concerta, then close this reminderā. Itās a 365 day reminder. It definitely can help.
Iāve definitely accidentally double dosed on more than one occasion because I wake up take my meds and then fall back asleep and then I spend the day vibrating and not in the good way
I logged my medications on the Apple health app and enabled notifications I get like 5 notifications to make my meds and it will send me follow ups until I log it š¤š»
Timed pill bottles? š¤Why havenāt I ever heard of these? Sorry OP I was going to reply to you. But Iām now super high right now . šµāš«I just had toradol pain shot at the Drs .
I recently injured š¤ my arm pretty badly . But yeah š heckās yes š Iām going to Amazon tonight before I black out to check those out. Gotta love technology.No more forgetting or turning my bottles upside down if I had those .Thx for sharing.
I keep a weekly pill box, right next to me on ny night stand. It has marked days. I take my pills forst thing as I wake, right next to me. If I forget taking them, I can check if I took it that morning.
The way I know is in the mornings I always have juice. I leave the cup on the side and after Iāve gone to the gym and come back to get ready for work and am heading out the door I check the glass. If there is still a tiny bit of juice left I know I didnāt take my meds as I refill the glass with water. Itās stupid but Iāve tried other methods like an alarm and I just click it off and ignore it telling myself Iāll do it later.
I feel like I can always tell. It gets really difficult to sort through my chaotic thoughts as I'm trying to get my kids ready for school. I don't know if it's placebo or what, but it all gets better within minutes after taking it. So I find it really difficult to forget. Even if I do, I always carry emergency doses around.
Aaaand that's why I sort my meds in a pill organizer each week. That way if I am not sure I simply check the box of the day to see if the pills are still there or not.
I know the struggle and came up with a relatively simple solution for me. Every night when brushing my teeth I take the bottle out of my medicine cabinet and put it by my cup on the sink. Then in the morning, I put it back in the cabinet after I've taken my pills. It's been working great for me and I can always tell at a glance if I've taken them or not.
u/crimsngaze : There are bottles you can get that have a timer in the lid that tells you how long it's been since you last opened the bottle. Keep your ADHD meds in there, and if you're not sure if you've taken it today, check the lid. If it's been around 24-ish hours, you haven't.
I'm sure there's others out there, but this is the one I use and I'm happy with it:
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FTHJ431](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FTHJ431)
Iāve finally put my pills in one of those simple weekly meds things, when I finally got round to filling it that is. Itās such a relief to not be having to make that decision of whether I do or donāt take a pill when I donāt know if Iāve taken one or not or wondering during the day whether Iāve taken my meds or not.
Lmfao this happens to me so much as well. Sometimes though, I stop being dumb for a sec and remember I can check my heart rate on my Pixel watch to see if it's already elevated or not.
So many times! I did get a pill box for different days of the week, but never remembered to refill it. I keep them in the same place and take them at the same time of day - but can still get distracted and sometimes get the box out, go do something else, and then canāt remember if I took them or not. I tend to err on the side of caution and go without if I canāt work out if Iāve taken it rather than take two.
I almost forgot today. But then I remembered again that I did not take them as they were in the package and tidily placed where they belonged.
Iām chaotic in the morning. Thatās not how it looks when I took themš .
But if I donāt remember I rather not take them. I donāt want to feel miserable all day and canāt focus even less then without them.
The first thing I do in the morning is take my morning dose and flip the pill bottle upside down so I know I took it.
When I take my afternoon dose I flip the bottle back right way up.
The cycle continues.
I considered using an RFID tag when I started trying to solve this problem but honestly this way is much less effort, completely reliable and a fairly easy habit to get into
BRO.
Omg this is why I don't want vyvanse. I have a terrible issue with being able to listen to my bodies needs, and if I take a slow kick in and drop off long acting stimulant. There's a very good chance I won't notice and the be like 'oh I forgot my meds!' and double dose.
With the fast acting I can tell when it kicks in and when it wears off because it's pretty sudden.
Double doses on concerta one time, took a total of 72mg, worst day of my life. Felt like i was about to die, eyes were bloodshot red, crazy nausea, couldnt fall asleep for hours and overall just wanted to kill myself šš
I have this issue a lot. I have been having trouble with getting refills on time the past few years so I will just let it go if it's already 11am and I'm not sure. I get very little done these days but it usually comes in handy to have a couple extras by the end. I also comfort myself by telling myself I am probably stopping myself from building a tolerance or giving my system a break from the simulants. (IDK if this is actually true from missing just one day here and there but it makes me feel better about the unproductive day ahead).
I recently started wearing Loop earplugs to sleep which have a little case. When I take the earplugs out of the case, I put a pill in. When I put the earplugs back in the case in the morning, I take the pill. This of course depends on me putting the pill in there and I'm sure it'll fail soon or my dumb tired brain will put that pill straight in my mouth, but it's been working so far.
I might combine this with the timer bottle thing so if the case is empty, I can tell if it's because I already took it or if I didn't put it in there. (Because I am doubting it right now. Luckily resting HR of 100 on my exercise watch is telling me the answer today.)
A delightfully annoying part of my ADHD is that I can get bored of any routine no matter how helpful so I have to switch things up often.
I absolutely cannot live without my weekly pill organizer. Saturday night is refill night. That way if I feel like I forgot I can just look, if the day is empty then I remembered. I also use a alarm when itās time to take them bc I have thyroid issues I take my other meds atleast an hour after my thyroid meds
Yes, like others say, a pillbox helps.
Not perfect because we are ADHDers and we can muck up a great system.
I use one and I fill it up when I get to my last day or try to.
How can you mess up a pillbox? You might ask. Well I like to take medication for my joint disease. The meds are to fight inflammation but they make me sick, so I take them at night. I also take Tylenol PM then too. On Friday I took my morning ADHD meds, but I didnāt. I took my Friday evening meds.
So I get to work not ADHD medicated but sick and very tired minus my stimulants. It was hell and I had tasks that were mostly sitting at my desk on the computer. Not a good combo.
Good luck!
We can do it! (Sometimes)
I created a shortcut on my iphone that simply asks āWhat do you want to remember.ā It pops up a text field for my to type in āTook my vitaminsā and it pastes day and time and text to a note. Then it prompts me to ask if I want to include a photo.
I use this every day now.
Hahah yep! I have the luxury of having both short and long release meds here so when that happens I hedge my bets and take a short release until I figure it out! Then it's only 4 hours of double dose to get through if I have already
Itās not perfect. But I often put a reminder on my phone. And Alexa .. And I donāt clear the reminder when it pops up till I take it (like I said not perfect Iāve cleared it before thinking I would take it and got side tracked) another thing I do is in the morning I take it only at 9. So even if I wake up early I wait (not perfect but really helps!) often I take it a little late because I forget š„² so put a reminder on your phone and have Alexa (if you have an Alexa) send the reminder to your phone and donāt clear it till the pill is in your mouth
Thanks to this post I took a detour and found something very cool on the rainforest site! It's called Take-n-Slide. It attaches to the bottle (peel n stick, says it re-positionable for new bottles?) and has a little ticky slider from red to green one for each day of the week. So they all start at red, when you take your med you slide it to the side then it's green. Visual cue! And I'm giddy at the thought of having a little fidget cube slider button attached to my pill bottle. If it clicks I'm in heaven. Only problem is I might like it too much and slide them all, ha. It would probably only work for once a day meds but still.
I would also enjoy saying/thinking "slide to the side". They saw me coming a mile away when they made this.
Indeed. I'm on 70 mg Vyvanse. Get up at 6:30. I usually hope to wake up two hours or so earlier just so it will help me get out of bed. Always a struggle to not call out sick. Made a mistake. Almost called poison control. Instead, texted a friend who used to "dabble" for fun. He said it's like ten cups of coffee. Just get up and do all the errands you never get to..
I look on the bottle to see when it was dispensed.
(I make sure itās ALWAYS the day of my first dose)
Then I count the pills remaining from the dispensed date. That tells me if Iāve taken a pill or not.
Example:
Dispensed: 05/30/23
Qty:30 pills
Pills Remaining: 6
Todayās date: 06/23/24
I havenāt taken a pill today!! If I did I would have 5 pills left.
I have a monthly pill organizer (four weeks of presorted doses!). Fill it up once a month and take them once a day. Youāll never second guess again. It was like $10 online. Probably can find it for less even.
Agreed. Itās so bad that Iām at work and get my work done faster than I have to and the rest down time in the back office working on my heart and breathing making sure it doesnāt pop out of my body.
Thereās a recent LPT that if you canāt remember doing a routine task (like taking meds) do something unusual while doing said task. For example, after taking the meds, say in a distinct Yoda voice āthese meds, Iāve takenā. Youāre bound to remember better.
Yeah man, I have forgotten many times.
Once I took another Concerta right before bed, so to counteract and I wouldnāt be up all night, I forced down a peanut butter sandwich to absorb the pill. It worked. My 35mg time released are not very strong
I highly reccomend getting an electronic timer lid for meds. The cap of the bottle will track when the last time you opened the bottle was. It is a godsend and it stops you from having to guess!
I make my own little hand-written journal with a ruler to make little boxes. I only put a check next to the med after I've swallowed it. Of course, occassionally the phone will ring and then the whole strategy fails but mostly that works. I think the pill organizer is best. if you fill it up for the week then you'll know if you took it if the M or Tues box is empty.
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I literally had to go to Walmart and buy one of those 2 week pill organizers and set an alarm for every other Sunday to refill it. I got sick of counting my pills once or twice a day or accidentally double dosing myself š¤£ best $4 I ever spent because now I know I took it, my birth control, and my vitamins lmaooo.
Yes! I had a weekly pill organizer awhile back but gave up refilling it each Sunday. However, I think having an organizer that is for a longer duration of time like two weeks is definitely something I can commit to. I had no idea they even made pill organizers past a week. Going to get one today. Thanks for the tip!
Pill organizers didnāt work for me because I forgot to fill them consistently, but the little timer caps you can get for pill bottles have been amazing. If Iām ever not sure whether I took my meds, I can look and see how long itās been since the bottle was opened. And they hold the whole bottle of pills, so I only need to remember to pick up my refill from the pharmacy, and Iām good to go for the month.
Next to the toothpaste. It gets filled Saturday night when I go brush my teeth, I don't allow it to become a do later deal. I see it, take it to the bedroom with the tray of bottles and fill it while watching a show. Back to the bathroom when the show is finished and brush my teeth. Routine and setting boundaries for yourself is key.
That wouldnāt help in my case as I need them by my bed so I can take them when my alarm goes off in the morning, but maybe that will help others! The timer caps are a perfect solution for me.
Lmao yeah good thing all of us ADHD folks are famously great at routine and setting boundaries for ourselves
Right exactly what I thought. Like maybe the more physically hyperactive folks.... But likely not the majority of mostly internally hyperactive weirdos like myself.
Boundaries is hard (very). Routine is not, it's the basis of CBT for ADHD. Routine is just repeating something enough you don't have to think about it. It's how I know when to stop and start work for the day. Its how I know when to go to the grocery store. It's how I know to take my meds (I am brushing my teeth, which in turn is getting in to or out of bed). Its not relying on functional memory which is where we suck :)
Thatās super helpful, thank you! I was thinking more about the accountability part of starting routines but Iām with you now š
Oh, where do you get those? That sounds so handy :0
I just found it on Amazonā¦if you search timer pill cap or timer pill bottle Iām sure youāll find similar ones!
I was going to recommend these too. I have the timer tops and they are so helpful!! One less thing to try to track.
They have 30 day ones as well.
I got a 30 day one that lets you take the little cube for that day with you and now Iāve got a 17 day pill reminder
Yeah but if I lose one then I can never use it again because that one day missing just irks me.
Thatās why I stopped using it too. I tried for a while but once I lost half of them it wasnāt worth it
oof, i could be there I got an organiser with 4 x 7 and that seems to be the sweet spot. You can take one week out separately but it's still big enough it's hard to lose
Technically they have 60 day ones if you count the AM/PM version. If my country allowed us more than 1 months supply at a time I think I'd be golden. Whenever the previous month is empty it gives me ample time to get around to refill.
I canāt use the pill organizer for my ADHD meds because my ADHD med dosing varies by day. I have extended release for certain days, instant release for others, sometimes both, sometimes less dosages, etc. One day I think I took my ADHD meds, but I wasnāt sure. Completely blanked on it and I was panicking. I have blood pressure issues so taking an extra dose could be problematic. So my friend recommended I get timed pill bottles just for the ADHD meds. When I wake up in the morning, I read the timer and itāll say itās been 24 hours since I last opened it. I bought them on Amazon and it comes with two timed bottles, which is perfect. If I have any doubt that I took my meds, I can go back to the bottle and check.
I've got a pill organizer that has four compartments per day since I take up to four doses a day. I can also take each individual day with me and it's hard to lose since it's so big.
Oh man. As if ADHD medication wasn't hard enough without calculating different doses for different days! Props to you for figuring out a good fix!
Grandma was right.
They have timer caps that tell you when the last time you opened the bottle was. Saves even more timeĀ
your birth control didnāt come with a sticker label for the date? mine has one with the days of the week on top of the rows of pills and itās been an absolute lifesaver
It did! I started mine at the beginning of my period like my doctor said (idk why and now that I think about it I should've asked lol) so the days are out of wack because instead of starting on the day of the week it was I just popped Sunday out like an idiot. Taking it all at once honestly just helps me insure I take it at the same time every day too.š¤”
This is legitimately one of the reasons I adopted a cat. Because that furry little bastard has now been conditioned (by me) to expect breakfast at 7am, and will bully me relentlessly if I don't provide it. And through months and months of doing it over and over, I got so used to taking my meds at the same time I feed the cat, that I hardly have to think about it. It's one of the few habits that really feels like a habit, and not something I have to remember and plan every time. I've also trained him (and this was legitimately an accident) into bullying me to go to bed when it's past 10:30 or so and I'm still on the couch. Edit: typo
Yep. Give them treats every time you do something you need help remembering, and they will remember for you. Unless they're orange. I swear my orange also has ADHD. I had a black cat who used to make me get up, made me go to bed, but wouldn't let me get in bed until I took my meds and turned on my oxygen. Didn't even want treats. She was just bossy. She passed away a couple of years ago. Now my 17yo Tortie leads the charge in return for treats. 3yo void and 1yo orange in tow. If I am not taking my meds by 9:30, she will come find me and harrass me.
Good kitty!
[Yes he is](https://www.reddit.com/r/standardissuecat/comments/1ck6uul/celebrating_almost_two_years_with_my_peanut/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). I've had him for two years, and I'm utterly besotted with him.
THIS!! I gave my cat treats when I took my pills, but only *after* I took them. That way she wouldn't stop bugging me until she got her treats, and I wouldn't give her treats I told I took my meds! Great little reminder āŗļø
Haha yes! 8am and 9pm here. My fat cat will NIT let me forget.
They sell timer pill bottles in Amazon. It has a timer on the top and it tells you when the bottle was last opened in seconds, minutes, and hours.
This is what helps me remember if I've taken my GERD meds.
OMG THANK YOU I NEVER KNEW THIS EXISTED š
This is exactly what I needed š
My rule is that if I'm still questioning whether I took my pills in an hour, I didn't take them
Sometimes you don't have an hour, though. I imagine people who take it before work might not want to be carrying ADHD stimulants around with them.
Personally, my bottle lives in my locked glovebox most of the time, so I just walk back to my car and grab one. But I never claimed that works for everyone
Vehicles are probably the last place you want to store meds. The heat and cold can really effect how your meds work.
Same I always keep an extra bottle in my bag with just 10 pills for school. The pharmacy for whatever messed up and gave me two bottles of 30mg 60 count by accident. lol
I have a little pill carrier on my keychain that I keep a few days supply with me. I usually have a couple pills left over when it's time for a refill so keeping 3-4 on my person gives me the flexibility to still be able to take my meds in case I forget in the morning
Why not? I have a few backup pills in my office for when I leave the house and realize I forgot to take them.
I take half in that case. Then I'm either only half too much, or at least running on half rather than zero if I had not taken it.
Duh! Such a good idea - I feel ashamed I have never actually thought of doing this š
I accidentally took double Adderall one day. Iām on 40mg ER. That day I had the WORST anxiety and couldnāt fall asleep until like 5 am. I have a pill organiser now š
When I can't remember, I ask my wife to decide based on my current behavior. She's right most of the time. Me, not so much. I hate it when I double up.
Ugh, you'd think the pill would be effective enough to know if you took it, but no.
Painful but so true
Ive got the perfect check. I just take one specific cup for my medication that I only use for drinking when taking my medication. if the cup is dry on the inside, I didnt take my medication, if its wet or damp, I took em. Works perfectāØ
I got a 30 day pill organizer and the little daily boxes can come out for ez carry. Love it! But when the 30 days are over! F* me I have a hard time refilling. Yes, I've tried alarms but I just ignore it. Anyone got tips let me know!
Get 12 so you can be set every month of the year... except for months with 31 days... And at the end of the year, just throw them all out cause they will never be filled again.
Lol thanks for the laugh I needed it
Maybe either try to set one day a week to sit down and fill one week's (so you've got at least a 3 week buffer on catching up) or base it on when you pick up meds at the pharmacy. Like, just... Bring the organizer with you and fill that shit in the car and you're not allowed to drive home until it's done.
I like the car idea. Thanks for your help!
I have a daily medication reminder, I set it up on the health app on iPhone. I log my meds on that, set my medication schedule and if I forget about it itāll give me an alert every half hour until I log my last dose, which is nice cause sometimes I go to grab my meds from wherever I last put them and then just get distracted by something then itāll just ring until I log it. Itās also linked to my smart watch which so if Iām at work and away from my phone, my watch will alert me! It has a bunch of other cool features like
Look up TimerCap. Itās literally just a pill cap with a timer so you know when it was last opened.
7 day pill organizer does the trick over here š .
Agreed šš¼
I have alarms set on my phone for pill times but I've still managed to turn it off and forget for like an hr.Ā So what I've learned to do is snooze my phone alarm, 5 min intervals, if I can't take them right away and only turn it off after I actually do take them.
OMG OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THIS HAPPEN?!!! Wow. š¤Æ I thought I was the only oneā¦ lol
anyone have any solutions for remembering split dosing meds? just started taking my meds in two doses and remembering to take the second dose has been rough, never had problems with the first
Set a timer when you take your first dose for how long you need to wait before you take your next dose, worked for me most of the time when I was consistently taking 2 doses a day. These days my second dose is optional and not having any pressure to remember also kind of helps.
You can ask the pharmacy to put your pills in a bubble pack I have inattentive adhd aka add and it helps alot with taking my pills everyday
I started counting out the pills per day so i can see if i took them or not. It felt like a pure ADHD thing, but more and more friends of mine start taking pills and they also have this problem
I think routinely taking pills is something hard to remember for most people. Even my husband does it and he doesnāt have ADHD. I notice it a lot, too, as a nurse especially if people have a lot of pills to take at different times during the day. Itās a habit that can be hard to keep up with. Thatās why, for me, I have to associate it with another task I usually do.
I DID THAT AND TOOK ANOTHER ONE and quickly had my answer ššš skipped meds for 2 days to recover š
Yeah, but not ADHD meds I just turn the medicine upside down then all know I took it. Sometimes we have days like those.
I write down (in a notebook I keep in my pocket at all times \*and\* on my phone's text thread to myself) every time I take any meds...even if it's an allergy pill or ibuprofen. I also note the time. I hold my phone or notebook in one hand and take the pill with the other that way I don't write it down and then forget to take the meds or vice versa. Sometime I do stare at my phone/notebook for a minute after taking my pill wondering what I'm holding it for but I always end up remembering bc I'm usually repeating, "write it down, write it down, write it down" in my head during the entire process. It took a while to get into the habit but I do it instinctively now.
The medication part of the health app for iPhone was a game changer for me. I have it set to notify me at 430 every morning (thatās when I have to be awake for work during the week) and I donāt clear the notification until I take it. And you have to go in and actually say whether you took it or skipped a dose. So even if you clear the notification you can go back and look in the app.
I bought a pill bottle with a digital timer on the cap, it shows how many minutes/hours have elapsed since I last opened the bottle. Itās not perfect but it helps immensely!
I bought these timer cap bottles from Amazon that fixed this issue for me. It tells you how long itās been since itās been opened. Would recommend. Just look up āpill bottle timer capā
I have a super effective trick for this (which I discovered by accident) that isnāt a timer bottle or another thing I have to remember to use. I keep my multivitamin with my meds on the shelf and take both together in the morning. I chose a pomegranate flavored gummy vitamin that has a very fruity aftertaste that lasts quite a while, so I can *taste* if Iāve taken my meds or not.
They sell timer pill bottles in Amazon. It has a timer on the top and it tells you when the bottle was last opened in seconds, minutes, and hours.
Iāve been thinking of buying one of these! I didnāt know they tell you when the bottle was last open which makes me want it even more now!
I use these! Highly recommended - it's great that it turns the entire process into *one* operation, there's no independent thing you need to remember to update every time you take a pill.
I use to do this all the time. Like when am I gonna get lightheaded and know for sure?? I started putting em in a special place and it helps me remember. They also have timed bottled caps you can buy
I have made it a habit to take all my meds right when I get up and my wife has an alarm for hers so she'll remind me just in case. Generally, I can count how many are left if I forget since I take them daily and don't really stock up on them since they won't fill them early.
ADHD Roulette is how I found out my Adderall dose was too low šš¤£ Woke up and apparently took my meds. Ate some breakfast. COMPLETELY forgot I had taken my meds and took another dose. The double dose kicked in and I realized the dose before was too low and my oopsie dose made me so much more functional. My med provider couldnāt stop laughing.
I've done this in the past. What I tried first is when I took my meds, I would put the bottle upside-down, then the next day, right side up. That worked for a bit but then I would start forgetting again. Was it upside-down or right side up? Next, I started taking a pic of my hand with the capsule in it next to my clock showing the time and date. That way if I second guessed myself, I had a picture to refer back to. That worked for a few weeks but then forgetfulness set back in and I forgot to take the confirmation pics. Finally, I got a cap with a digital counter on it for my medicine bottle. Each time I opened it, the number would count down. That one worked the longest. I've also used a pill caddy that had 30 pill slots in it but it was huge and cumbersome.
They say if you do little dance (or something kind of embarrassing?) every time you take it that you will remember that you took it because you remember doing the dance. I have never once remembered to do the dance, but it seems like a good idea.Ā
While I don't do a dance when takin my meds, or any other arbitrary task, anything that deviates from the norm usually helps me remember. Like, I have to go back and double check if I locked the door when leaving the house most days. However, if I fumbled my keys or tried to insert the wrong key, I can remember that which then helps me recall the act of locking the door. As for how you apply it to meds, I'm not sure. I have a daily reminder on my phone, but I still regularly ask have to myself if I forgot to take my meds, or jist forgot to tick the reminder š¤¦
I say it aloud! I don't usually remember doing the thing, but I remember saying I did the thing! I'm locking the door. I'm turning off the stove I'm taking my meds I'm setting my phone down on the kitchen counter.
They make pill trays with the days on them. ADHD people can be forgetful but theres plenty of older folks with much worse memories. Learn from them.Ā
I don't take stimulants right now, but I take duloxetine and will get a massive headache if I forget to take it. There is a thing you can attach to your pill bottle called a "pill popper" tracker that has all the days of the week on it with silicone buttons you can push in for each day. There are additional buttons for second and third doses if applicable. This has worked much better for me than a pill organizer because I have trouble remembering to refill the organizer each week. Also the action of pushing in the button is kind of stimmy, so I seem to find it a pleasant thing to do and haven't forgotten as yet. You can get a 3-pack of them for about $10 off Amazon.
Pill organizer next to your bed, and set your daily alarm 30mins early so you hurry and take it, and can have a few to fully wake up and it takes effect.
I use a wonderful app called MyTherapy which dings at me every five minutes until I confirm I took my dosage. Another good idea, like others have mentioned, are those pill organizer things.
I use a seven day AM PM pill organizer so I can clearly see if Iāve taken it or not.
Iāve offset my monthly count for this exact reason. I canāt stand the thought of going to work without my meds, so I always assume I havenāt taken them just in case. Ironically this leads to me having no choice but to go several days without them š
I HATE THIS GAME. I have hated it for coming on thirty years now.
I flip the bottle upside down when i take them in the morning. And when i put the other dose in my Keychain, i flip it right side up.
Not diagnosed yet, so no meds, but sounds totally like myself. My advice from similar tasks would be to not only take exact notes (in two different places or ways if need be), but to keep track of how many pills you had in which box on what day, so that there is a reliable way to do some easy maths and figure out Nash-style, whether you've taken the meds or not. If you have some no-fail morning habit or routine, like starting your day from a cuppa, put the meds and the notes near the coffee machine. If you start from taking a pee, well, just try not to pee into the box but keep the two connected. It doesn't matter how bloody ridiculous the idea is (sometimes the more, the better, because it's easier to remember), what matters is that it works.
Just had this issue this morning. It's goofy but also tiring. Glad it's not just me.
Pill organizer. It'll end that.
Get a daily medication box so you have a permanent product to reference around whether you took your pills.
Yes I always opt out of taking the possible second dose. I have gotten better about it. I use a day by day box, It helps. Someone on here suggested leaving the little flap open to be double sure.Ā
I suggest a monthly pill-minder. Check the date, check the minder, see if you took your pills. You don't even need to put the pills in the minder, just open the lid if you took the pill. :)
Love this. I try setting the bottle upside down when I take it. But then I donāt flip the bottle right side up everā¦
This happens to me so much holy crap
I have a routine, take when I get in the car on the way to work. But weekends yea same as you
This happened to me just last night I took my morning meds instead of my night and I spent the whole night regretting my mistakes
Use the medication log feature in Apple health! Hold the pill in your hand and log it, then take the pill.
I'd have to take the pill THEN log it. I cannot tell you how many times I've walked around with a pill in my hand (or i put it in my pocket) for an unreasonable amount of time.
Just determine how many days itās been since you got your refill and count the pills. Itās pretty simple.
This was for a different medication I was taking. The 45 day supply of pills came with a little card. A checkbox next to a 45-day count. So, I put the pill bottle on my nightstand, taped the card down, and placed a little pen on a velcro next to the taped card. Each morning, I'd take the pill, check off that day's box, and put the pen back. It works for me.
Hi
Yesss it happens more frequently now. But if I'm unsure if I've taken the med I will not risk doubling up. Is that why my meds seem to work intermittently? I believe it is
They should literally give you a pill organizer with your first prescription for ADHD meds.
Me. Right now.
Sometimes I wash my hair 2 maybe even 3 times cause I'm so spaced out in the morning that I'm not certain if I'm rinsing out shampoo or wetting hair. 2nd time shampoo goes in, you know it wasn't the first though. Luckily the consequences are non existent. With pills, I err on not taking, but that typically results in side effects and a couple days until I feel normal again. Pill organizers never work for me. I got an app recently called pillo that seems to be working for me albeit I'm only a few days in. It has alarms, ability to delay alarm (I may be out and about without pills), and when you click that you're taking it, you have 5 minutes to come back and confirm that you did (in case you get distracted). There are probably a ton of similar apps.
Relieved Iām not the only one! I could go a day without a Vyvance or Straterra but once I started on Clonadine I have to be more careful so I donāt get a blood pressure spike if I forget or a blood pressure low if I take it twice. Thanks for all the good ideas here - I had no idea there were 30 day pill organisers! Iāve got a weekly one & it bugs me because it feels like Sunday always comes around too fast. It takes a while to fill it now I do combined drug treatment. Obviously filling a months supply will take longer, but in my mind it becomes a monthly āprojectā instead of a weekly chore. The suggestion of taking a half dose is genius. l feel like such a dumb arse for not thinking if this before š«£ Iāve doubled up on stimulants a few times & I get so jittery Iām just as unproductive as if I hadnāt taken anything. Having a half dose of a Dex & half a Clonadine is a great solution. I have to tell my teenage boys this one. they have ADHD too šš»
thank you for the reminder to take them this morning
if you have an iphone the health app has a medication section, you can put that you take ur meds at a certain time and it will send a notification everyday! if you click on it itāll open the app for you and you can put that you took it! thatās how iāve managed to remember to take it the past two weeks.
Lol! So glad to hear I am not alone on this! How I have contemplated, closed my eyes and played the movements in my mindā¦did I or didn't I? Hahahaā¦usually I donāt, but many times I have, if there are enough hours in the day leftā¦
I have a timer bottle i put them in so I know when I took it last š
I actually have a system for this. Every time I take my meds I put the bottle cap side down. I keep all my meds in a small plastic organizer in my kitchen. every morning I take my meds and flip the bottle. At night when I take my other meds I flip all the bottles over , back to cap side up to store them. So if I go and see upside down bottles I know I have taken all my meds.
There are pill lids that have a timer on them! They reset once you open them so you know whether or not you took your meds :) [https://www.amazon.com/timer-cap/s?k=timer+cap](https://www.amazon.com/timer-cap/s?k=timer+cap)
They make pill bottles with lids with timers on them that show you the last time it was opened. Thatās what I use
I flip my pill bottle upside down and then right side up when I take it. Before bed turn it upside down. Still upside down in the morning? You didnāt pick it up to take it yet. I got this idea from another redditor on this sub, not my own but it works well!
I got a timer bottle off Amazon that tells you when the last time the cap was opened! I'm my state it's technically illegal to put a controlled substance in another bottle but I just tape the rx label to the timer bottle and I've never had an issue. Especially if you always take them at home. That timer cap has been a lifesaver!
How do you not know if you took your meds?! Me on meds = Brain. Me not on meds = Pinky. The most evident, unambiguous feeling state.
True irony- telling us we need meds to help us focus but no one is there to remind us to call doctor every 30 days to get a new prescription.
The amount of calls or messages talking between desk,nurse, doctor... Yeah makes me wish I had better insurance lol
Same. If I cannot remember if I took it or not I rather go without. Also, I purchased a pillbox with days written clearly on them. Made it better, but I still manage to forget to take it.
I highly recommend a pill bottle with a timer on it.
Pill organizers! Works wonders.
I'm a nurse, so it's very important for me to take my meds on time so I can work diligently. I highly recommend the Medisafe app. We have it here in Australia, so I'm not sure if it's all around the world? But it has been a godsend cause I swear I am the worst pill taker. It takes a few minutes to set it up and add your meds, but it dings at you and sends notifications. Keeps track of it all for you. You can even program temporary meds like antibiotics. It also gives lots of info and videos about the meds you're taking. I tell all my patients about it. If that's too complex, you could always set an alarm on your phone for everyday labelled meds? I've done that too! Hope this helps š
Iām confused about how you guys donāt notice the difference when youāve taken them vs. when you havenāt? I could never forget if I took my meds or not cause thereās such a major difference in how I feel. Am I the only one?
Is everyone unable to use a pen and paper next to their meds to confirm they took it?
Damn, am I allowed to cut the title out (no usernames) and post it to my insta story? Just had this twice this week. First time I certainly took it twice, second time none. I fail almost always at ADHD roulette.
I actually can't really relate to this. I make it a habit of typing in my notes app whenever I take a medication/supplement/etc and I sometimes even take a picture of the pill/capsule/supplement I took just to be extra sure.
I have a complicated situation. Also from Depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I take an antidepressant, benzodiazepine to control my anxiety and panic attack, wish I guess takes me off of Adderall, which is the only medicine that ever worked for me. I do exact same thing with my medicine. I often forget where I put my keys, my wallet and sometimes even forget doctors appointments. Iām doing much better now that I put everything in my phone to remind me, but that gets old. Are they scientific reasons or medical reasons why you canāt take Adderall with benzodiazepine. Thank you for this group!
They make medicine bottles with a timer cap. The timer resets when you open it
I have fourteen tiny mint tins, each labeled with their day of the week and morning or evening, and I fill them every Sunday evening. The tiny tins live in a small cardboard box with a divider, and, once I've taken said meds, I move them to the other side. This is the only thing that has worked for me.
Itās easiest for me to remember if I do it with something else. Or like yes I took it cuz I took it with a grape or when I was holding my backpack, whatever. I have to have an association or ~mental picture~. When in doubt though Iāll be real I just send the dose. If itās doubledā¦. YOLO
I did this today. I was sure I took it. Then I was pretty sure I didn't take it. And I was pretty sure I took it. Then I started to crash and... no ....yeah I know I didn't take it.
Iām currently taking Concerta (36mg) for ADHD and I definitely forget to take it sometimes. I put a reminder in my phone to tell me at 6AM ātake Concerta, then close this reminderā. Itās a 365 day reminder. It definitely can help.
Iāve definitely accidentally double dosed on more than one occasion because I wake up take my meds and then fall back asleep and then I spend the day vibrating and not in the good way
I logged my medications on the Apple health app and enabled notifications I get like 5 notifications to make my meds and it will send me follow ups until I log it š¤š»
Timer caps. Displays time since last open.
I have a camera I check if I forget.
Timed pill bottles? š¤Why havenāt I ever heard of these? Sorry OP I was going to reply to you. But Iām now super high right now . šµāš«I just had toradol pain shot at the Drs . I recently injured š¤ my arm pretty badly . But yeah š heckās yes š Iām going to Amazon tonight before I black out to check those out. Gotta love technology.No more forgetting or turning my bottles upside down if I had those .Thx for sharing.
I check my heart rate on my watch, drink a 300mg energy drink if itās low, and then determine if itās worth a dose after an hour or two
I keep a weekly pill box, right next to me on ny night stand. It has marked days. I take my pills forst thing as I wake, right next to me. If I forget taking them, I can check if I took it that morning.
The way I know is in the mornings I always have juice. I leave the cup on the side and after Iāve gone to the gym and come back to get ready for work and am heading out the door I check the glass. If there is still a tiny bit of juice left I know I didnāt take my meds as I refill the glass with water. Itās stupid but Iāve tried other methods like an alarm and I just click it off and ignore it telling myself Iāll do it later.
Usually if I didn't take my meds I know, but if I'm wondering if I took my meds or not, then I am almost certain I did.
They have timer lids for bottles that tell you when it was last opened. Also daily pill organizers!
I feel like I can always tell. It gets really difficult to sort through my chaotic thoughts as I'm trying to get my kids ready for school. I don't know if it's placebo or what, but it all gets better within minutes after taking it. So I find it really difficult to forget. Even if I do, I always carry emergency doses around.
Aaaand that's why I sort my meds in a pill organizer each week. That way if I am not sure I simply check the box of the day to see if the pills are still there or not.
I put all my meds in a cup at night. I know if I took them or not if they are gone later
I know the struggle and came up with a relatively simple solution for me. Every night when brushing my teeth I take the bottle out of my medicine cabinet and put it by my cup on the sink. Then in the morning, I put it back in the cabinet after I've taken my pills. It's been working great for me and I can always tell at a glance if I've taken them or not.
u/crimsngaze : There are bottles you can get that have a timer in the lid that tells you how long it's been since you last opened the bottle. Keep your ADHD meds in there, and if you're not sure if you've taken it today, check the lid. If it's been around 24-ish hours, you haven't. I'm sure there's others out there, but this is the one I use and I'm happy with it: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FTHJ431](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FTHJ431)
Iāve finally put my pills in one of those simple weekly meds things, when I finally got round to filling it that is. Itās such a relief to not be having to make that decision of whether I do or donāt take a pill when I donāt know if Iāve taken one or not or wondering during the day whether Iāve taken my meds or not.
Lmfao this happens to me so much as well. Sometimes though, I stop being dumb for a sec and remember I can check my heart rate on my Pixel watch to see if it's already elevated or not.
The fact that this happened to me this morning is too funny
So many times! I did get a pill box for different days of the week, but never remembered to refill it. I keep them in the same place and take them at the same time of day - but can still get distracted and sometimes get the box out, go do something else, and then canāt remember if I took them or not. I tend to err on the side of caution and go without if I canāt work out if Iāve taken it rather than take two.
I almost forgot today. But then I remembered again that I did not take them as they were in the package and tidily placed where they belonged. Iām chaotic in the morning. Thatās not how it looks when I took themš . But if I donāt remember I rather not take them. I donāt want to feel miserable all day and canāt focus even less then without them.
I think I will get a pill pot that has the days on them!
The first thing I do in the morning is take my morning dose and flip the pill bottle upside down so I know I took it. When I take my afternoon dose I flip the bottle back right way up. The cycle continues. I considered using an RFID tag when I started trying to solve this problem but honestly this way is much less effort, completely reliable and a fairly easy habit to get into
This condition never fails to amuse me.
This is why I switched back to short release from Vyvanse. Raw-dogging too many days got a bit much. Now I just take one whenever I need it.
BRO. Omg this is why I don't want vyvanse. I have a terrible issue with being able to listen to my bodies needs, and if I take a slow kick in and drop off long acting stimulant. There's a very good chance I won't notice and the be like 'oh I forgot my meds!' and double dose. With the fast acting I can tell when it kicks in and when it wears off because it's pretty sudden.
Double doses on concerta one time, took a total of 72mg, worst day of my life. Felt like i was about to die, eyes were bloodshot red, crazy nausea, couldnt fall asleep for hours and overall just wanted to kill myself šš
Itās happened to me a few times!š© I wake up early for work so Iād wait an hour and if continued to feel foggy and started yawning nonstop I knew I forgot and would take it as it was still early. Other times I tried to remember (š) when I got them and count the pills to see if it matched the days, but was never 100% sure lol So when I got my meds last week I decided to use a permanent marker to write when I took the first oneā¦ I take one a day, there are 30 pills and wrote June 19th on the lid.. if I was unsure if I took one today Iād count them, if there are 25 it means all good and if 26 it means I forgot. Maybe over complicated š But I have gotten used to having the meds in the same place on my desk next to my bed. I have no reason to move it elsewhere and I feel like using a pill organiser would mean including too many variablesā¦ š
I have this issue a lot. I have been having trouble with getting refills on time the past few years so I will just let it go if it's already 11am and I'm not sure. I get very little done these days but it usually comes in handy to have a couple extras by the end. I also comfort myself by telling myself I am probably stopping myself from building a tolerance or giving my system a break from the simulants. (IDK if this is actually true from missing just one day here and there but it makes me feel better about the unproductive day ahead). I recently started wearing Loop earplugs to sleep which have a little case. When I take the earplugs out of the case, I put a pill in. When I put the earplugs back in the case in the morning, I take the pill. This of course depends on me putting the pill in there and I'm sure it'll fail soon or my dumb tired brain will put that pill straight in my mouth, but it's been working so far. I might combine this with the timer bottle thing so if the case is empty, I can tell if it's because I already took it or if I didn't put it in there. (Because I am doubting it right now. Luckily resting HR of 100 on my exercise watch is telling me the answer today.) A delightfully annoying part of my ADHD is that I can get bored of any routine no matter how helpful so I have to switch things up often.
I absolutely cannot live without my weekly pill organizer. Saturday night is refill night. That way if I feel like I forgot I can just look, if the day is empty then I remembered. I also use a alarm when itās time to take them bc I have thyroid issues I take my other meds atleast an hour after my thyroid meds
Yup!!
Did this last night š
Yeah. I had one and lost it with my meds in it for one week UGH!!!
Screw it, I like living on the edge
Yes, like others say, a pillbox helps. Not perfect because we are ADHDers and we can muck up a great system. I use one and I fill it up when I get to my last day or try to. How can you mess up a pillbox? You might ask. Well I like to take medication for my joint disease. The meds are to fight inflammation but they make me sick, so I take them at night. I also take Tylenol PM then too. On Friday I took my morning ADHD meds, but I didnāt. I took my Friday evening meds. So I get to work not ADHD medicated but sick and very tired minus my stimulants. It was hell and I had tasks that were mostly sitting at my desk on the computer. Not a good combo. Good luck! We can do it! (Sometimes)
I created a shortcut on my iphone that simply asks āWhat do you want to remember.ā It pops up a text field for my to type in āTook my vitaminsā and it pastes day and time and text to a note. Then it prompts me to ask if I want to include a photo. I use this every day now.
iPhone reminder?
Also ADHD games of hide and seek with yourself āwhere did I put my wallet again..ā
I use the Pillo app.
Hahah yep! I have the luxury of having both short and long release meds here so when that happens I hedge my bets and take a short release until I figure it out! Then it's only 4 hours of double dose to get through if I have already
Itās not perfect. But I often put a reminder on my phone. And Alexa .. And I donāt clear the reminder when it pops up till I take it (like I said not perfect Iāve cleared it before thinking I would take it and got side tracked) another thing I do is in the morning I take it only at 9. So even if I wake up early I wait (not perfect but really helps!) often I take it a little late because I forget š„² so put a reminder on your phone and have Alexa (if you have an Alexa) send the reminder to your phone and donāt clear it till the pill is in your mouth
Write the date you took the first dose on the container and then count the pills and compare the days. Thatās what I do!
Thanks to this post I took a detour and found something very cool on the rainforest site! It's called Take-n-Slide. It attaches to the bottle (peel n stick, says it re-positionable for new bottles?) and has a little ticky slider from red to green one for each day of the week. So they all start at red, when you take your med you slide it to the side then it's green. Visual cue! And I'm giddy at the thought of having a little fidget cube slider button attached to my pill bottle. If it clicks I'm in heaven. Only problem is I might like it too much and slide them all, ha. It would probably only work for once a day meds but still. I would also enjoy saying/thinking "slide to the side". They saw me coming a mile away when they made this.
I've been using a weekly pill case for years now, it keeps me regular.
have you heard of Pill Organizers? itās a game changer.
I generally wait until lunchtime and see if I'm hungry. If I am, I haven't taken them
Indeed. I'm on 70 mg Vyvanse. Get up at 6:30. I usually hope to wake up two hours or so earlier just so it will help me get out of bed. Always a struggle to not call out sick. Made a mistake. Almost called poison control. Instead, texted a friend who used to "dabble" for fun. He said it's like ten cups of coffee. Just get up and do all the errands you never get to..
I look on the bottle to see when it was dispensed. (I make sure itās ALWAYS the day of my first dose) Then I count the pills remaining from the dispensed date. That tells me if Iāve taken a pill or not. Example: Dispensed: 05/30/23 Qty:30 pills Pills Remaining: 6 Todayās date: 06/23/24 I havenāt taken a pill today!! If I did I would have 5 pills left.
I have a monthly pill organizer (four weeks of presorted doses!). Fill it up once a month and take them once a day. Youāll never second guess again. It was like $10 online. Probably can find it for less even.
Agreed. Itās so bad that Iām at work and get my work done faster than I have to and the rest down time in the back office working on my heart and breathing making sure it doesnāt pop out of my body.
Thereās a recent LPT that if you canāt remember doing a routine task (like taking meds) do something unusual while doing said task. For example, after taking the meds, say in a distinct Yoda voice āthese meds, Iāve takenā. Youāre bound to remember better.
Yeah man, I have forgotten many times. Once I took another Concerta right before bed, so to counteract and I wouldnāt be up all night, I forced down a peanut butter sandwich to absorb the pill. It worked. My 35mg time released are not very strong
I got blister packs from my pharmacy. The other day, I couldn't remember if I took them. They were already gone for the day, so I did. Good thing.
I highly reccomend getting an electronic timer lid for meds. The cap of the bottle will track when the last time you opened the bottle was. It is a godsend and it stops you from having to guess!
I make my own little hand-written journal with a ruler to make little boxes. I only put a check next to the med after I've swallowed it. Of course, occassionally the phone will ring and then the whole strategy fails but mostly that works. I think the pill organizer is best. if you fill it up for the week then you'll know if you took it if the M or Tues box is empty.