Forgetting to take medication is very common. A busy day, a change in routine or simply having several medicines to remember can make it surprisingly easy to miss a dose.
The good news is that you don't always need a complicated solution.
In our experience, simple reminders can make a real difference and may be all the extra support you need to take your medicines correctly and on time.
Here are some practical options you can try.
1. Set an alarm on your phone
One of the simplest solutions is already in your pocket.
Set a repeating alarm for the time your medication is due and give it a clear name, such as:
“Take morning medicines”
or
“Take evening medicines”
Setting the alarm to repeat every day means you only need to set it up once.
2. Use medication reminders on your iPhone
If you have an iPhone, the Apple Health app includes a Medications feature.
Open the Health app and go to:
Health → Browse → Medications
You can add your medicines and schedule reminders for when they are due. You can also record when you have taken a medicine, which can be useful if you sometimes find yourself wondering, “Did I take my tablets today?”
If you're not confident setting this up yourself, ask a family member or friend to help.
3. Try a medication reminder app on Android
There are a number of medication reminder apps available for Android phones.
Open the Google Play Store and search for:
“Medication reminder”
or
“Pill reminder”
Look for an app that lets you:
- Set regular medication times.
- Receive an alarm or notification.
- Mark a dose as taken.
- See whether a dose has been missed.
Keep it simple. You don't necessarily need an app with lots of additional features if all you need is a reliable daily reminder.
4. Ask Alexa to remind you
If you already have an Amazon Alexa or another smart speaker at home, it can be a very simple way to remind you about your medicines.
For example, say:
“Alexa, remind me every day at 9am to take my morning medicines.”
Alexa can then give you a spoken reminder every day.
You can set separate reminders for morning, lunchtime and evening medicines if needed.
This can be particularly useful if you don't normally carry your mobile phone around the house.
5. Link your medicines to your normal routine
Sometimes technology isn't necessary at all.
Try linking your medicines to something you already do every day, such as breakfast, your morning cup of tea or another regular part of your routine, provided this is appropriate for how your medicine has been prescribed.
Building medicines into an established daily routine can make them much easier to remember.
6. Ask family or friends to help
A regular telephone call, message or visit from a family member or friend can be a very effective reminder.
If someone already contacts or visits you regularly, medication reminders could become part of that routine.
For some people, knowing that someone else is checking in provides the additional support they need.
7. Use a simple medication reminder chart
A medication reminder chart can help answer two important questions:
“When should I take my medicine?”
and
“Have I already taken it?”
Simply tick off each dose immediately after taking it.
This can be particularly useful if your difficulty isn't just forgetting to take your medicine, but remembering whether you've already taken it.
8. Consider a medication reminder device
There are also dedicated medication reminder devices available.
Depending on your needs, these can include:
- Talking medication alarms.
- Vibrating reminder watches.
- Pill boxes with alarms.
- Automatic medication dispensers.
- Timed or locked medication dispensers.
Some devices provide more support than a simple alarm and may be useful where ordinary reminders haven't worked.
Before removing medicines from their original packaging and putting them into another device, speak to your pharmacist. Not every medicine is suitable for storage outside its original packaging.
What if reminders aren't enough?
This is where it is important to understand what is actually making your medicines difficult to manage.
If someone reminds you that it's time to take your medication and you can then identify and take the correct medicines safely, a reminder may be all the additional support you need.
But perhaps remembering isn't the problem.
You may:
- Struggle to read medication labels.
- Find packaging difficult to open.
- Become confused about which medicines to take.
- Have difficulty selecting the correct tablets from several packs.
- Have difficulty understanding when different medicines should be taken.
These are different medication-management difficulties and may require different solutions.
Your pharmacist can discuss the difficulty you are experiencing and consider what support or adjustment may be most appropriate.
Need more support managing your medicines?
If you're having difficulty managing your medicines, speak to your McKay Pharmacy team.
Sometimes a simple reminder, a change to your routine or another practical adjustment can make a real difference. Where you need additional support, our pharmacists can discuss your individual circumstances and help identify an appropriate solution.
Looking for an easier way to manage your medicines?
If you're able to manage your medicines but would simply prefer the convenience of having them organised for you, you may also be interested in our private PillRoll service.
PillRoll is our enhanced medication management service. Suitable medicines are organised into easy-to-use individual sachets, clearly labelled with the date and time they should be taken. The service also helps take much of the work out of managing your regular repeat medication.
PillRoll is available as a monthly subscription, with collection and home-delivery options available.
Visit pillroll.com to find out more.
McKay Pharmacy
Helping you get the most from your medicines.
