Managing my medications

I don't have a conventional work week. My husband and I own our own business and I work from home. But nevertheless, I like to start my week on Monday and prepare for the week on Sunday. 

I take a variety of prescription medications and over the counter vitamins. It can be so difficult to remember to take them, or to remember whether I did take them. One of my medications is particularly tricky. There are all sorts of 'rules' about when you can and can't take it and it must stay refrigerated unless it will be used within 14 days. But there are 20 pills per sheet. So basically it has to stay in the fridge instead of somewhere more convenient like on your bedside table or next to your toothbrush. 

Then when I was pregnant, my dose was changed to 1.5 pills per day. An acceptable alternative is to have 1 pill one day and 2 pills the next. But that's even harder to track. So I started marking the sheets with a permanent marker. 

That definitely made things a lot easier but it didn't help with my other meds and vitamins. So eventually I went and bought a 7 day pill box. 

It was surprisingly difficult to find what I was after (7 days, large compartments but not divided into am/pm etc) but I found this one at a chemist for under $10. 

Every Sunday evening I fill the compartments with my pills, ready for the week. I can keep my meds in the fridge and just have 7 days worth out. I can easily see if I have taken my iron tablets or my B vitamins! The box runs sun-sat but I use it mon-sun so the first compartment stays full until the last day. 

The compartments are easy to open, easy to view and I love that I can fit all my pills in there. I usually leave this pill box on my kitchen bench where I can see it and remember but sometimes I have it in my office. I love that it's right in front of me but takes up almost no room (unlike having all the different bottles of pills out) and it only takes a minute to set up for the week. Since starting this system I've remembered to take my pills every single week! 

So what about you? How do you manage your medications and vitamins? 

Laura x