One of the easiest ways to avoid medication errors is to use a pill organizer, which has one compartment for each day of the week. When you fill the organizer ahead of time, you can just grab your pills and take them instead of having to fumble with multiple bottles. This reduces the risk that you'll miss a dose or take your medications more often than prescribed.
Pill organizers are helpful, but you have to remember to fill them and take your medications as scheduled. If you have trouble with those activities, consider getting an automatic pill dispenser. Each one has different features, but they all work pretty much the same way. You load your medications into the machine and then program it to dispense each dose at the recommended time.
If you have an automated pill dispenser, it will remind you when it's time to take your medication. Some models can even contact a friend or family member if you don't take the pills within a certain amount of time. Using one of these machines makes it easier to manage daily medications without taking too much or too little of each one.
Alcohol consumption may lead to mental confusion, making it difficult to count the right number of pills or remember if you've taken your medications. To reduce the risk of error, limit your alcohol intake. If you have a special event coming up, check with your doctor to determine if you need to change your medication schedule. Alcohol also interacts with some prescriptions, so a health care provider may advise you to skip a dose or wait for several hours after drinking to take your regular medications.
Some medication errors occur because one doctor isn't aware of what another doctor has prescribed for you. To prevent this from happening, take your prescription bottles to every medical appointment. Showing each bottle to the medical assistant or nurse on duty can help clear up any confusion about what you're taking.
If you live with another person, make sure you have dedicated storage space for your personal medications. Keeping them separate from your roommate's prescriptions, supplements and over-the-counter pain relievers can help you avoid taking the wrong drugs. If you don't have enough cabinet space, consider purchasing a medication travel bag or fireproof safe.
Some medication errors occur because it's tough to remember whether you took your last dose. For example, you may take your morning medications and then forget that you took them, causing you to take a second dose by mistake. To prevent this from happening, use a medication checklist. All you have to do is make a checkmark every time you take your pills or give yourself an injection.
If you have memory loss, it's difficult to remember whether you took your medications. Cognitive impairment may also interfere with your ability to follow the instructions on your prescription bottles. To reduce the risk of errors, ask a trusted family member for help. They can fill a pill organizer, load an automated medication dispenser or remind you to take your prescriptions each day. You may also want to put this person in charge of picking up your medications from the pharmacy.
The more you deviate from your doctor's instructions, the easier it is to make a mistake with your medications. For example, if you take a dose every other day instead of daily, you may not get the full benefit of a prescription drug. Deviating from your normal schedule may also cause you to mix up your other medications.
To prevent this from happening, follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. If you experience undesirable side effects, contact your doctor for advice rather than skipping doses or stopping a medication entirely.
Managing your medications is just one of the many tasks you have to complete each day. If you find it overwhelming, you may benefit from moving to an assisted living community. At Hickory Villa in Omaha, Nebraska, we offer medication management services to ensure residents take the correct drugs at the right times.
When you move to assisted living, you gain access to a wide range of services designed to enrich your life. For example, Hickory Villa has restaurant-style dining, housekeeping services, salon services and scheduled transportation to appointments. Once you move in, you can rest easy knowing a staff member is always on hand to help. Hickory Villa also maintains a full calendar of activities, giving residents plenty of opportunities to socialize and stay active.
