Honestly, this might seem like a strange post for some…but for someone with chronic illness – it might be pretty helpful. I’ve taken medications my whole life and up until I was 15 or so, my parents always filled my daily pill organized for me. I really miss those days – hah!

How to stay on top of medicines and prescriptions

My insurance uses CVS Caremark and CVS Specialty Pharmacy for my medications. All my medications come through the mail, which I personally find a pain in the ass, but it forces me to stay on top of my scripts.

At the beginning of the month, I log on to the CVS portal and see which prescriptions can be refilled, if any need new prescriptions and if I need to contact my doctor for anything. Most of my medications are set on automatic refill, but I always like to double check. If I’m not on top of it, I can be out of medications and have to wait for them to ship to me. If I’m completely out, I’ll have to pay out of pocket for a few days until medications in the mail arrive.

How do I manage my medicines on the day to day?

The biggest thing for me is to use a daily pill organizer. I take my medications at 8 am and 8 pm, so a pill organizer with morning and evening compartments is best for me. This ensures all the correct medications are in the right place and it’s easy to grab my pill box at medicine time.

Each Monday, I sit down to fill my pill box. I always double check dosages and reach out to my care team if I have any questions. It’s not often that my dosage changes – but it’s important to stay on top of it!

Set a schedule

For me, it’s important to take my medications 12 hours apart. So I have alarms on my phone/apple watch that reminds me to take my medicines. I know, I’ve been taking them for 12+ years, but some nights life gets away from me – so it’s nice to have an extra reminder.

Always talk to your doctor

Lastly, before changing any medicines, changing schedules or if you ever have any questions regarding your medications – reach out to your doctor or pharmacists. I’ll be the first to tell you that it drives me insane when the pharmacists ask if I have any questions about my medication…when I’ve been on the medication for 10+ years, but I know they’re doing it to make sure I fully understand and am safe.