Do you take all meds at once or actually obey by the bottle?

[Amaze]

I have many medications and Im really tired of obeying by the bottles instructions

Example: take 1 pill 4 times a day, take 1 pill 3 times a day, etc....

I really would like to take all the meds at once.

 

[valleysangel92]

You should always follow the advice of the bottle unless your doctor specifically states otherwise. Tampering with the dose can have huge and severe consequences and isn't something I would advise.

I understand your frustration and I know it can be a real pain trying to keep up with each medication. Some medications can cause extreme side effects if more than one is taken at a time.

You can speak to your doctor and see if you can take any of them all at once, but I would stress not to do it by yourself. We are often given certain instructions for specific reasons.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I'm afraid that I'd follow the bottles. But, do you have some types that you can take at the same time? For example. I take one med twice a day. In order to break my stuff up, I take: 2 pentasa, 1 iron, 1 multi, 1 calcium, 2 pills for LI, 1 folic acid & 1 probiotic @ breakfast. Then, when I have dinner the rest of what I have listed is taken. If you can do something similar, it might make things a little easier to remember.

 

[Amaze]

I already have a plan sorted out but I wont lie, its soooo annoying and sometimes I forget if I took it or not.

 

[valleysangel92]

When I was younger, I'd make charts like the sticker charts for kids, and I'd list my meds and morning, noon, eve, night and the days of the week.. There'd be empty boxes to tick and when I took each dose, I ticked the box..

Or, you could get a weekly pill dispenser, which is what I did last year when I was taking some silly amount of meds every day.. You fill it up at the start of the week, and then you just take the pills in that section, there's a section for am, noon, eve, night on each, and it's easy to follow what you have and haven't taken.

You could also set up reminders on your phone, or there are apps you can get which remind you.

 

[Jennifer]

I use a weekly pill dispenser (a large one since some of my pills are large) since I have meds that need to be taken multiple times a day or certain ones that need to be taken in the morning or before bed. It really helps with those of us who are forgetful (myself included).

Certain medications like Pentasa and Asacol for example, need to have the doses split up throughout the day because it's important to have the medication in your system at all times. If you don't do this then you won't have the desired results you're looking for.

However when I was younger I had a really hard time taking my meds on time. Back then I was on Asacol and I was supposed to take 2 pills 3 times a day. I was honest with my GI and let them know that a lot of times I would not take it at least once a day because I would forget. He understood and said it was ok for me to split the mid day dose so I only had to take it twice a day (3 pills twice a day).

It's important that you're honest with your doctor about how often you're really taking your medication, otherwise if you aren't getting better they will assume that the medication isn't working which could result in a dose increase or a new medication entirely that you may not actually need. So be open and honest and they will help you figure out a way for you to get the meds into your system even if it means splitting doses (don't just try it and hope it works because this could cause potential damage, always do it under your doctor's guidance).

 

[UnXmas]

I'm very liberal with what, how much, and when I take meds. I do better following my own med schedule than following doctors'. But I am honest about it and my doctors know I don't always follow their instructions.

 

[jwfoise]

I pretty much follow the instructions, but most of mine are not very strict, so I just do them twice a day.

Funny you should post this, coincidentally, as I was taking my 6 Delzicol last night, I kiddingly said to my wife "instead of taking 12 of these a day, why don't I just take a whole bottle once a month; on average it would be the same thing".

 

[Naturelover]

I was having the problem of take this pill one hour before eating. Then take this pill one hour before eating etc. I wasn't able to eat till lunch or later. I took the meds in and discussed the schedule with my doc. She decided which med was the most important to take by itself and then wait the hour before eating or taking any other meds. Then take the other meds and have breakfast. So much better now.

 

[ronroush7]

It seems to me you could overdose if you don't follow bottle.

 

[DustyKat]

We use dosettes here, like the image Crabby posted. Easy to see if you have taken meds or not and since you pack in advance you never run out of meds as it allows plenty of time to have scripts filled.

I wouldn’t double up on meds that have specific instructions to take more than once a day for two reasons:

1. As has already been said you run the risk of overdosing.

2. Even drugs taken once a day are done that way for a specific reason and it has to do with how long they stay active in your bloodstream, their half life. No point having a massive hit of a drug designed to be taken two, three or four times a day and then nothing of significance remaining for the next 20 hours.

Any concerns about when and how to take your meds or advice on how to better manage them throughout the day I would ask the pharmacist, they are often a very under used resource.

Dusty. xxx

 

[Amaze]

Thank you all. I will stick to my routine schedule

 

[Sailorluna]

it is worth it to ask. I have had the same meds have different directions depending on how a doctor writes the script.