How to Organize Your Pill Bottles
Pill bottles. We’ve all got a drawer or cabinet full of them. From the meds we take daily to the ones we take once in a blue moon, they add up. And storing and keeping track of the variety of pill bottles can be overwhelming.
So let’s talk strategies for decluttering pill containers.
Plan
Before you buy anything to organize your pills, gather up everything you take: supplements, vitamins, and prescriptions. Lay one of each pill out on a table so you can see what you’re working with. You’re probably looking at a lot of pills of various sizes and shapes. Maybe some of them are hard to tell apart. That’s common, but still a challenge when you’re considering the pill organizer that’s right for you.
Next, if you don’t already have it, write down your schedule for taking each medication. 2 pills of this every morning, one of these every night, this one only when you need it. If you’re using lined paper, it might help to make it into a chart:
Pill names | Number of pills/ dosage | Times of day | Days of the week |
pain reliever | 2 - 500mg pills | 1 | 3 |
blood pressure pill | 1 pill | 2 | 7 |
statin | 1 pill | 2 | 7 |
acid reflux pill | 1 pill | 2 | 5 |
Shop
Once you’ve taken stock of your medications and supplements and determined what you need to take, when, you can start looking at organizers. You’ll find a variety, both online and at your local pharmacy. But if you did the planning, figuring out which you need will be easy.
Compare
Pill Boxes | Automatic Pill Dispensers |
Pill boxes are everywhere. They come in lots of shapes and colors, vary in price from just a few dollars to around $100, but all work pretty much the same:
| You’ll find a variety of automatic pill dispensers online that fulfill a spectrum of needs. To narrow down options, search by your priorities:
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These kinds of medicine organizers are convenient for travel, but they do require a lot of work sorting out dosages by time and day. Some are difficult to open, whether you have arthritis or not. More expensive versions come with safety latches and keys to keep medications safe. These versions may also blink or chirp as reminders that it’s time to take certain pills. | If you said yes to two or more of those priorities, your options are to purchase a machine for several hundred to over a thousand dollars (with limited support), or get a $29.99 monthly subscription (plus $99 initiation fee) to Hero, which includes 24/7 support and frequent software updates. |
The Bottom Line | |
Pill boxes are convenient for on-the go needs, but you should consider several factors to decide if a pill box is enough for you. | The Hero medication management system checks everything on the list. |
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Most importantly, there’s little to no accountability. If you forget or neglect to take your meds entirely, accidentally take an extra pill that could be harmful, or you need to take something at an exact time every day, a portable pill case is not enough assurance of getting everything right. | But the best feature is the peace of mind. With Hero, you and your loved ones can be notified when it is time to take your meds, or if you skip or miss a dose. Hero helps you keep track of medication adherence to keep you healthier. |
Complex med schedule? We solved it.
Hero’s smart dispenser reminds you to take your meds and dispenses the right dose, at the right time.
The contents of the above article are for informational and educational purposes only. The article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified clinician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or its treatment and do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information published by us. Hero is indicated for medication dispensing for general use and not for patients with any specific disease or condition. Any reference to specific conditions are for informational purposes only and are not indications for use of the device.
