A challenging aspect of managing your diabetes is making sure you remember to take your diabetes medicines on time. Although it sounds simple to remember to take your medicines, it can be difficult to practice in everyday life. This is true especially when you take many medications, which is often the case for people with diabetes and people older than the age of 65. The average person over the age of 65 takes four different prescription medications—and that does not include non-prescription items, such as headache remedies, allergy medications, vitamins and herbal or nutritional supplements. Once you and your health care provider understand why you are not taking your medicines or why you are not taking them on time, there are simple steps to take to make sure your medications are taken as prescribed.
OVERCOMING CONFUSION
One major reason that people do not take medicines correctly is confusing medication schedules. Depending on the type of medication involved, different prescriptions may specify that medications be taken at different times of the day, different days of the week or before or after meals. The more prescription medications a person takes, the greater the likelihood different medication schedules are involved, and the more likely it is that the medication schedule is confusing. If that is the case for you, a good first step is to talk with your Walgreens pharmacist or health care provider to review the medications you take. With their help, you can develop a medication plan that is built around everyday events, such as eating meals. There also may be special instructions for taking certain medications, such as medications that cannot be taken with other medications or supplements.
WHEN YOU FORGET TO REMEMBER
Once your plan is complete, the issue of forgetfulness can be addressed. Not remembering to take medications is the most common reason for not taking your medicine. In most cases, this problem is easy to solve. Just post your medication plan in locations around the house that are part of your daily routine. The refrigerator is a good location for a morning reminder, as is the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. If a prescription calls for medicines to be taken during the middle of the day, your plan also may be put on a wallet-sized card so you can have it with you at all times. If you forget to take your medications because they are not taken daily, it can be helpful to tape your medication plan to a calendar. Then, write the name of the medication on the days of the week when it is supposed to be taken. Simply organizing your medication schedule by taking these few simple steps can make it easier to remember when to take your medications. With so many things to remember, better organization can go a long way toward helping you to better manage your diabetes.
