a little tip for pill takers

14 years ago

I have started taking blister packed pills and I don't always remember if I've taken them so I have started writing (with a sharpie) on the clear part of the blister pack (that covers the pill) the first letter of the day of the week that I start them and each pill after that. If I'm to take 3 a day I write M 1, M 2, M 3, etc. I can see at a glance if I've taken today's pill and I don't have to mess with putting them in little daily containers.

Just thought I'd pass it on. I hope I've explained it so you can follow my idea.

Diane

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (13)

sheilajoyce_gw
14 years ago
Good idea. I hate those blister packs! It is so difficult to remove the pills from the blister.
sue_va
14 years ago
I have a pill holder that is divided into 4 rows of 7 small sections, marked Saturday through Sunday so it holds a month's supply. Whatever I take daily goes into the section for that day. If I were using a blister pack of something I would open enough at one time to fill the whole thing. After I take my daily dose I leave the little box for that day open, so with the lid up, I know I've taken them.

I need all the help I can get to remember stuff! :)

Sue
Related Discussions
Need advice for pilling an uncooperative cat
Q
Comments (10)
I don't use liquid antibiotics anymore because they taste vile and almost always elicit a major battle. Instead, I request tablets or capsules and use a piller to place it as far back in the mouth as possible. First, though, I offer the cat some canned food gruel or tuna juice or chicken broth or maybe even a tiny bit of milk - just a few laps to wet the cat's throat before I administer the med. That makes it MUCH easier for the cat to swallow the pill (just like a drink of water makes it easier for us to swallow pills). As soon as I've given the pill, I let the cat lap up some more of the desired liquid to wash down the pill. It also helps to coat the pill with a tiny bit of butter which not only masks and taste of the pill, but also helps it slide down the throat easier. Since you're also syringe feeding, you can simply load the med into the piller and have it handy to administer between syringes of food. The syringed food will wet the throat and wash down the pill. With a very skittish cat, your best bet is a firm towel wrap, then sitting on the floor with him between your knees. With one of my boys who required syringe feeding, I was able to keep him adequately controlled and prevent him from hooking me with his front claws by simply pinning a hand towel around his neck and letting it extend down his front like a long bib. Your boy may require a more encompassing wrap, though. You just need to experiment to see whether more or less restraint works best with him. With his extremely high WBC count, it is imperative that he gets the antibiotics every day as instructed, even if you have to take him back to the vet or hire one of the vet techs to come to your house to help you administer them. As far as the food in concerned, keep trying to tempt him to eat on his own. Eating the veterinary diet would be best, but it's more important that he eat something - anything. Try some baked chicken torn into small bits for him. Try small amounts of tuna. Or perhaps deli ham. When a cat is inappetant, he is easily overwhelmed and put off by large meals. Offer him only very small amounts at a time, but offer them every couple of hours. Warm his food to really bring out the aroma. If all else fails, make yourself some Tuna Helper or a nice salmon filet and sit down next to him to eat it. Even when my CRF boy, Billy, won't eat anything else, he'll sometimes try to "steal" something tasty off of my plate while I'm eating. And of course, under the circumstances, I let him. Once you get his infection under control with the antibiotics, I expect his appetite will return. You just have to do whatever it takes to get food into him until he's feeling well enough to eat on his own again. You can figure out a way to handle this. I know you can! Laurie
...See More
Giving cat a pill: Pill Shooter? Or what?
Q
Comments (27)
Oops...I meant Vitaglo.com...and the size is #3. I've had cats from kittenhood to senior years. Some took to pilling much better than others. After being catless for 6 months, I recently fostered a poor cat from the ASPCA and had to give her thyroid meds twice a day. She would not let me pill her (she barely let me come near her). She fell for the pill pockets a couple times. I could actually hear her growl when she bit thru to the pill. Then she got wise and refused to eat the pockets. I had to give her back to the ASPCA where the pros could handle her. Then I read about meds that could be topically rubbed onto a cats ear. But I don't know if they can do that with Baytril. Also, A friend's cat just had surgery and she told me that her Vet gave the cat a long acting antibiotic injection. You might ask about that since an anti-biotic is something that you can't put off while trying to find the magic pilling solution. L
...See More
Need advice for pilling an uncooperative cat
Q
Comments (17)
An old country vet taught me how to give a cat a pill over 30 years ago. I've been doing it this way every since--to my cats and other peoples (when they have problems getting the cat to take a pill) and it's never failed. When you pick up the pill, hold it between your thumb and first finger. Run your other fingers under the faucet to wet them. Holding the cat with your other arm wrapped around it to 'clamp' it to your side, use the hand without the pill in it, to open the cat's mouth. Toss the pill as far back as possible, hold the cat's mouth shut and wipe your wet fingers on their nose. They automatically have to swallow at that point, and the pill goes right down. I can do that by myself, but if necessary--and with your hand situation you may find this easier--you can have someone else hold the cat and open it's mouth while you toss in the pill and wipe the nose with water. That's the method the vet taught me. I've actually done it without the water, even. As long as you touch their nose, and they think there's something there, they can't help themselves, they have to lick and swallow. Hope that helps, and I hope the furbaby is soon feeling much better. (bet you don't want to hear this--but antibiotics, either liquid or pill, always upset my cat's tummy. If yours starts vomiting shortly after taking the antibiotic, call the vet and see what other options you may have.
...See More
Pilling on some items wth new washer..any advice?
Q
Comments (4)
I haven't had any pilling on my dress shirts. I use both the Colors and or Casual for them. If the article is on the delicate side...maybe wash it inside out. Maybe a shorter wash time. You could try a lower spin speed, not everything has to be at Max or High (I've learned that). If you have soft water then two tablespoons should be plenty for a med/large load. Try less for smaller load, one tablespoon. Harder water will need more detergent. I use Tide ColorGuard for colors. Currently using Persil (WalMart) for whites. No pilling on either white or color loads. I do use "add more water" and "fresh rinse" (extra rinse). Be sure to zipper zippers and close clasps.
...See More
lydia1959
14 years ago
Another good pill taking tip is one that I think Nodakgal shared a while back.

When taking large, hard to swallow pills.. turn your head to the right as you are swallowing.. the pill will go down smoothly! I don't know why it works, but it does.
pekemom
14 years ago
I take 3 prescriptions so the weekly pill container is working out well since lately I'd been forgetting if I took my pills every day...
Also I have gummy vitamins, DD told me about them, so I don't have to swallow pills whole. They might be hard to chew for some people though..
Jodi_SoCal
14 years ago
My daily vitamins, Omega-3, fiber and vit D supplements are all gummies. Boy, I sure do look forward to vitamin time! I'm going to pick up gummy calcium next.

Jodi-
bengardening
14 years ago
My Dh turns his bottle of pills upside down when he has taken them. Then if he cant remember he will know at a glance if he did.
I take 150mg of avapro for High blood pressure. I dont have insurance so I Pay for them myself. My nurse friend told me to tell my doctor I want 300mg instead and to break the pills in half. They are cheaper that way. So that is what I do now.
joyfulguy
14 years ago
Take two pills - one from a long line of seven boxes, one from seven compartments in a circle, and one of the circle of compartment's lids doesn't like to stay closed ...

... so, in order to avoid having to chase a pill all over the kitchen (supposing that I might be able to find it) ...

... a narrow slip of paper, folded a couple of times and slipped under the cover, teaches that compartment improved behaviour.

ole joyfuelled (without help from extra vitamins)
kayjones
14 years ago
When I did in-home nursing, we popped the pill, then initialed the blister pak that it came from, with our initials and the date. We turned these in to renew the prescription for the patient. We all had our written initials on file at the pharmacy so they could verify the initials as ours.
User
14 years ago
Thoughtful idea, rosepetal.
kathi_mdgd
14 years ago
I have to take my thyroid pill as soon as i wake up,so i keep it on my nightstand with a bottle of water.Once i take it for that day,i do as the other posters dh does and turn it upside down,so i know at a glance that i took it.When i go to bed at night i turn it right side up.Works for me.

The rest of my meds are sorted and into those daily pill organizers.Thank goodness for those.
Kathi
lindaohnowga
14 years ago
As mentioned above, turning your head to the right as you swallow the pill, does work. I take a lot of vitamins and it works like a charm for me.
dances_in_garden
14 years ago
My daughter had so much trouble swallowing pills, but after the "turning the head" trick they went down so easy, that now she can take them without even doing that. I think swallowing a pill made her nervous that it would hurt, or she would choke (even though I told her she swallows bigger amounts when she is just eating LOL).

Once she knew it was not going to get stuck or hurt, she wasn't nervous anymore and down it would go.

As for turning the bottles over. It would rely on me remembering to turn them back right-side up at some point, and how do we know I would remember to do THAT? LOLOLOL!

I have one kind of pill in a blister pack and I have been told DO NOT open them before I need them. They degrade quickly, I guess. Plus they have a time release coating that should not be rubbing up against other pills or whatnot. I haven't been able to find a container that holds ALL the pills I have to take morning and night anyway.

Dances.
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
14 years ago
sheilajoyce said: "I hate those blister packs! It is so difficult to remove the pills from the blister."

I do, too. I finally decided to get a small pair of scissors (Fiskar's for school kids) and keep them on my nightstand, so I can cut the blister pick where it is supposed to be torn. Then it is a simple matter to tear down the seemingly very heavy duty blister foil and remove the capsule.

I have to do this twice a day and just do not have the strength to tear open the packs.

a little tip for pill takers

Comments (13)

sheilajoyce_gw

sue_va

Related Discussions

lydia1959

pekemom

Jodi_SoCal

bengardening

joyfulguy

kayjones

User

kathi_mdgd

lindaohnowga

dances_in_garden

WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US