pill box

Kirkmain

Whats a good pill box? An automated that dispenses one pill at a specific time or a standard lunchbox with lots of different compartments? Any recommendations?

Rodders53

Surely this depends on what dimensions and how many pills are needed and how often.
I'd recommend a discussion with your pharmacist.  Most Chemist shops have a selection of boxes.

Generally it's recommended to keep medications in their original packaging (so they can be identified from the labelling).

Flugelhorn

Automated pill boxes are very useful for people who might forget unless the thing pings and dishes out the tablet. Otherwise any will do - just be careful as there are a few medications that don't like light and start to degrade and also others that absorb moisture. 

If you are on several and likely to change meds then be careful too as I have often changed people's meds over the course of a weekend and it has been a palaver to extract pill X or whatever from the set of pills in each slot -

Flugelhorn

Automated pill boxes are very useful for people who might forget unless the thing pings and dishes out the tablet. Otherwise any will do - just be careful as there are a few medications that don't like light and start to degrade and also others that absorb moisture. 

If you are on several and likely to change meds then be careful too as I have often changed people's meds over the course of a weekend and it has been a palaver to extract pill X or whatever from the set of pills in each slot -

Spoonie_Turtle

Depends what you need!  Some people need the automated ones, some people just need the separate compartments to keep them all organised.  Really comes down to individual needs and preferences.

YBR

I have a small monday-to-Sunday strip because I take pills once a day. If you have a more complex set of medications there are sets with morning, noon, afternoon evening for each day. The come apart so (for example) I can take one or two days with me if I'm going away.

I also have a medication that doesn't fit, so I have a small token that sits in the strip to represent it, and thus give the reminder to me.

I think for most people these two options are adequate.

Newcad

Have a talk with your pharmacy.

Many will now dispense your meds in a A4 size 'file' container which is like a large daily pill box. Each day/time contains what you need to take at each time.

That saves you having to fill your own box.

Imagine an advent calendar for each month but with you meds in instead of chocolates.

Its free but you have to ask for it to be done that way.

Saffagal

Automatic pill dispensers are very useful for ppl who have memory impairment as they can be set to alarm at the time the meds are due and prevent the person from overdosing if they are not orientated to time/day. 

If someone doesn't have a cognitive impairment, then a weekly box should be adequate. 

If you would like the pharmacy to fill the box, you need to request a nomad from the GP; the GP will request the pharmacy dispense it in a nomad (sets it out up to 4 times a day for a week)

Savvy_Sue

I thought it was called a dosette box if pharmacy packs it by day and time of day?

chrisw

Saffagal said:

If you would like the pharmacy to fill the box, you need to request a nomad from the GP; the GP will request the pharmacy dispense it in a nomad (sets it out up to 4 times a day for a week)

My wife has these but a lot of pharmacies have stopped doing them now. She's currently with Boots and they've just advised they're not going to do them any more. Fortunately it look like there's a local chemist who will still do them.

Flugelhorn

Savvy_Sue said:

I thought it was called a dosette box if pharmacy packs it by day and time of day?

dosette or nomad usually 

they are usually only done for people who don't seem to be taking the meds correctly or may forget / get confused.

 They are fiddly to do and a cost to the pharmacist - we used to cover this by doing 7 day prescriptions to do a week's box and hence would cover the cost from the extra dispensing fees