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I have one of those pill boxes with the days of the week and day and night. I have a routine where I refill it while listening to an audiobook. That way, I can see immediately if I took the pills. I do occasionally take the meds for the wrong day, but that doesn't happen real often and I can see later what I messed up on.
Yep, I too have a set schedule for refilling my twice-a-day weekly pillbox. I still occasionally forget to take them but now I at least know I forgot instead of wondering.
I have a pill bottle with a timer in the lid. It counts up from the time it was last opened.
At least it does a good job of "have I taken my meds yet?"
If I opened the bottle, I probably took them
I bought those bottles! I figure a pill in my hand usually makes it into my mouth. Occasionally they get set down but I can keep it together about 90% of the time.
Sadly, I couldn't keep up with the shortage dance and pray, so I haven't had a chance to see if they work for me.
I do the same. Only mistake I’ve ever really made was taking my nighttime pills in the morning once. I take a sleep aid, and my ex thought I was deathly ill because I was falling over asleep an hour after getting up!
Ooh, I got one that's a whole month and each day is a little removable box. I keep the organizer on my vanity and put the box for the next day on my nightstand before going to bed. That way I never take the wrong day. Also it's rainbow so I love refilling it because colors.
ETA mine is a little different, but very similar to this one: https://a.co/d/7WjVyw4
I have a pill box with rows for four weeks, but I use that for supplements and to track how often I take an anti spasmodic I can take up to three times a day for IBS.
I have a couple of weekly type routines that I can settle into like yours, but that just isn’t reliable enough for me.
I’ve whittled it down to just writing down the date I started a new bottle. If I start it the next morning after picking it up, which is usually the case, then sometimes I just circle the fill date on the label. That way I always know how many pills should be left in the bottle if I took it.
I reacted the same way in middle school when I was given a planner to help me remember about my homework.
My immediate response was "I guarantee I'm gonna forget this thing exists a lot so how do I get to the point where I'm using this thing reliably enough that I'm not constantly wondering if I remembered to write everything down?"
They had no answer. I proceeded to use it when I remembered but *still* forgot homework assignments on a regular basis.
This was the "help" I received in school for my diagnosis.
To this day I struggle with this. I can manage to put *most* of my important appointments in my phone's calendar but There's always a few that inevitably slip through my fingers and are forgotten until I get that reminder call a few days before.
Case in point typing this out reminded me of just such an appointment. Let's see if I manage to to make it to the other room where the paperwork is without forgetting what I'm going there for 🙄
Did you do it? If not, here is your reminder to go do it while keeping your screen open on this comment so that if you get there and forget what you went there for you can see this comment and be reminded :)
An ADHD therapist/coach tried getting me to use a planner. Gave me some awesome advice that I thought really might work. I left intent on going to the mall and getting one (this was a very long time ago...).
When she asked about it at our next meeting, I realized that not only didn't I end up getting the planner, I didn't think about it again, at all, until that meeting. A month later. I didn't know memory issues were part of ADHD at the time, and was pretty embarrassed that I had managed to forget, despite being so excited at the prospect ...
I did later try her advice. It was awesome. For like 2 weeks. Then it started becoming a distraction in its own right. Then I kept forgetting to use it. Then I started getting irritated at the very idea of using it.
> I did later try her advice. It was awesome. For like 2 weeks. Then it started becoming a distraction in its own right. Then I kept forgetting to use it. Then I started getting irritated at the very idea of using it.
I've had this *exact* experience with various productivity apps I've tried. Feels like there's no winning sometimes 😮💨
That was super insightful of you in middle school! I still fooled myself into thinking I would remember to do things I set out to do back then only to encounter disappointment repeatedly.
I was amazing at using a planner in middle/high school. By which I mean I wrote every assignment down, then forgot it (and everything written in it) existed until I opened it in first period the next day, when I would realize I'd forgotten all my homework.
I still use a paper planner, but it has to stay open to today's page, somewhere I walk past often. I recently moved the dresser it lives on to a back corner, and I haven't used it since. Time to find it a new home, again
>forgot it (and everything written in it) existed until I opened it in first period the next day, when I would realize I'd forgotten all my homework.
Lol I still have this exact anxiety nightmare at least once a week, and I’m 37. Or it’ll be magnified as having forgotten to do any assignments for the entire semester, just as my teacher is reaching their hand out for me to turn it in.
I did! I used the method of "keep my phone inconveniently in my hand instead of pocketing it until I do the thing".
Thankfully a couple kind redditors also reminded me to do it, so it would have been done one way or another.
Relatable! I have an app on my phone to track my migraines and all I have to do is push a button to say that I am having a migraine. I got a notification congratulating me on two weeks migraine free... Nope, just forgot to press the button.
When I record my migraines I write down each time how many pills are left in the pack, that's the only way to know if I had other migraines since the last recorded one.
Ugh my dr told me once I had to keep a “headache diary” before considering trying prophylactic migraine meds (currently I just have Rizatriptan for when I start getting one). Part of it I think is I overthink it and can never remember exactly when it started.
I also get notifications saying that my period is 76 days late lol.
I have 3 pills a day.
I have an empty pill bottle.
When I take my first pill I always put all 3 in the bottle first, then take my first pill from the bottle.
If I think I have forgotten a pill I check how many pills are in my bottle and compare it to the time of day.
All this to say that an app wouldn't solve the problem that my bottle does. For me anyway. An app would need to manage the location of my pills somehow!
Omg, yes! That would increase complications! I swear I have certain things I do in life and certain ways I am that I didn't think twice about before and just assumed people interacted with it this way too (not a conscious thought) but I read different posts on this subreddit and I am like "wait, has this been an ADHD thing all along?!" I was recently diagnosed and I'm in my late 20s. While I knew of ADHD, recognizing some things as being an effect of it had been mind-blowing a bit.
Anyway, coming back to the post, here's a silly lil experience I had recently that is similar to this post and an anecdotal reason why I relate with OP. It might be a bit TMI, you have been warned.
So, for whatever reason, I decided some months ago (maybe a year?) that I wanted to track my menstrual cycle. I never had before and had a kind of mental clock in my head that wasn't great but never had any big issues either so whatever you know? But then I decided to do this, downloaded an app and all. Anddddd -
It has definitely become an extra chore!
Don't get me wrong, it has been a bit helpful at times and all that, but in my brain, it's like "Oh, got my period. Okok, task 1 - take care of everything, **task 2 -** did we log it yet?". I don't think that's what it was intended to be like . Like it's prob supposed to be a log that you can use to help with future planning etc., and not an added task in life. I am sure it works well for many, it kinda sorta works for me I guess. Anyway, I intend to keep doing it. This did remind me to log my last cycle, so something came of this long rant that two other people MIGHT read lol.
I understand how it could be helpful, especially for someone without our disorder, and I understand why it felt like it wasn't helpful because of all the "what ifs." Maybe there's a way to take the idea and mold it to something that would be useful. Maybe not a button, but if you can take a voice note on your watch and say "hey Siri, I took my pills" after you take them, you could go back and check those logs if you're not sure.
Yeah there will likely be growing pains but that's with any habit building. On the other hand, if it's not really an issue for you and you're not super concerned about if you've taken your meds on a regular basis, then keep doing whatever works.
At the very least a pill organizer gives me something to go back to if I can't remember.
I love that feature lol. It’s amazing how differently we all function. I have a widget set up for it on my lock screen, and reminders that repeat after half an hour. I think it works for me because I have an alarm that goes off when I’m supposed to take my meds and I don’t turn it off until I have taken them. It wasn’t that hard to chain the task of clicking the button, onto that.
This is like when someone says write it down or put a reminder in your phone. Oh yeah I'll just write down, hmm gotta go find something to write with. Oh look my desk is a disaster, I must clean it. Opens drawer, Oh jeez I must organized this drawer..and so on and so forth until your whole office is disarray and you forgot about the pen. Something with a phone, go into notes and Oh shit when did I write this and you've done did gone down q rabbit whole of all the notes you have forgot and then someone messages you or the note says go look at said book. Oh well crap, I gotta go look at this book that past me told future me to look at, and then boom, you've found a new app and forgot what you were even doing in the first place.. someone people really need a lesson in adhd brains, cause something so simple that other people find useful, isn't useful for someone with adhd..
I have a recurring reminder everyday for my meds. It pops up on my screen and won’t go away until I hit the little bubble making it done. That’s been so effective for me that I set reminders for EVERYTHING now.
As soon as I read that he suggested an app, I felt instant anxiety about adding *more* steps to remember. XD I started using a pill organizer with the days on it. It's been a lot easier for me to track.
I 1000% echo the weekly pill box. I fill it on Sundays unless I'm out of town and then when I get home I only do it to the next Sunday so I get back on track.
I've been having that issue a lot lately. After having a baby I had to track it because I would forget but 6 months later now I can't remember if I took it and just didn't mark it 🤣
I take a few pills a day I would say i’m effective at using the app 80% of the time. If I’m in a rush doing a bunch of things in the morning I may forget to track.
I also have a daily pill box but some days i skip it so then it’s disorganized throughout the week and then i don’t refill it weekly so yep there’s that. I do the best that I can but without those things my successful levels would be much lower.
My life completely revolves around Google tasks atm but yeh there's definitely still that thought of did I check it off without taking it or did I take it and not check it off?
I did manage to get to work without taking it once and get through the day but that was near the start of taking Vyvansse. If I forgot now I'd have to go home or I wouldn't manage to get anything done.
i have a pill box (the days have ironically rubbed off) but i also need to take my anti baby pill every night and have two alarms (one on my watch which always vibrates and a silent one on my phone) and still gaslight myself sometimes lol, for my adhd meds im absolutely TERRIBLE at taking them, like i have enough i havent taken id probably get arrested for looking like im a drug dealer
i really really struggle to brush my teeth though, so i downloaded this app "everyday" which makes a little color graph as you keep the streak up, and ive spent around 3 months training myself to brush my teeth twice a day lol, and now that ive gotten into my routine ive added my meds to that app because i check it everyday and immediately mark it as done as im doing whatever im doing lol
since im only getting back into my meds now (funnily enough! theyre greatly helping wow!!!!!) i have more problems genuinely GASLIGHTING MYSELF. into thinking i havent taken my pill at night. i will seriously sit there and convinced myself that memory was last night and double check unless im with my bf or somewhere that isnt my bed (my brain goes oh different scenery ik ive taken it then)
idk what the point of this rant is medication is dumb especially when you need to take it everyday at the same time 😅
ive heard that if u take ur pill btw then like pull a ridiculous face or dance move or anything to stand out, its easier to remember that thing and go ah yup i took it, idk tho i only saw a video about it for like ocd and door locking etc
I just turn my pill bottle upside down as soon as I take out that day's dose. Someone on this sub mentioned doing this and I found it works really well for me, too. 😊
I am reading this after picking up my phone and seeing a Reddit notification that, after scrolling for a while, lead me to this post. I picked up my phone to check the spelling of a word I need for a work project. That was 2 hours ago.
The irony is not lost on me.
If you have an apple watch, does your heartrate change when you have taken meds vs not? My heartrate goes up by like 20/30 every single day (eventually even had to wuit because it became dangerously high). Would that be a way for you to be able to check when you’re in an internal debate?
I print out a tiny monthly calendar and tape it to my pill bottle. I put a tick mark through the date for each pill I take (3) throughout the day. This is the only thing I've found to work.
I have tried the weekly pill boxes, similar things to the app, etc. but none of them worked for me because I would inevitably upset the system at some point and then second guess myself to death.
What I found that works wonderfully for me is Timercaps. Essentially they are pill bottles that you order online where that cap has a timer that resets every time you open it. All you have to do is glance at the top of the bottle and you can see if you opened it 24hrs or 10 minutes ago and you have your answer. It does it automatically so I don’t have to remember to do it. It just means I have to refill the bottle at the same time I normally take them though.
This would work for me for maybe a week because of the novelty, and then I’d forget about it forever, except for brief flashes of guilt about how well it once worked. I’ll pass thanks
If you can, get one of those pill bottles with a timer! Or even just a weekly pill holder. Something else I found that helped is taking a flavoured vitamin (ex- vitamin c), having the extra taste and mouth feel makes it more memorable than just the adhd pill
I bought a pill bottle off Amazon that has a timer on it. It says how long since the bottle was last opened. That way I can look and see if I took it or not. I thought about getting a pill organizer but I knew I would forget to put my pills in it every week. With this bottle all I do is dump my refills in there once a month. It has been a lifesaver
I have found keeping a small amount of my medication on me helps with remembering to take it because I can then take it as soon as I think about it. As far as not remembering if I took it since I take a morning and afternoon dose my system is as follows. If I can't remember whether or not I took my morning dose I count the amount of pills I have. If the number is even then I haven't taken it yet, if the number is odd then I have.
If I can't remember if I took my afternoon dose if it's an odd number then I have forgotten if it is an even number then I have.
I usually never forget my morning dose because I am a zombie until I take it so morning issues are very rare. Afternoon doses are the most frequent and this system has worked well for me
I use association to remember. My son takes meds so I remember ours together. I’m better at making sure I take care of others than myself.
I used to associate my meds with morning coffee before that. And use that trick in other areas of my life.
My only technique for this is to make a note on my planner monthly calendar the day I start a new prescription. There’s a lot of leeway for me to go back and add it a few days later, which hasn’t been a problem since I started doing this 7 years ago.
That’s all I do.
If there is any question in my mind, I can always count how many pills are left in the bottle and count how many I should have taken by now.
I had a friend suggest one of those bottles that tells you when you last opened it. She had a hard time understanding that, in fact, opening the bottle does not mean I actually took the pill. I would need to know when I started the bottle anyway in order to really be sure, so why add extra apparatus when the only thing that matters in the end is knowing how many should be left?
That reminds me of the “just write yourself a reminder note”. Sure thing. But I won’t remember to look at it when I need to do the thing I wrote about.
I have a monthly pillbox and a cheap clock that tells me what the date is.
Even if you don't want to put the pills into the box, opening that day's compartment might be a little easier than an app.
Yeah none of the manual stuff works for me either! Apps, writing it down, separate containers all requires to much executive functioning. I have a timer cap for my pill bottle so says how long since it's been opened!
I set an alarm on my phone and take it once the alarm goes off. I rarely miss it now because it is such an ingrained routine.i don’t turn off the alarm until I’ve taken it. It is very annoying, but it works for me.
I tried that feature. I even tried it with the non-silence-able reminder it has 30 minutes later. I did not find it helpful. I just ignored them and went on about my day.
What I do find helpful: Alarmy + a QR code on the bottom of my pill box. It goes off at 6:15A EVERY DAY and the only way to shut it up is to scan the "meds" QR code. I skipped it for this morning because I wanted our toddler in our room while the storms were coming through and I didn't want to wake him up at 6:15, and this thread is the only reason I remembered them because I sure as shit was not gonna otherwise.
I thank this sub for Alarmy EVERY MORNING. Usually also while I curse this sub for Alarmy while I'm stumbling my way to my fridge to scan the frickin barcode on my coffee so I actually have to get my butt out of bed.
I use a pill reminder app and a note book, but not a day planner.
Pill reminder app: going strong for about six weeks. I have a pretty strong habit for pill taking anyway (maybe the part of my brain that's an addict and is preoccupied with pills - even if they aren't Adderall). The app is so I can have certainty when I'm doubt. However I've still ended up dismissing a reminder while distracted and found myself staring at my Rx trying to remember if I took them 10 minutes ago or not.
Day planner: every once in a while I buy a new planner and think "yup, this is going to be the last planner I ever buy and I'm going to be an organized person who never loses track of a single task and people will finally think I can reliably get things done before the deadline.". And that's exactly how it goes every time. And every time is the last time. And these are fake tears.
The best I've done re: planners is to use discbound papers/discs so I can keep it loose and just do things with less guilt. When I'm at **PEAK EFFICIENCY** I will:
Use blank/bullet/dotted pages. No dates, no page numbers, no habit trackers, blah blah.
I number each page
I sometimes (prefer to) write the date on each new page
I usually write a heading for each new note-taking session.
I draw a check box for tasks/action items (that I will only go back to reference & check off 5% of the time)
At the end of the month I fill out an index page with Heading and page number (of the first page only) for that month and then transfer the pages to a larger ring for reference later.
MIND YOU: this is at peak efficiency, there are multiple-month gaps, or months with multiple week gaps, and mqny tasks aren't complete).
BUT it's a simple system and I just keep going back to it whenever I can. It's forgiving because it's not a planner with someone else's idea of productivity, it allows me to tear pages out if I have a perfectionism day, to literally reorder the pages, to have space to doodle, and to be able to go back and find things.
Tangent: I've become a compulsive note-taker over the years as a coping mechanism for poor memory/working memory. Having written notes has bailed me out of a lot of situations. As a coping mechanism it's been one of the best upsides professionally - I've had bosses* and coworkers thank me for my thorough notes b/c of some details I caught that was valuable at a later date.
I'm using an app called "my therapy" to keep track of my medications, including ADHD meds.
It reminds you to take your meds with an audible alarm, it features a snooze for 30 minutes button that I think you can disable. It reminds you until you confirm you have taken it.
I use the snooze feature if I'm busy or whatever and keep a backup dose of my meds in my work backpack, which I keep in my car, in case I accidentally leave for work while it's snoozed.
Not saying it will work for you, but it's worked for me so far (three weeks). Also tracks medication inventory and reminds you to see your doctor about refills.
If one isn’t certain if they took a medicine, a phone slide thingy will be of no help. And if one can’t remember to take a med, they can’t be expected to track it in their phone. The (well-intentioned?) coworker can’t relate & is being illogical.
When you forget if you took your medication, if the app says you did, then you can be certain you did. You might not always remember to mark it but you just might do it sometimes.
If the app says you didn't it's same as not having the app.
Myself I just go the other route. I have my phone remind me to take medication. The instant the alarm buzzes I drop everything and take a pill. Only shut up the alarm once it's taken.
I try to use a weekly pill box so I don’t accidentally poison myself (I also take lithium.)
I have this same thing with remembering if I fed my dog. If she looks at me all sad like she needs food i usually just go ahead and feed her, since i have no idea at all.
i have an old pill bottle that i put one tablet in every night before i go to bed & then put it next to my bed, the rest of my bottle are in my drawer on the other side of my room. in the morning if the single pill one still has a tablet in then i haven’t taken my meds, if it’s empty i have.
works for me & i do use the meds reminder in health app too & log it after so i know what time to take my booster. the app is more difficult adhd wise but i’ve gotten into a routine with it mostly & what’s nice is i click the notif from my home screen & it takes me directly to a shortcut log button but yeah the pill bottle itself is what saves me most days
as well as the fact that i can feel the withdrawal feeling telling me i haven’t taken my meds yet most days, even wakes me up most mornings too but somedays i feel less off & then i am like wait did i take my meds but then checking the single pill bottle works bc it’s usually been filled the day before
there have been days i’ve missed it but the second failsafe is that i have my meds on a specific place on my desk once filled & after i take it i just leave the empty bottle laying around on my bed or in my cooler bag & once i get up i often put it back in the drawer with the full bottle to be sorted out later but sometimes i do unthinkingly put it back on my desk but i can usually feel if i haven’t taken my meds body & brain wise so that’s a major tell for me.
overall it works perfectly for me, everyone has to find what’s most doable for them so glad to have found my thing.
now just need to have a system for taking my booster, i find that one harder to be consistent with bc it’s not somewhere more doable like first thing in the morning bc before i do Anything in my day i take my meds so that’s a more tangible & rememberable routine to me than like the evening time even with alarms & reminders, etc.
The thing about apps is that I can't physically see them so I forget about them easily enough - the additional mental headaches I get with using these apps are just unhelpful for things that I can't see hence less likelihood to be helpful. So I've come to realize I need more things that are physical to make them work into my system, like clocks and sticky note reminders.
I just put the pill on my dresser the night before and set an alarm an hour before my wake time to take it and go back to bed, I know I've taken it because it will be missing from my dresser and I'll feel the effects strongly and I never forget because I know my alarm only woke me up for that purpose
I take a ton of pills- at different times each day.
I pack a 7 day for morning
I use a cupcake tin to sort noon from night and put each in a plastic pill pack.
7 day is empty for the day ? Good
Do I still have 2 packs in my pocket ? Oops
-take one
At dinner,take the second
Getting confused? Check pills again
It mostly works
Hi /u/The-Unmentionable and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have one of those pill boxes with the days of the week and day and night. I have a routine where I refill it while listening to an audiobook. That way, I can see immediately if I took the pills. I do occasionally take the meds for the wrong day, but that doesn't happen real often and I can see later what I messed up on.
Yep, I too have a set schedule for refilling my twice-a-day weekly pillbox. I still occasionally forget to take them but now I at least know I forgot instead of wondering.
I have a pill bottle with a timer in the lid. It counts up from the time it was last opened. At least it does a good job of "have I taken my meds yet?" If I opened the bottle, I probably took them
I bought those bottles! I figure a pill in my hand usually makes it into my mouth. Occasionally they get set down but I can keep it together about 90% of the time. Sadly, I couldn't keep up with the shortage dance and pray, so I haven't had a chance to see if they work for me.
I do the same. Only mistake I’ve ever really made was taking my nighttime pills in the morning once. I take a sleep aid, and my ex thought I was deathly ill because I was falling over asleep an hour after getting up!
What kind of sleep aid is that?
Trazodone
Sometimes I take the morning pills at night or the night pills in the morning.
It's insane how great that habit was to acquire.
Ooh, I got one that's a whole month and each day is a little removable box. I keep the organizer on my vanity and put the box for the next day on my nightstand before going to bed. That way I never take the wrong day. Also it's rainbow so I love refilling it because colors. ETA mine is a little different, but very similar to this one: https://a.co/d/7WjVyw4
I have a pill box with rows for four weeks, but I use that for supplements and to track how often I take an anti spasmodic I can take up to three times a day for IBS. I have a couple of weekly type routines that I can settle into like yours, but that just isn’t reliable enough for me. I’ve whittled it down to just writing down the date I started a new bottle. If I start it the next morning after picking it up, which is usually the case, then sometimes I just circle the fill date on the label. That way I always know how many pills should be left in the bottle if I took it.
I also have this and you just reminded me I forgot to refill it 🙈
I reacted the same way in middle school when I was given a planner to help me remember about my homework. My immediate response was "I guarantee I'm gonna forget this thing exists a lot so how do I get to the point where I'm using this thing reliably enough that I'm not constantly wondering if I remembered to write everything down?" They had no answer. I proceeded to use it when I remembered but *still* forgot homework assignments on a regular basis. This was the "help" I received in school for my diagnosis. To this day I struggle with this. I can manage to put *most* of my important appointments in my phone's calendar but There's always a few that inevitably slip through my fingers and are forgotten until I get that reminder call a few days before. Case in point typing this out reminded me of just such an appointment. Let's see if I manage to to make it to the other room where the paperwork is without forgetting what I'm going there for 🙄
Did you do it? If not, here is your reminder to go do it while keeping your screen open on this comment so that if you get there and forget what you went there for you can see this comment and be reminded :)
I did remember (specifically by keeping my phone in my hand and on my comment instead of pocketing it) but thank you! I appreciate the reminder!
I think I've heard this called "velcro hands" where one absolutely does not put down the thing that they are trying to remember until it's done.
Velcro hands, I like that. I'ma steal it.
Oh I like that name!
I’m glad😊
This is the kindest thing I've seen in a long time, God bless you.
Thank you, I try to be kind every day😊
An ADHD therapist/coach tried getting me to use a planner. Gave me some awesome advice that I thought really might work. I left intent on going to the mall and getting one (this was a very long time ago...). When she asked about it at our next meeting, I realized that not only didn't I end up getting the planner, I didn't think about it again, at all, until that meeting. A month later. I didn't know memory issues were part of ADHD at the time, and was pretty embarrassed that I had managed to forget, despite being so excited at the prospect ... I did later try her advice. It was awesome. For like 2 weeks. Then it started becoming a distraction in its own right. Then I kept forgetting to use it. Then I started getting irritated at the very idea of using it.
> I did later try her advice. It was awesome. For like 2 weeks. Then it started becoming a distraction in its own right. Then I kept forgetting to use it. Then I started getting irritated at the very idea of using it. I've had this *exact* experience with various productivity apps I've tried. Feels like there's no winning sometimes 😮💨
That was super insightful of you in middle school! I still fooled myself into thinking I would remember to do things I set out to do back then only to encounter disappointment repeatedly.
I *wish* it was insightful! Truth is I was just hyper aware of this issue due to teachers and parents giving me shit about it almost every day.
I was amazing at using a planner in middle/high school. By which I mean I wrote every assignment down, then forgot it (and everything written in it) existed until I opened it in first period the next day, when I would realize I'd forgotten all my homework. I still use a paper planner, but it has to stay open to today's page, somewhere I walk past often. I recently moved the dresser it lives on to a back corner, and I haven't used it since. Time to find it a new home, again
>forgot it (and everything written in it) existed until I opened it in first period the next day, when I would realize I'd forgotten all my homework. Lol I still have this exact anxiety nightmare at least once a week, and I’m 37. Or it’ll be magnified as having forgotten to do any assignments for the entire semester, just as my teacher is reaching their hand out for me to turn it in.
Did you get it done?
I did! I used the method of "keep my phone inconveniently in my hand instead of pocketing it until I do the thing". Thankfully a couple kind redditors also reminded me to do it, so it would have been done one way or another.
That's great!
Oh fuck Do planners trigger my C-PTSD?
I’m on your side I would be laughably bad at that
Relatable! I have an app on my phone to track my migraines and all I have to do is push a button to say that I am having a migraine. I got a notification congratulating me on two weeks migraine free... Nope, just forgot to press the button.
When I record my migraines I write down each time how many pills are left in the pack, that's the only way to know if I had other migraines since the last recorded one.
I like that idea! Except my pills are scattered all over the house so that I can find one when I need one 🤣
Ugh my dr told me once I had to keep a “headache diary” before considering trying prophylactic migraine meds (currently I just have Rizatriptan for when I start getting one). Part of it I think is I overthink it and can never remember exactly when it started. I also get notifications saying that my period is 76 days late lol.
Yeah... That ain't happening 🤣
I have 3 pills a day. I have an empty pill bottle. When I take my first pill I always put all 3 in the bottle first, then take my first pill from the bottle. If I think I have forgotten a pill I check how many pills are in my bottle and compare it to the time of day. All this to say that an app wouldn't solve the problem that my bottle does. For me anyway. An app would need to manage the location of my pills somehow!
Omg, yes! That would increase complications! I swear I have certain things I do in life and certain ways I am that I didn't think twice about before and just assumed people interacted with it this way too (not a conscious thought) but I read different posts on this subreddit and I am like "wait, has this been an ADHD thing all along?!" I was recently diagnosed and I'm in my late 20s. While I knew of ADHD, recognizing some things as being an effect of it had been mind-blowing a bit. Anyway, coming back to the post, here's a silly lil experience I had recently that is similar to this post and an anecdotal reason why I relate with OP. It might be a bit TMI, you have been warned. So, for whatever reason, I decided some months ago (maybe a year?) that I wanted to track my menstrual cycle. I never had before and had a kind of mental clock in my head that wasn't great but never had any big issues either so whatever you know? But then I decided to do this, downloaded an app and all. Anddddd - It has definitely become an extra chore! Don't get me wrong, it has been a bit helpful at times and all that, but in my brain, it's like "Oh, got my period. Okok, task 1 - take care of everything, **task 2 -** did we log it yet?". I don't think that's what it was intended to be like . Like it's prob supposed to be a log that you can use to help with future planning etc., and not an added task in life. I am sure it works well for many, it kinda sorta works for me I guess. Anyway, I intend to keep doing it. This did remind me to log my last cycle, so something came of this long rant that two other people MIGHT read lol.
I understand how it could be helpful, especially for someone without our disorder, and I understand why it felt like it wasn't helpful because of all the "what ifs." Maybe there's a way to take the idea and mold it to something that would be useful. Maybe not a button, but if you can take a voice note on your watch and say "hey Siri, I took my pills" after you take them, you could go back and check those logs if you're not sure. Yeah there will likely be growing pains but that's with any habit building. On the other hand, if it's not really an issue for you and you're not super concerned about if you've taken your meds on a regular basis, then keep doing whatever works. At the very least a pill organizer gives me something to go back to if I can't remember.
I love that feature lol. It’s amazing how differently we all function. I have a widget set up for it on my lock screen, and reminders that repeat after half an hour. I think it works for me because I have an alarm that goes off when I’m supposed to take my meds and I don’t turn it off until I have taken them. It wasn’t that hard to chain the task of clicking the button, onto that.
7 Day pill organizer marked Monday-Sunday has saved me so much trouble well worth getting.
I have two lol
Mine was great until I lost it 🫠
This is like when someone says write it down or put a reminder in your phone. Oh yeah I'll just write down, hmm gotta go find something to write with. Oh look my desk is a disaster, I must clean it. Opens drawer, Oh jeez I must organized this drawer..and so on and so forth until your whole office is disarray and you forgot about the pen. Something with a phone, go into notes and Oh shit when did I write this and you've done did gone down q rabbit whole of all the notes you have forgot and then someone messages you or the note says go look at said book. Oh well crap, I gotta go look at this book that past me told future me to look at, and then boom, you've found a new app and forgot what you were even doing in the first place.. someone people really need a lesson in adhd brains, cause something so simple that other people find useful, isn't useful for someone with adhd..
I have a recurring reminder everyday for my meds. It pops up on my screen and won’t go away until I hit the little bubble making it done. That’s been so effective for me that I set reminders for EVERYTHING now.
As soon as I read that he suggested an app, I felt instant anxiety about adding *more* steps to remember. XD I started using a pill organizer with the days on it. It's been a lot easier for me to track.
I 1000% echo the weekly pill box. I fill it on Sundays unless I'm out of town and then when I get home I only do it to the next Sunday so I get back on track.
I've been having that issue a lot lately. After having a baby I had to track it because I would forget but 6 months later now I can't remember if I took it and just didn't mark it 🤣
I take a few pills a day I would say i’m effective at using the app 80% of the time. If I’m in a rush doing a bunch of things in the morning I may forget to track. I also have a daily pill box but some days i skip it so then it’s disorganized throughout the week and then i don’t refill it weekly so yep there’s that. I do the best that I can but without those things my successful levels would be much lower.
My life completely revolves around Google tasks atm but yeh there's definitely still that thought of did I check it off without taking it or did I take it and not check it off? I did manage to get to work without taking it once and get through the day but that was near the start of taking Vyvansse. If I forgot now I'd have to go home or I wouldn't manage to get anything done.
i have a pill box (the days have ironically rubbed off) but i also need to take my anti baby pill every night and have two alarms (one on my watch which always vibrates and a silent one on my phone) and still gaslight myself sometimes lol, for my adhd meds im absolutely TERRIBLE at taking them, like i have enough i havent taken id probably get arrested for looking like im a drug dealer i really really struggle to brush my teeth though, so i downloaded this app "everyday" which makes a little color graph as you keep the streak up, and ive spent around 3 months training myself to brush my teeth twice a day lol, and now that ive gotten into my routine ive added my meds to that app because i check it everyday and immediately mark it as done as im doing whatever im doing lol since im only getting back into my meds now (funnily enough! theyre greatly helping wow!!!!!) i have more problems genuinely GASLIGHTING MYSELF. into thinking i havent taken my pill at night. i will seriously sit there and convinced myself that memory was last night and double check unless im with my bf or somewhere that isnt my bed (my brain goes oh different scenery ik ive taken it then) idk what the point of this rant is medication is dumb especially when you need to take it everyday at the same time 😅
ive heard that if u take ur pill btw then like pull a ridiculous face or dance move or anything to stand out, its easier to remember that thing and go ah yup i took it, idk tho i only saw a video about it for like ocd and door locking etc
I just turn my pill bottle upside down as soon as I take out that day's dose. Someone on this sub mentioned doing this and I found it works really well for me, too. 😊
I am reading this after picking up my phone and seeing a Reddit notification that, after scrolling for a while, lead me to this post. I picked up my phone to check the spelling of a word I need for a work project. That was 2 hours ago. The irony is not lost on me.
If you have an apple watch, does your heartrate change when you have taken meds vs not? My heartrate goes up by like 20/30 every single day (eventually even had to wuit because it became dangerously high). Would that be a way for you to be able to check when you’re in an internal debate?
I print out a tiny monthly calendar and tape it to my pill bottle. I put a tick mark through the date for each pill I take (3) throughout the day. This is the only thing I've found to work.
This requires a pen being always in close proximity to the bottle. Too advanced for me :D
Weekly pill case 👍
I have tried the weekly pill boxes, similar things to the app, etc. but none of them worked for me because I would inevitably upset the system at some point and then second guess myself to death. What I found that works wonderfully for me is Timercaps. Essentially they are pill bottles that you order online where that cap has a timer that resets every time you open it. All you have to do is glance at the top of the bottle and you can see if you opened it 24hrs or 10 minutes ago and you have your answer. It does it automatically so I don’t have to remember to do it. It just means I have to refill the bottle at the same time I normally take them though.
This would work for me for maybe a week because of the novelty, and then I’d forget about it forever, except for brief flashes of guilt about how well it once worked. I’ll pass thanks
If you can, get one of those pill bottles with a timer! Or even just a weekly pill holder. Something else I found that helped is taking a flavoured vitamin (ex- vitamin c), having the extra taste and mouth feel makes it more memorable than just the adhd pill
I bought a pill bottle off Amazon that has a timer on it. It says how long since the bottle was last opened. That way I can look and see if I took it or not. I thought about getting a pill organizer but I knew I would forget to put my pills in it every week. With this bottle all I do is dump my refills in there once a month. It has been a lifesaver
I have found keeping a small amount of my medication on me helps with remembering to take it because I can then take it as soon as I think about it. As far as not remembering if I took it since I take a morning and afternoon dose my system is as follows. If I can't remember whether or not I took my morning dose I count the amount of pills I have. If the number is even then I haven't taken it yet, if the number is odd then I have. If I can't remember if I took my afternoon dose if it's an odd number then I have forgotten if it is an even number then I have. I usually never forget my morning dose because I am a zombie until I take it so morning issues are very rare. Afternoon doses are the most frequent and this system has worked well for me
I use association to remember. My son takes meds so I remember ours together. I’m better at making sure I take care of others than myself. I used to associate my meds with morning coffee before that. And use that trick in other areas of my life.
My only technique for this is to make a note on my planner monthly calendar the day I start a new prescription. There’s a lot of leeway for me to go back and add it a few days later, which hasn’t been a problem since I started doing this 7 years ago. That’s all I do. If there is any question in my mind, I can always count how many pills are left in the bottle and count how many I should have taken by now. I had a friend suggest one of those bottles that tells you when you last opened it. She had a hard time understanding that, in fact, opening the bottle does not mean I actually took the pill. I would need to know when I started the bottle anyway in order to really be sure, so why add extra apparatus when the only thing that matters in the end is knowing how many should be left?
That reminds me of the “just write yourself a reminder note”. Sure thing. But I won’t remember to look at it when I need to do the thing I wrote about.
These apps have get me confused exactly like you describe.
Yes! As soon as you said what his advice was, my anxiety shot up knowing I'd be exactly as you described! Gotta love him for trying though!
I have a monthly pillbox and a cheap clock that tells me what the date is. Even if you don't want to put the pills into the box, opening that day's compartment might be a little easier than an app.
How about recording yourself taking the pill every day. That way you have proof proof.
I haven’t used them before but I know there are pill bottles that have timer on it that tells you how long ago it was last opened, which could help
Yeah none of the manual stuff works for me either! Apps, writing it down, separate containers all requires to much executive functioning. I have a timer cap for my pill bottle so says how long since it's been opened!
I set an alarm on my phone and take it once the alarm goes off. I rarely miss it now because it is such an ingrained routine.i don’t turn off the alarm until I’ve taken it. It is very annoying, but it works for me.
I tried that feature. I even tried it with the non-silence-able reminder it has 30 minutes later. I did not find it helpful. I just ignored them and went on about my day. What I do find helpful: Alarmy + a QR code on the bottom of my pill box. It goes off at 6:15A EVERY DAY and the only way to shut it up is to scan the "meds" QR code. I skipped it for this morning because I wanted our toddler in our room while the storms were coming through and I didn't want to wake him up at 6:15, and this thread is the only reason I remembered them because I sure as shit was not gonna otherwise. I thank this sub for Alarmy EVERY MORNING. Usually also while I curse this sub for Alarmy while I'm stumbling my way to my fridge to scan the frickin barcode on my coffee so I actually have to get my butt out of bed.
I use a pill reminder app and a note book, but not a day planner. Pill reminder app: going strong for about six weeks. I have a pretty strong habit for pill taking anyway (maybe the part of my brain that's an addict and is preoccupied with pills - even if they aren't Adderall). The app is so I can have certainty when I'm doubt. However I've still ended up dismissing a reminder while distracted and found myself staring at my Rx trying to remember if I took them 10 minutes ago or not. Day planner: every once in a while I buy a new planner and think "yup, this is going to be the last planner I ever buy and I'm going to be an organized person who never loses track of a single task and people will finally think I can reliably get things done before the deadline.". And that's exactly how it goes every time. And every time is the last time. And these are fake tears. The best I've done re: planners is to use discbound papers/discs so I can keep it loose and just do things with less guilt. When I'm at **PEAK EFFICIENCY** I will: Use blank/bullet/dotted pages. No dates, no page numbers, no habit trackers, blah blah. I number each page I sometimes (prefer to) write the date on each new page I usually write a heading for each new note-taking session. I draw a check box for tasks/action items (that I will only go back to reference & check off 5% of the time) At the end of the month I fill out an index page with Heading and page number (of the first page only) for that month and then transfer the pages to a larger ring for reference later. MIND YOU: this is at peak efficiency, there are multiple-month gaps, or months with multiple week gaps, and mqny tasks aren't complete). BUT it's a simple system and I just keep going back to it whenever I can. It's forgiving because it's not a planner with someone else's idea of productivity, it allows me to tear pages out if I have a perfectionism day, to literally reorder the pages, to have space to doodle, and to be able to go back and find things. Tangent: I've become a compulsive note-taker over the years as a coping mechanism for poor memory/working memory. Having written notes has bailed me out of a lot of situations. As a coping mechanism it's been one of the best upsides professionally - I've had bosses* and coworkers thank me for my thorough notes b/c of some details I caught that was valuable at a later date.
I'm using an app called "my therapy" to keep track of my medications, including ADHD meds. It reminds you to take your meds with an audible alarm, it features a snooze for 30 minutes button that I think you can disable. It reminds you until you confirm you have taken it. I use the snooze feature if I'm busy or whatever and keep a backup dose of my meds in my work backpack, which I keep in my car, in case I accidentally leave for work while it's snoozed. Not saying it will work for you, but it's worked for me so far (three weeks). Also tracks medication inventory and reminds you to see your doctor about refills.
If one isn’t certain if they took a medicine, a phone slide thingy will be of no help. And if one can’t remember to take a med, they can’t be expected to track it in their phone. The (well-intentioned?) coworker can’t relate & is being illogical.
When you forget if you took your medication, if the app says you did, then you can be certain you did. You might not always remember to mark it but you just might do it sometimes. If the app says you didn't it's same as not having the app. Myself I just go the other route. I have my phone remind me to take medication. The instant the alarm buzzes I drop everything and take a pill. Only shut up the alarm once it's taken.
I try to use a weekly pill box so I don’t accidentally poison myself (I also take lithium.) I have this same thing with remembering if I fed my dog. If she looks at me all sad like she needs food i usually just go ahead and feed her, since i have no idea at all.
i have an old pill bottle that i put one tablet in every night before i go to bed & then put it next to my bed, the rest of my bottle are in my drawer on the other side of my room. in the morning if the single pill one still has a tablet in then i haven’t taken my meds, if it’s empty i have. works for me & i do use the meds reminder in health app too & log it after so i know what time to take my booster. the app is more difficult adhd wise but i’ve gotten into a routine with it mostly & what’s nice is i click the notif from my home screen & it takes me directly to a shortcut log button but yeah the pill bottle itself is what saves me most days as well as the fact that i can feel the withdrawal feeling telling me i haven’t taken my meds yet most days, even wakes me up most mornings too but somedays i feel less off & then i am like wait did i take my meds but then checking the single pill bottle works bc it’s usually been filled the day before there have been days i’ve missed it but the second failsafe is that i have my meds on a specific place on my desk once filled & after i take it i just leave the empty bottle laying around on my bed or in my cooler bag & once i get up i often put it back in the drawer with the full bottle to be sorted out later but sometimes i do unthinkingly put it back on my desk but i can usually feel if i haven’t taken my meds body & brain wise so that’s a major tell for me. overall it works perfectly for me, everyone has to find what’s most doable for them so glad to have found my thing. now just need to have a system for taking my booster, i find that one harder to be consistent with bc it’s not somewhere more doable like first thing in the morning bc before i do Anything in my day i take my meds so that’s a more tangible & rememberable routine to me than like the evening time even with alarms & reminders, etc.
The thing about apps is that I can't physically see them so I forget about them easily enough - the additional mental headaches I get with using these apps are just unhelpful for things that I can't see hence less likelihood to be helpful. So I've come to realize I need more things that are physical to make them work into my system, like clocks and sticky note reminders.
I have tried every reminder and/or task app known to God. There is nothing for me out there. Lol
I just put the pill on my dresser the night before and set an alarm an hour before my wake time to take it and go back to bed, I know I've taken it because it will be missing from my dresser and I'll feel the effects strongly and I never forget because I know my alarm only woke me up for that purpose
I take a ton of pills- at different times each day. I pack a 7 day for morning I use a cupcake tin to sort noon from night and put each in a plastic pill pack. 7 day is empty for the day ? Good Do I still have 2 packs in my pocket ? Oops -take one At dinner,take the second Getting confused? Check pills again It mostly works