How to help manage medication for your loved one

By Mojgan Haji, PharmD, BCGP, and Katherine Loomer, PharmD, BCACP

Managing multiple medications is difficult, especially for someone struggling with physical or cognitive limitations. If you discover that your loved one needs help managing medications, you may end up taking on this important job.

There’s lots to consider when managing medications. Here’s some information and tips that can help you.

Keep a list of all medications

A great first step is to take an inventory of all medications your loved one is taking. Having a complete and accurate list of medications can help with safety and effectiveness.

• It’s useful for medical appointments as it can help with:
• Preventing drug interactions
• Avoiding duplicate medications 
• Making sure your loved one is taking their medications properly
• It helps to keep medical records current and accurate.
• If there’s an emergency, this list can ensure that appropriate treatment is given.

The medication list should include:

• All prescription medications
• Pain relievers, including over-the-counter medications like Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) and Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Remedies for heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease, such as Tums or Rolaids (calcium carbonate), Pepcid (famotidine), Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium), Prilosec (omeprazole), and Zantac (ranitidine)
• Dietary supplements, including:
• Vitamins, such as vitamins A, C, D, and K
• Minerals, such as calcium and magnesium
• Natural/herbal medicines, such as St. John’s Wort
• Nutrition drinks, like Ensure or Boost
• Eye and ear drops
• Ointments or patches
• Inhalers

For each item on the list, include the following:

• What it is being used for, since medications can have multiple uses
• Dosage—how much of a medication your loved one should take at a time
• How many times a day the medications should be taken
• The times of day the medications are taken
• Whether any medications should be taken with or without food
• What to do if a dose gets missed
• What possible side effects might occur, and whether they’re dangerous

To stay organized, keep the list in a small notebook. You can also print out a personal medicine form from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Or you can use the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s form called My Medicine Record. 

Smartphone apps can also be helpful—just be sure to look for one that’s HIPAA-compliant. That means your loved one’s health information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

More ways you can help

Once you have the list, be sure to keep it updated, adding any new medications or changes to dosages or when they’re taken. If a medication is removed from the list, it can be helpful to make note of the date and reason for stopping it.

Carry the list with you—and make sure your loved one does, too. That way you’ll have it for any medical appointment.

Take some time to learn more about the medications, and think about how you can stay organized:

• Keep medications in a safe place, away from children, pets, and moisture (don’t keep medication in the bathroom—there’s too much moisture in the air)
• Use a pillbox (see below) if there are multiple medications involved, especially if they need to be taken at different times of day
• Set a timer or an alarm to remind your loved one it’s time to take their medication
• Be aware of expiration dates on medications, especially inhalers and injectable medications (such as insulin shots used to treat diabetes)

What to do with leftover drugs

If your loved one’s doctor stops a medication and there’s some left over, you shouldn’t save it or give it to anyone else. However, there are certain ways you can discard it safely:

• Mix it with coffee grounds or kitty litter, and then put it in a zip-top bag and dispose of it in the trash—don’t crush tablets or capsules
• Bring it to an authorized collector near you or to one of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s collection sites during National Prescription Drug Take Back Days 

Most drugs shouldn’t be flushed because of the possibility of contaminating drinking water. However, the FDA recommends flushing certain controlled substances if a take-back program isn’t available. This avoids the possibility of the extremely harmful or deadly consequences that can result if they’re taken by someone other than the patient.

Remember to take identifying information off the packaging before throwing it away.

How to organize multiple medications

You can choose from several options when organizing medications for your loved one. Getting a pillbox at your local pharmacy is an inexpensive way to handle it.

There are days-of-the week pillboxes that you can load at the beginning of the week or month, to make it easier to ensure your loved one gets all the medication necessary. Some have options for removing a single day’s worth of medication, so you can take it with you when you’re away from home. That works well if your loved one can independently and reliably take the right medication at the right time, or if you’re administering it.

Some pharmacies and specialty services will package medication in individual multi-pill packs, so it’s easier to take the right medications at the right time of day. That avoids the task of filling pillboxes regularly and correctly and may offer a solution that your loved one can handle more independently.

Pricier options give you greater ability to monitor whether the medication has been taken and help prevent missed doses or overdoses. Smart medicine-bottle caps, for example, connect wirelessly to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. The app sends a reminder when it’s time for the medicine to be taken and records when the bottle has been opened.

Or you can opt for an even higher-tech solution: an automated pill dispenser that notifies you when it’s time for a medication and dispenses it into a cup. We encourage you to take advantage of these tools for managing medication. Anything you think could make the situation easier and less confusing for you and your loved one is worth investigating.

Mojgan Haji, PharmD, BCGP, and Katherine Loomer, PharmD, BCACP, are clinical pharmacists. They manage Fallon Health’s pharmacy clinical programs.

This is the 2nd post in a 3-part series on medication management.

• Read the 1st post: Too many medications to manage
• Read the 3rd post: Ask doctors and pharmacists for medication management help

Originally posted: July 2018
Last updated: February 2025

More...

Medication management