Tips for Taking Medication

When pharmacists encounter patients forgetting to take their blood pressure medications, they should offer the following tips from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

• Put a photo of themselves on the refrigerator with a note reminding them to take their medication
• Keep their medication on the nightstand next to their side of the bed
• Keep their pills with their toothbrush, and take the pills immediately after brushing their teeth
• Put the medication in a weekly pillbox
• Start a buddy system with a friend who is also on daily medication, and take turns calling each other daily
• Have a friend leave a reminder on the patient's answering machine, and tell the patient not to erase the message