This post is the first of what I’m calling Mental Health Moments. MHMs are designed to be shorter than my usual posts, easy to digest, and maybe a little less serious. 🙂 I hope you find it helpful.

MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT no. 1

I take two psych meds, Cymbalta and Abilify, plus Trazodone to help me sleep. I take other meds too, for high cholesterol, low iron, and to keep my Vitamin D3 level even.

But I’m not perfect at taking my meds.

Even though I’ve been on psych meds since late 2001, I still don’t have a regular habit that would make it easier to remember. My biggest problem is getting up off the couch to refill my pill boxes. Thus, I end up only taking the “most important” pills – namely, my Cymbalta in the morning and my Trazodone at night – for a few days. I don’t even bother with all the others.

**Bad Laura or Self-Sabotage??**

For this Mental Health Moment, I thought I’d make a list of things you and I can do to make sure we take our meds (psych or otherwise) on a regular basis.

Try all of them or try none of them. These are just suggestions.

FOR MORNING MEDS:

1. Keep your meds in a pill box with each day marked. You can buy a fancy one like this or get a plain old Monday through Friday one, like I have. (Actually, I use two: One for my a.m. pills and one for my bedtime pills.)
2. Try to take them right when you get up. Keep them by your bedside, get a cup of water, and take them first thing.
3. Or take your morning meds as your coffee is brewing. This is what I try to do. I moved my pill boxes next to our Mr. Coffee  machine to remind myself to take them – because I make coffee every morning. In fact, it’s my most consistent habit! 🙂
4. If you’re a regular breakfast eater, whether it’s oatmeal, a bagel, a handful or Oreos, or a homecooked meal, take them after (or before) you eat. Some meds are better tolerated on a full stomach. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about yours.
5. Set an alarm on your phone for the same time each day.

FOR NIGHTTIME MEDS:

1. Again, keeping your meds in a pill box is a great idea. That way, you know if you’ve taken them that day.
2. Keep your pill box on your nightstand and take them right before you go to bed. This is especially helpful if one or more of your meds makes you sleepy.
3. If you have a nighttime ritual, such as drinking a cup of tea, meditating, or watching the evening news, take your pills at the same time as your ritual. Any time you can pair your meds with a consistent habit, it will only serve to reinforce it.
4. Set an alarm to repeat each night at the same time. If you’re like me, though, and you go to bed at a different time every night, this approach might not work for you.

FOR IN-BETWEEN MEDS:

1. Take afternoon meds with lunch, evening meds with dinner, etc.
2. Set that alarm!
3. Get one of those big pill boxes that has separate compartments for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. They may be a little cumbersome, but that’s okay – taking your meds on a regular basis is so important. (And you may not know this, but not all pill holders are created equal – check out this link for some creative ideas if you don’t want to have to be too obvious and pull out a pill box during the middle of a dinner date.)
4. If you work, volunteer, or are otherwise gone during the day: Put the appropriate meds in a Ziplock-type baggie – one dose per baggie. They make snack-sized ones now that would be perfect for this. Alternatively, you can buy single-dose pill compartments like these and bring one with you.

Also, if you have a significant other or a roommate or live with a family member, ask them to help keep you on track. A simple, “Did you take your meds this morning?” could be all it takes to a) remind you to take them and b) show that they care about your health, mental or otherwise.

MEDICATION DISPOSAL: AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION

It’s important to dispose of all medicines the proper way!

We used to add water to a bottle that still had pills in it and duct-tape it shut. (You know about duct tape, right? It holds the world together!) I suppose that worked to some degree, but the bottles still ended up in landfills.

About two years ago, we heard about a program our local police department participates in. They provide free medication disposal bags, as many as you want and as often as you need. I know the awesome, proactive Eden Prairie PD has them, but you’d have to contact your local police department to see if they have them as well.

They work like this: You can fill a bag with up to 45 pills or 6 ounces of a liquid medication or a certain number of patches (like pain patches). Then, fill it halfway with warm water, wait thirty seconds, and zip it shut. Then just give it a little shake and throw it away. Whatever is in these bags neutralizes the medications.

Just like *that*, any narcotics, opioids, or other pills that could fall into the wrong hands are rendered useless. And I think the bags are biodegradable, too.

You can buy similar kinds of bags at your local drugstore, such as Walgreen’s, but they cost $3 or $4 apiece. Or you can use one of their prescription drug kiosks to dispose of your drugs. (I haven’t seen one yet but when I do, I’ll let you know what I think.)

A good alternative across the U.S. (with no repercussions and no questions asked) is to take your extra medications to various locations on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, April 28th, 2018 from 10:00a.m. – 2:00p.m. Click here for locations and more information. For instance, the senior center in my city is hosting a Take Back Day. It looks like most of them (around me, anyway) take place at police departments. But don’t let that worry you. They just want to get dangerous drugs off the streets and away from young hands.

I hope this short(er) piece gave you some ideas for helping you take your meds regularly. If one way doesn’t work, try another one. I’ve been forgetting to take my morning pills until early afternoon too often lately, so I think I’m going to go set a daily alarm on my phone right now.

Keep up the good fight, Warrior!

And remember to Keep it Real. 🙂

P.S. Just to prove that I have a soft heart, here are some pics of our kitties.