Savvy Senior: The best pill boxes and medication management tools

Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good pill boxes and medicine reminders? I recently started taking many new medications and vitamins that I usually take and I need to find a pillbox that helps me organize them. What can you tell me? – About 70

Dear almost, Pill boxes (aka pill organizers) play an important role in keeping people healthy because they help you stay on top of your medications. Although there are many options, here are a few suggestions to help you choose, along with some top pill boxes as recommended by expert reviewers.

Know Your Needs? When choosing the right pill box for you, you should start by asking yourself a few questions, such as:

• How many pills are you taking and how big are they? If you only take a few medications, a small pill box may be enough. But if you take a lot of medications and large vitamin supplements, you’ll want to get a large pill box that can hold your daily dose.
• Do you take pills once a day or several times a day? If you only take your medication once a day, a simple one-compartment pill box will do. But if you need to take medication several times a day, you’ll want to find a pill box with two, three or four sections for each day of the week.
• Having trouble remembering to take your medication? If so, there are organizers with built-in alarms and reminder features, or you can download a free medication reminder app for your smartphone.
• Do you have trouble opening your medicine containers? If so, there are easy-to-open pill boxes or self-made medicine dispensers that are perfect for those with erectile dysfunction.
• Do you need a portable pill box for when you are away from home?
• There are small portable pill boxes designed for travel, some of which have sealed bags that keep moisture and dust out.

Best Pill Boxes: With help from The New York Times (Wirecutter) and USA Today (Reviewed), some of the best pill boxes in 2024 are offered by Auvon and Sukuos, makers of a variety of great pill organizers. , colorful and easy to make. open.

Their top picks include the Auvon Weekly Pill Organizer for once-daily pill users; Sukuos AM/PM Week and Day 7 Pill Organizer for twice daily use; Auvon iMedassist Moisture-Proof Moisture-Proof Beekly Pill Organizer for four times a day; and the Auvon Moistureproof Monthly Pill Organizer for those who want to organize their medications each month.

Or, if you are interested in a travel pill box, the MUchengbao Travel Pill Organizer is considered an excellent choice.

All of these pill boxes cost $10 and are available at Amazon.com or Walmart.com.

Tech-Tech Pill Editors: If you need more help keeping track of your medications, there are smart pill boxes that will organize your pills, remind you to take them, track your progress and even message keepers or Email them if pills are missed. A popular option to consider here is EllieGrid (elliegrid.com, $149), which connects the pillbox to the EllieGrid app (via Bluetooth) that you can install on your smartphone.

Or if you need more help, there are autonomous medicine dispensers like Hero (herohealth.com, $45 per month), a comprehensive, Wi-Fi-connected, app-based system that it will remind you when to take the pills and when. He gives them to you.

Medication Reminder Apps

If you’re interested in a medication reminder app, some top options include MyTherapy (mytherapyapp.com) or Medisafe (medisafeapp.com). These are free apps that you can download from the Apple or Google Play stores that will send you reminders when it’s time to take your pills, and reminders to refill your prescriptions.

Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, PO Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is the host of the NBC Today show and the author of the book Savvy Senior.