lymeandlove:

One of the (many) banes of chronic illness is the absurd amount of meds. Here’s some things I’ve found helpful throughout the years! Feel free to add on 🙂

As your doctor prescribes them, these questions may be helpful:

• What will these medications be doing in my body? How do they work?
• What will this be targeting? 
• What symptoms should I expect to get better? Which may get worse?
• What side effects should I look out for?
• What signs are there that I need a lower/higher dosage?
• What interactions will this have? Is it okay with all of the things I’m already on?
• Should these be taken with food, on an empty stomach, other?

When you get them from the pharmacist: 

• Make sure you get information sheets on the meds if they have them.
• Always ask them about possible medication, food and substance interactions. 
• Ask about storage, policy for missing a dose, whether or not they can be crushed, etc.
• The bolded above are all great things that you should ask your pharmacist as well as your doc. 

Things you can do to make it easier:

• Google your medications, see if there are any interactions you may not know about still. This post has some resources.
• Make a list of all of the medications you’re on, what dose you have to take and when. Trust me. 
• Set alarms for whenever you need to take a dose.
• Make a checklist if you need to.
• Separating them into pill boxes can be helpful, but time consuming. I’d recommend at least doing it for any AM dosages.
• There are health apps designed to help you keep track too!

When taking them:

• Reward yourself! Listen to music, watch a show afterwards, watch cute videos during, etc.
• If they taste bad, taking them with a bite of food or a yummy drink can help. I’ve found honey to be helpful for the ones that dissolve quickly.
• Also if they feel stuck in your throat, drinking something or swallowing a bite of food can help.

Best of luck! If you ever need a suffer buddy, my inbox is always open ❤