The best pill boxes and medication management tools

Dear wise senior,

Can you recommend some good medicine cabinets or medication reminder devices? I recently started taking some new prescription medications in addition to some vitamins I normally take, so I’m looking to organize them. You should get a pillbox to help you. What can you tell me?

almost 70

Dear Almost

Pill boxes (also known as pill organizers) play an important role in keeping people healthy as they help people adhere to their medication regimens. There are many options, but here are some tips to help you choose, along with top-rated medicine chests recommended by expert reviewers.

Identify your needs?

When choosing the right pill box for you, you should first ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• How many tablets do you take and how big are they? If you only take a small number of medications, a smaller medicine cabinet may be sufficient. However, if you take multiple medications or large amounts of vitamin supplements, you may want to get a pill box with large compartments that can hold your daily doses.
• Do you take your medicine once a day or multiple times a day? If you only take your medicine once a day, a simple medicine cabinet with one compartment is sufficient. However, if you need to take your medication multiple times a day, we recommend purchasing a medicine chest with two, three, or four compartments for each day of the week.
• Do you have trouble forgetting to take your medications? If so, you can find an organizer with built-in alarms and reminders, or download a free medication reminder app to your smartphone.
• Do you have trouble opening medicine containers? If so, there are easy-open medicine cabinets and automatic medicine dispensers that are perfect for people with manual dexterity issues.
• Need a portable pillbox for when you’re on the go? There are small portable pillboxes made for travel, some with sealed cases to keep moisture and dust out.

best pill box

In collaboration with The New York Times (Wirecutter) and USA Today (Reviewed), some of the best pillboxes of 2024 are brought to you by Auvon and Sukuos. These manufacturers make a variety of single and multi-compartment pill organizers that are large, colorful, and easy to use. open.

Top-rated options include the “Auvon Weekly Pill Organizer” for users who take their medication once a day. “Squos AM/PM Weekly 7 Day Pill Organizer” Used twice a day. “Auvon iMedassist Moisture-Proof Weekly Pill Organizer” 4 times a day. There’s also 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, “MUchengbao Travel Pill Organizer” is considered an excellent choice.

All of these medicine chests cost around $10 and are available at Amazon.com or Walmart.com.

high tech pill organizer

If you need more help keeping track of your medication, organize your pills, remind you to take them, track your progress, and text or email your caregiver if you forget to take a pill. There are smart pill boxes that do that. A popular option to consider here is EllieGrid (elliegrid.com, $149). This connects the pillbox to the EllieGrid app (via Bluetooth) that you install on your smartphone.

If you need more help, there are automated medication dispensers like Hero (herohealth.com, $45/month). It’s a comprehensive, Wi-Fi-connected, app-based system that reminds you when to take your medication. I will distribute them to you.

Medication reminder app

If you’re interested in medication reminder apps, popular apps include MyTherapy (mytherapyapp.com) and Medisafe (medisafeapp.com). These are free apps that can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play app stores that send timely reminders to take medications or refill prescriptions.

Send senior questions to Savvy Senior, PO Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070 or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of the book “The Savvy Senior.”