Author: Maria Nazaré Rosado (P harmacist ) Boxes designed to organize regular daily medication , commonly known as pill boxes are a good help, especially when you need to take several pills every day and at different times. They avoid having to manage different packages several times throughout the day and, doing so, pill boxes help reduce the likelihood of confusing, forgetting or even inadvertently repeating doses. Size, appearance and material of pill boxes vary. What they have in common is that they allow, with dividers, to separate by days (for example, from Monday to Sunday) and by times within each day (for example, breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime) the pills to be taken. The use of pill boxes is very common: By older people, who, as a rule, are those who take more medication and who may have more difficulty taking medication correctly or need someone to organize it; By those who have to take several medications throughout the day and spend the day away from home or are traveling. Is it an ideal alternative? Ideally, medications should always be kept in their original packaging, as these are planned and studied to preserve the characteristics and activity of each medicine. For example, when the tablets are in a blister or brown glass bottle it is because the former protects from moisture and the latter from light. And if there is an external box there are also reasons to adopt. A pill box is not ideal when it comes to conservation , but if used for the period actually necessary and with due care, the probability of problems is small, and there are several advantages. Therefore, the preparation of pill boxes should be done to the shortest possible period, maximum for one week. Do you go home every day? So, prepare the pill box for one day, every day. Do you have to prepare a pill box for someone you will not meet every day? Prepare the box for a week. Are you going to travel for a month? Take the original packaging of your medicines and prepare the pill box for the shortest period possible, according to your travel schedule. In addition, there are other precautions Pill boxes are intended for tablets and similar solid pharmaceutical forms , such as capsules. They cannot be used for ointments, suppositories, liquid and gaseous formulations. They are also intended for regular daily medication. Therefore, they should not be used to store medicines that you do not know when you will need. Tablets in blisters should not be removed from this primary pack before being placed in the pill box (unless the doctor or pharmacist says this can be done). You cut the blister with the pill inside and place it in the box. The pill is only removed from the blister at the time when will be taken. There are people who need to take different doses of the same medicine throughout the day. When tablets with different doses are available, doctors may prescribe both doses. When smaller doses are not marketed, it may be necessary to take, for example, 'half a tablet'. In this case, open the blister (if applicable), break the tablet in half and place half back in the blister and then in the pill box. There are tablet cutting devices for sale to facilitate the task of dividing tablets correctly; ask your pharmacy where you can buy it. Placing tablets in blisters and loose tablets in the same compartment should be avoided as much as possible , especially if they are too close together. If any of the medicines to be taken need to be kept in the refrigerator, then either the entire medicine box is kept in the refrigerator , or that tablet cannot be part of the medication organized in the box. If there are no special storage conditions, the pill box must be kept in cool environments (less than 25ºC), dry and protected from light and in a safe place . Preparing the box Follow this sequence: Choose a time of day with no hurry and a clean place (a table, for example) to prepare your pill box and gather everything you need: the box, the medicines, the prescription (or a list of medicines, doses and schedules), scissors, a pen, adhesive labels…after the first time you will know if you need anything else. Wash your hands well and sit down to do the task calmly. Open the box dividers for every day you are going to prepare. Arrange the medicines boxes or bottles in the order you will put them in the pill box, with the name facing you. To guide yourself in distribution, use the prescription or a previously prepared list containing all the indications, or the instructions on the sticker that the pharmacy has placed on each medicine (there are many that do this). Open the package of the first medicine and distribute the tablets, in the indicated doses, between the dividers corresponding to the days and times of the entire period you are going to prepare. The order to be respected in this task is to complete it for one medicine for the period you are preparing, then move on to another medicine, and so on, until you have finished all the medicines. The option of filling out a schedule with everything you are going to take and then moving on to the next time/division should not be followed, as it causes frequent medication mistakes, in addition to implying unnecessary manipulation of medications, which can have harmful consequences. Close all the dividers and store the box. Wash your hands again. Also remember Keep the pill box clean: follow the appropriate cleaning instructions, if any, or between refilling tasks, wash and dry it well before using again. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
