Snap A Picture Of Your Meds When You Take Them

If you take meds on a schedule, you probably have a system for remembering what to take when, whether you use an app or something low-tech like a pill organiser. But for those occasional doses—like the Claritins I take every couple days during allergy season—just snap a photo of the pill bottle instead.

That one quick photo gives you several pieces of information you might need later. Did I take my meds already? (Yes, there’s a photo in my camera roll.) How long ago was that? (Check the timestamp on the photo.) Which type of pill did I take, if there’s more than one possibility? (Look at the label that you photographed.)

If you need to know the dose—maybe sometimes you take four ibuprofens, and sometimes you only need two—just set up the photo to show the four pills in your hand with the pill bottle elsewhere in the frame.

This way, I know whether I took my last 24-hour allergy pill 24 hours ago, or if I’m mixing up last night and this morning in my mind. (I’ve accidentally overlapped doses of Claritin in the past, and only realised my mistake after wondering why I was so dang exhausted all day.) If you’re managing severe pain and your doctor has told you to alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen, this is an easy way to be able to tell which you had last, and at what time.

If the photos don’t give you enough information, or if you need a more robust system, an app like Dosecast can help you manage things better. But for those impromptu doses of “take as needed” meds, a photo gives a quick alternative. And if you don’t like those pics cluttering up your camera roll? Once they’re more than a day old, you’re free to delete them.