Today we are going to accomplish something significant.  We are going to organize and update our medications.  This is a really important area to address as medicinal formulas change, are improved or are recalled. Having accurate information regarding your medications is essential for us to communicate with our healthcare providers as well as ensuring we are taking the safest formulas of medications available.

 

First, gather all medications in the house.  This includes prescription and over the counter medication.  If you have children, it is very important that you gather all medications and find a place for dedicated storage out of the reach of children and pets.  Remember to check your purse.

This reminds me of a quick story. When my first child was a year old, took him to the pediatrician for a check up. The doctor was sharing with me some new parent reminders about medications and the importance of their location out of the reach of children.  I felt as if this information was redundant as “everyone knows that you keep medicines out of a child’s reach.” But she mentioned medications in my purse. Normally I don’t  keep any medications in my purse so I disregarded her advice.   That very day and I am not kidding…my son was crawling on the floor while I was folding clothes on the couch.  I looked down and he had the bottle of over the counter pain reliever in his hand.  I couldn’t imagine where he gotten it until I saw that he had opened my purse.  I couldn’t believe it.  I did keep medications in my purse afterall.  I just didn’t realize it. How lucky I was that he couldn’t open it.

So back to our medicine gathering: get all the medications that you can find and check unlikely places too.   In the kitchen, bathrooms and glove compartment of your car…Keep looking until you find all that you can.

Now lay them all out on the table.  Sort these medications according to those that are prescription medications and those that are over-the-counter.  Write down all the names and dosage information found on the bottles of all of the prescription medications. Or take a photo with your smartphone. You will use this later. Check all the expiration dates in both categories. For those prescription medications that are well beyond their expiration date, dispose of them.  The safest way to dispose of medications is to take them to your pharmacist for disposal. Don’t flush as then they eventually make it into the environment. Depending on the medication and personal preference, most medications are safe after the expiration dates, however, some people like the latest formulas and therefore keep medications current.  Some states require that prescription medication have expiration dates on them however, some do not.  It really is up to you and the investment that you have made in these medicines.  However, those medications that you have that are moderately past beyond the expiration date (with in the last year) place in a zippered plastic bag and close.  I’ll tell you what to do with these later.

Remember to store all medications in a safe place.  To make it easier to access them in higher locations, put prescription medications in one container and over the counter in another.  Attractive small suitcases or lockable containers are wonderful keepers of medications.  This is also helpful incase you have to evacuate your home during an emergency. You can grab all of the essential medications to take with you.

Now that nail polish that I told you to save from yesterday… Dap a bit of color on the caps of both prescription medications and over the counter medications that will expire in the next 3 months.  This will be a reminder to you to refill these before they are needed.   Be extra diligent on medications like inhalers, heart medications, or others that are critical medications.

Now, that you are finished with the medications, sit down with your beverage and grab your list of prescription meds.  You will need a blank business card or small piece of paper. Cut out a small piece of paper about the size of a business card (cardstock works best but for now use anything you have).  Write down all the medications and dosages that you take along with the number of your doctor and pharmacy.  You will need to laminate this either now or eventually.  You can purchase lamination sheets from the office supply store or use clear adhesive tape or contact paper or take it to your local printing shop and have them laminate it for you.  It is very inexpensive.  Put this behind your driver’s license in your wallet.  If you are in an accident, the paramedics can have information available to them to know what medications that you take.  This is vital information to have when they need to administer medications in route to the hospital.  It is a good idea to do this for every member in your family especially aging parents who may not remember all the medications that they are on.

After you have finished with this project for the day, you will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor.  Here is a checklist of many of the things that you will need to discuss with your doctor:

First, all current medications….  Remember those medications in the plastic bag that you separated earlier?   You’ll want to ask your doctor about these medications.  You will want to find out if you still need them (if so ask for a refill) or if there are any drug interaction issues (you have the list of all medications that you take now).  This is very important.  Take your list with you along with the expired medications in your zippered bag.   Discuss drug interaction issues between medications that you are taking and some of the over the counter medications that you normally take.  Also, tell your doctor of any vitamins or supplements that you take.  This is really important information for your doctor to know.  It is helpful to write all of this down and make a copy to give to your doctor to put in your file for future reference. In addition, save a copy to put in the emergency kit that you will assemble later.

Second, catch up on appointments for yearly exams and physicals if needed.  When was your last physical exam? Ladies when was that last mammogram? Transforming your life involves taking care of yourself.  Make these appointments as soon as possible.  Try to schedule any tests your doctor recommends.  Mammograms, blood tests, immunizations, cholesterol screenings, pap smear, and skin cancer exam.   Get these done as soon as possible and don’t put it off any longer.  Your life may depend on this!!

Next, discuss with your doctor any changes that you have made or would like to make regarding your health.  During this transformational process, you will begin to change some things in your habits that affect your health. Now is the time to discuss a change in your physical routine such as exercise through walking, aerobics and light weight lifting.  Also, mention that you are going to begin to change your diet through healthier food choices and drinking more water.You may also want to take vitamins to ensure that you are getting all the essentials that you need to feel better and get healthy.  If you have any health compromising habits such as excessive drinking and smoking, please talk to your doctor about how to quit these habits and where you can find support in your community.  Develop a plan to call your doctor and leave a message every other month regarding your health changes and your progress.  Having to be accountable to someone helps you to commit to it.  I will never forget the time that I told my doctor that I had decided to quit smoking.  His enthusiasm for my healthy decision helped me to stick to my goal. It really impressed me that my doctor cared so much about my health.  It inspired me to keep at it.  Thanks doc!! You made a difference to me.

Follow up on any of the recommendations by your doctor.  They are concerned about your health and want what is best for you.  Set a goal right now to be one of the success cases or milestones in their practice.  Let them know how much you appreciate them by taking good care of yourself.  You will both benefit.

Speaking of health…you are finished with another task in the Transformational Organizational process.  Attend to that much earned self-nurturing beauty routine.  Afterwards,  reward yourself with some healthy activity, such as a long walk.  How about calling a friend to walk with you?  Another option is to go for a bike ride.  Exercise is a very important part of our transformation process. I know that you may dread that exercise part but in order to transform your life, you will need to get enough exercise to help with any desired weight loss and to positively benefit your health.  Exercise will help you to feel better, sleep better and you will actually have more energy to continue on this process.  Consider your pets too.  Your dog would love to go on a walk and you will simultaneously begin to transform their life too. We will have a section on organizing pets and their items too. Grab those shoes and get out there!   Great job!!!! Celebrate with something wonderful…Yogurt anyone?  (Try gingersnaps dipped in yogurt for a healthy dessert).

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