My son just had another seizure after being seizure free for 2.5 years . He is on epilim 2x day 500mg and he has always taken it 7 o'clock am and pm everyday. He missed his morning dose today because he was out last night and came in at 5am and couldnt get up to take that dose. He has been telling me that he is battling to wake up in the mornings even with a variety of alarm sounds even when he has a non-party type night. His dad checked on him at 8am today to ask if he had taken his morning dose and he said he had and went back to sleep. But after the seizure he said he didn't remember taking it. The problem is that we can only watch him when he comes home to durban from university. Otherwise he stays on his own in cape town . I think this episode could have been avoided if we/he had a way to know for sure he had missed a dose. He won't use the dosage boxes . Besides , we can't take the epilim out of the strip packaging as the humidity seems to mess them up here. He is usually quite good about it, doesn't drink much at all and takes rest /sleep when he needs to. Just looking for tips on med taking.
Remembering to take meds
- Thread starter yram
- Start date
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.
Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!
- Messages
- 17,355
- Reaction score
- 755
- Points
- 263
I have my meds in my handbag, and I've trained myself to leave the bag on the floor outside my bedroom door -- where I have to stumble over it on the way to the bathroom in the morning. I pick up the bag and put it on a chair in order to fish out my meds. If for some reason I side-step my bag on the way out, I'll notice that it is still on the floor on the way back in, and realize that I've missed my dose.
This method still depends on remembering to leave the bag in the right place in the evening, but the more I've done it the better I've gotten at it. Maybe some similar routine would work for your son?
Though honestly, the dosage box is a pretty simple, effective solution for knowing for sure whether or not you've taken your meds -- why won't he try that?
This method still depends on remembering to leave the bag in the right place in the evening, but the more I've done it the better I've gotten at it. Maybe some similar routine would work for your son?
Though honestly, the dosage box is a pretty simple, effective solution for knowing for sure whether or not you've taken your meds -- why won't he try that?
epileric
Veteran
- Messages
- 4,499
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 163
I take my meds with breakfast & before bed. What I did before I was in the habit was I kept my pills beside the toaster so that I had to see them and remember to take them, even if I was still half asleep.
about 10 or 15 years ago, I started carrying a waterproof pill container in my pocket in case I couldn't get home one night or some sort of emergency.
When I was younger I hated the dosage boxes too because only "older people" with bad memories used them (I've since outgrown that attitude).
about 10 or 15 years ago, I started carrying a waterproof pill container in my pocket in case I couldn't get home one night or some sort of emergency.
When I was younger I hated the dosage boxes too because only "older people" with bad memories used them (I've since outgrown that attitude).
Thanks for the tips 
I think he is still trying to play it cool and seem like this isn't a big deal.... Which is fine but he needs to be careful. I think the dosage box makes him think he is sickly. He generally has a positive attitude.
It seems to be a problem mainly on weekends when the routine is disrupted . I suggested he keeps a bottle of water by his bed with the morning dose before he goes out .
I think he is still trying to play it cool and seem like this isn't a big deal.... Which is fine but he needs to be careful. I think the dosage box makes him think he is sickly. He generally has a positive attitude.
It seems to be a problem mainly on weekends when the routine is disrupted . I suggested he keeps a bottle of water by his bed with the morning dose before he goes out .
- Messages
- 5,796
- Reaction score
- 812
- Points
- 268
I don't know how much medicitation he is on but unless I kept my pills in a dosage box I wouldn't know if I took all of them and the right dosages or not.
I have my alarm set to go off in the morning and have my pills and water sitting beside my bed so I don't have to get out of bed to take them. Does he have an alarm setting on his cell phone? Maybe he can set it to 'ring' like a phone would to wake him up and then his pills would be right there to take them. I also have 2 cats and as soon as that alarm goes off they know it means breakfast time and they make me get up.
Throught the rest of the day I have an alarm set on my cell phone set to go off at medicine time incase I loose track of time, this way I'll know that I've taken it.
Can he find something that doesn't look like a pill case to keep them in? I have mints, Altoids, that come in a little tin can. Maybe he could use something like that? This way it won't look like he's carring around a 'pill case'.
My husband called me every morning while he was at work when we first moved in together to make sure I had taken my pills. I wasn't having any problems remembering to taking them he just wanted to besure that I took them and that I was ok becaues I was having some really bad seizures at the time.
He works in a mill so it was hard for him to call me sometimes so we decided that I'd send him a text message to let him know. If he doesn't get a message within a half an hour after medicine time then he'll call me to make sure I'm alright. Maybe instead of you calling him make him call you.
I'm glad we do this because on time in the middle of the night we lost power, which reset my alarm clock and neither of us knew that. So if he hadn't called I would have never taken my meds that morning.
How old is your son? I'm assuming he's in college? Make him understand that if he doesn't take his meds then could have a seizure. So explain to him if he's staying out so late that he can't get up in the morning then that's probably not a good idea. That can't be too good for taking classes and studing too. I hope you can figure out something that works.
I have my alarm set to go off in the morning and have my pills and water sitting beside my bed so I don't have to get out of bed to take them. Does he have an alarm setting on his cell phone? Maybe he can set it to 'ring' like a phone would to wake him up and then his pills would be right there to take them. I also have 2 cats and as soon as that alarm goes off they know it means breakfast time and they make me get up.
Throught the rest of the day I have an alarm set on my cell phone set to go off at medicine time incase I loose track of time, this way I'll know that I've taken it.
Can he find something that doesn't look like a pill case to keep them in? I have mints, Altoids, that come in a little tin can. Maybe he could use something like that? This way it won't look like he's carring around a 'pill case'.
My husband called me every morning while he was at work when we first moved in together to make sure I had taken my pills. I wasn't having any problems remembering to taking them he just wanted to besure that I took them and that I was ok becaues I was having some really bad seizures at the time.
He works in a mill so it was hard for him to call me sometimes so we decided that I'd send him a text message to let him know. If he doesn't get a message within a half an hour after medicine time then he'll call me to make sure I'm alright. Maybe instead of you calling him make him call you.
I'm glad we do this because on time in the middle of the night we lost power, which reset my alarm clock and neither of us knew that. So if he hadn't called I would have never taken my meds that morning.
How old is your son? I'm assuming he's in college? Make him understand that if he doesn't take his meds then could have a seizure. So explain to him if he's staying out so late that he can't get up in the morning then that's probably not a good idea. That can't be too good for taking classes and studing too. I hope you can figure out something that works.
He uses a cell phone alarm and when he was at home we all had our alarms set as well .
He has been diligent and lucky in that his med levels were correct first time round and his seizures were in control.
However , he is 18 now and at college but he doesn't party hard or as much as his friends. Alot of times he stays in with other friends and chills .
We decided to use a permanent marker and mark the days on the foil strip of the epilim.
And also gradually adjust the times to an hour or so later. When he was at school he was up and about earlier but college is a little different . Thx for the tips we will try the texting thing I think.
He has been diligent and lucky in that his med levels were correct first time round and his seizures were in control.
However , he is 18 now and at college but he doesn't party hard or as much as his friends. Alot of times he stays in with other friends and chills .
We decided to use a permanent marker and mark the days on the foil strip of the epilim.
And also gradually adjust the times to an hour or so later. When he was at school he was up and about earlier but college is a little different . Thx for the tips
we will try the texting thing I think.