[Research] Pill Pack

[suebear]

I just discovered news about this company today and that they will provide a more helpful way to those who must take a large amount of medication at a specific time throughout the day.

You can look at a video on how your dosage times and taking of it can be made simple through this company.
PillPack.

 

[Nakamova]

If anyone has any questions about PillPack let me know -- the engineering, design, and marketing teams for the company are located within walking distance of my apartment.

 

[Fedup]

Honestly it sounds too good to be true.

 

[resaebiunne]

Interesting concept, but how hard is it to organize your own medication?

 

[AlohaBird]

I can see how those packets would come in handy when taking care of a senior citizen who has lost a few marbles but still has too much pride to turn things over to a caregiver. My dad went through a phase like that. He eventually let me take over doing up his pill box each week but he might have been open to the packets as a "convenience" not having the implication that he couldn't keep it all straight himself.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

If anyone has any questions about PillPack let me know -- the engineering, design, and marketing teams for the company are located within walking distance of my apartment.

How tough are those Pill Packs? Will they tear easily, or will they need to be cut open?
Is there a limit to the amount of medications that fit into the Pill Packs?

Does the Pill Pack come with preset times selected? Or can you specify the times for your medications? That is the most important feature. Not everyone takes there medications
at the same times.

 

[Cint]

I'm one of those patients who takes multiple meds throughout the day, so this seems like a grand idea, but I agree with resaebiunne. I'm capable of organizing my meds.

 

[masterjen]

For those in Canada who like the idea of pre-packaging of pills:
A similar type of pill packaging is done at several pharmacies in Canada, and is called "blister packaging" of pills. The patient can take pills along with supplements to the pharmacy who filled the prescription(s). The pharmacist or tech hand-makes a blister pack with each "blister" being of whatever size necessary for the pills. Each blister pack "board" is good for up to a month, can accommodate multiple times per day dosing, and instructions are written clearly as to when and how to take each blister pack of pills (eg. across the top of the cardboard would be days of the week, and down the side would be say 8 am, noon, dinnertime, bedtime. Below each blister pack it would say things like "take with food" or "take with water 1/2 hour after meal", etc.
This service is free for seniors and those on disability. Other pharmacies charge various fees but can still be free at some places if someone is on multiple pills at multiple times per day.
Personally it is not something I use, but it has been a great asset to my 77 year old father.

 

[Nakamova]

Of course PillPack isn't for everyone. But for a certain population of folks and their caregivers it might be the perfect fit. Among other things, they are a pharmacy with a 24-hour helpline. Here's their service description:

PillPack is designed to serve people who manage multiple medications. Every two weeks, customers receive a personalized roll of pre-sorted medications, along with a recyclable dispenser and any other medications that cannot be placed into packets, like liquids and inhalers. Each shipment includes a medication label that explains what each pill is and how it should be taken. In addition to pre-sorting medications, PillPack coordinates refills and guarantees the shipment of all medications on time, every time. Easy-to-use online tools allow customers to track their shipments, refills, and co-pays. Customers can email or call their PillPack pharmacist any time to ask questions or clarify instructions.

BigMan -- Those are excellent questions. I'll let you know what they say.

 

[suebear]

Interesting concept, but how hard is it to organize your own medication?

consider this... there are persons who do have short term memory and/or other types of neurological issues and this type of option will be of benefit to them.

Not everyone needs to take advantage of it but there are some patients who will find this option to be of usage. :twocents:

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

My memory goes south when I have to many seizures. I could see this being really useful in those situations. Even more so when the med count is 2 plus, easy to lose track or forget. Sometimes family and friends aren't always there to help. Useful imo.

I think my Grandfather had something very similar when he fighting cancer, and it was a huge help to my grandmother. Prior, she was constantly worrying about keeping his meds organized. Really helped them a lot.

 

[suebear]

Honestly it sounds too good to be true.

Actually I've talked to a few care takers that have used this for their patients and a few persons who need to use the same color pills at different times that are finding this item helpful for their needs.

I actually looked at the FAQ and it does explain a lot in how this particular type of thing can benefit those that are in need of using it. :twocents:

 

[AlohaBird]

The other nice thing about these packets is that they are clear enough for anybody to use even if your first language is not English. This applies to caregivers as well as patients.

When my father was ill I had a lady who had been my housekeeper when I was going through cancer come in to do some respite shifts so I could get to the market and other errands. She spoke pretty good English but Spanish was her first language. She could have read one of these packets but perhaps not the complicated directions on several pharmacy bottle labels.

I never left for more than a few hours but these packets would have made it possible.

 

[Nakamova]

Here a few answers from the PillPack folks:

1. How tough are the Pill Packs? Will they tear easily, or will they need to be cut open?
"Individual packs are easy to open – no tools (e.g. scissors) are necessary. Given the fact that we have customers with arthritis, it was important that we developed an experience that was easy to use for all.”

2. Is there a limit to the amount/number of medications that fit into the Pill Packs?
"Packs can fit 5 pills per pack if every pill is a different prescription. Should the pills be less than 5 different pills, then you can fit up to 10 per pack."

3. Does the Pill Pack come with preset times selected? Or can you specify the times for your medications when you order them?
"You can do either - we can either set the time based on the prescription stated by the doctor or have it match your preference in time, so long as its consistent with the directions ."

 

[BIGMAN131307]

Here a few answers from the PillPack folks:

2. Is there a limit to the amount/number of medications that fit into the Pill Packs?
"Packs can fit 5 pills per pack if every pill is a different prescription. Should the pills be less than 5 different pills, then you can fit up to 10 per pack."

So do they hold 5 or 10 pills? Their answer is confusing.

 

[Nakamova]

I think the individual divisions in a PillPack have to be larger if each of five prescriptions is for a different med. So in that scenario, only 5 [different] pills.

But where you have fewer different prescriptions then you can potentially fit up to ten pills, depending on the particulars of your rX. So with four prescriptions you might have two of Med A, two of Med B, three of Med C and three Med D -- unless Med A requires 6 pills and Med B requires 4. Then you would need a separate PillPack for Meds C and D.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

Ok, I think I understand the 5 or 10 scenario.

5 separate [P][P][P][P][P] or 10 pack [PPPPPPPPPP]

Do I got it right?

 

[Nakamova]

Yup, though there's an in-between scenario-- your 10 pack might contain a total of ten pills representing up to four different prescriptions.

 

[TongueTied]

I like the idea of these, they'd be pretty handy if you'll heading out for the day. Here in Australia we have WebsterPacks, it costs about $5 for the pharmacy to organise and sort your pills. The downside though is that they only last the week and the packs themselves are quite large so you can't really carry them around with you.