While it’s never fun being in the hospital, you don’t have to worry about which medication to take when. The nurse brings you your medications every day. However, when you leave to go home, you are back on your own. It can be very difficult to make sense of your medications once you’re home. Sometimes you may not know why some of the medications you took at home were stopped or why the doses changed.
If you think it might be hard for you to take your medications on schedule, you should tell anyone on your medical team right now to see if they can find some solutions for you. Some solutions might include having your pills prepared in pill packs, which keep the medications sorted by time and day for you, making it easier to remember. You should have a list of your medications that you can easily understand. It should have the name of the pill, the dose (usually in milligrams), and when during the day to take it (morning, midday, evening). Your nurse will go over this medication list with you – make sure to ask questions if you’re confused.
Finally, have someone help you at home for a while until you can take the medications as directed on your own. If you don’t have anyone at home to help you, you may qualify of a visiting nurse to help you – talk to your medical team about this now, while you’re in the hospital.
Plan now - it pays later!
