Strategies for remembering to take medication?

[Janeway]

Put the medication in a water proof container near whatever he uses to get ready in the morning and at night..like the tooth brush. BUT, on that note, since it is allergy medication, if he misses the medication, he will end up sneezy and itchy, right? And every time he has forgotten at home, you have rescued him and reminded him, correct? WELL, if he missed one day, he won't die. BUT, he will remember the medication when he feels sick. And THAT will likely stick with him. It can be surprising how much kids step up to the plate when no one is there to rescue them. 

[Guest]

Upthread, you mentioned the college policy is that meds go in lockbox. Where is the lockbox going to be stored?

[regentrude]

I suggest that you contact the college's Office for Disability Support Services and ask them what strategies they can recommend. They are dealing with many students with similar issues  and also know that their solutions must work with the lockbox policy and the college setting.

[Tanaqui]

But it's not just allergy meds, Janeway. It's medicine for mental health. One of the problems with those sorts of medicines is that the disease makes it hard to make the connection - or, depending on the condition, he might actually think he feels better without the medication, if he doesn't take it.

[theelfqueen]

Can he wear a fitbit? I kjowbyou said phone alarms aren't a great strategy but the silent alarms you can set on a fitbit are really nice... you can set multiple a day and they're subtle because it's just vibration but they aren't easy to ignore.

 

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[dancingmama]

I wonder if this place might have some ideas. I've been thinking about using them for my son with LDs and meds are one of his issues.

 

http://cipworldwide.org

[Lady Florida.]

Actually, what he needs is a Remembrall. My son needs one too. They'll just need to remember what it is they're supposed to remember. :D

[Daria]

Actually, what he needs is a Remembrall. My son needs one too. They'll just need to remember what it is they're supposed to remember. :D

 

Ooooh good idea, but what he really needs is a house elf to shake him awake and hand him the meds.

 

Someone suggested that this would be the perfect job for a "service cat".  Put cat treats in the pill box, and set some kind of alarm.  Doesn't matter if you're at home when the alarm goes off, because once the cat hears it it will stalk the doorway and then nag you until you remember.  In the morning, the cat will definitely wake him up.

 

Unfortunately with 22 hours before his flight, I'm pretty sure I can't find, and train a cat and get it certified as a service animal.

[Daria]

Put the medication in a water proof container near whatever he uses to get ready in the morning and at night..like the tooth brush. BUT, on that note, since it is allergy medication, if he misses the medication, he will end up sneezy and itchy, right? And every time he has forgotten at home, you have rescued him and reminded him, correct? WELL, if he missed one day, he won't die. BUT, he will remember the medication when he feels sick. And THAT will likely stick with him. It can be surprising how much kids step up to the plate when no one is there to rescue them. 

 

If he misses the allergy medication, he might end up sneezy and itchy, or he might end up with sleep apnea, which will cause a downward spiral, or he might do fine until he hits something he's really allergic too and end up with a serious asthma attack, although that's less likely in the heat of summer.

 

If he misses the mental health medication, he'll become depressed.  Luckily the depression would be pretty clear to me in a phone call, and I'd bring him home, but it would suck to have to bail on a program that he worked really hard to get into, and for which I've paid a lot of money.  In the past, when depression became severe enough there have been concerns about suicidal thoughts, although he has not acted on them. 

 

He managed his asthma/allergy medication independently as a middle schooler, before the mental illness began.  However, at that point he was also much more allergic.  Allergy shots, sinus surgery, and the tail end of puberty have all helped so the consequences of not taking the allergy meds are not as immediate.  

 

Since the mental illness began, we've tried handing over responsibility a few times.  The first two times, when he was taking the meds from the regular bottles, we saw some decline in functioning, and looking at the bottles at the end of the month showed that he was missing about 1/3 of the time.  Both times, he was able to reflect after I took over control of the meds on how much he felt better, but he wasn't able to make a connection during the decline.  

 

Recently, for the past few months, he's been able to manage the process at home, probably 90% accurately, which seems to be enough.  But the routine we use, which connects taking the meds with walking the dog, and involves leaving the meds on top of the faucet, isn't going to work with a shared bathroom and no dog.  The incident that I described where moving the medication box to an obvious place close to his bed (because we were packing) is what made me really realize how fragile those routines were, and how it's likely going to be hard for him to set up new routines without help.  

[Daria]

Upthread, you mentioned the college policy is that meds go in lockbox. Where is the lockbox going to be stored?

 

Someplace really obvious.  I'm thinking maybe in bed with him. 

 

He's one of those kids who doesn't move at all in the night.  He sleeps like a dead person, so that might actually work.

 

One thing I did, that I am now regretting, is I bought him a lockbox that looks like a book.  In theory so you can hide it from burglars, but in reality I bought it because a) It has a combination (because I guarantee a key would be lost) and b) it was on sale really cheap.  

 

Now, I am wishing I had looked for a hot pink lockbox.  I think I'm going to need to figure out how to decorate it tonight.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've linked taking medications with a "going out the door checklist" for my SN son. 

[Daria]

Can he wear a fitbit? I kjowbyou said phone alarms aren't a great strategy but the silent alarms you can set on a fitbit are really nice... you can set multiple a day and they're subtle because it's just vibration but they aren't easy to ignore.

 

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Hmmmm, he's lost a couple, but maybe we could try again.  

 

I'm just not sure how an alarm would help.  I think the alarm would have to go off in the window of time between waking up, and leaving the room, or between returning to the room and going to sleep.  Given that he's not showering, or eating in the room, I imagine that will be a short period of time, and it will vary every day.

 

Also, don't you have to charge a fitbit?  

[Catwoman]

I know this is a nuisance, but if nothing else works, can you call him and remind him at specific times each day?

 

I'm just thinking that you'll be sitting around worrying about it anyway, so it might be easier to just call him. He might be against that idea, though, and it wouldn't really be helping him be more independent, but he really needs the medications so this is a tough problem to solve. :grouphug:

[Guest]

Someplace really obvious. I'm thinking maybe in bed with him.

 

He's one of those kids who doesn't move at all in the night. He sleeps like a dead person, so that might actually work.

 

One thing I did, that I am now regretting, is I bought him a lockbox that looks like a book. In theory so you can hide it from burglars, but in reality I bought it because a) It has a combination (because I guarantee a key would be lost) and b) it was on sale really cheap.

 

Now, I am wishing I had looked for a hot pink lockbox. I think I'm going to need to figure out how to decorate it tonight.

So it will go next to his.shoes or on the desk.

You can link to putting on/taking off shoes or to reading the weather forecast in the morning and the comics or whatever he reads before bed.

[Daria]

I know this is a nuisance, but if nothing else works, can you call him and remind him at specific times each day?

 

I'm just thinking that you'll be sitting around worrying about it anyway, so it might be easier to just call him. He might be against that idea, though, and it wouldn't really be helping him be more independent, but he really needs the medications so this is a tough problem to solve. :grouphug:

 

I can try, and if the phone is charged, and he's awake (because he'll sleep through the ringer) I hit the right time window, it might work. 

 

I don't think his psychiatrist really understands how off his memory is, but I actually think that the uncharged phone thing is probably the clearest sign that this isn't typical.  I should bring it up to her.  I see teenagers with phones everywhere I look.  I teach high school, and if a gen ed teacher tells the class "everyone pull out your phones, you'll need a calculator for this" it seems that every kid has a charged phone on their person.  So, the fact that he can't remember to keep it charged sets him apart. 

 

There's been progress in that area though.  For years, the phone was always lost.  Now, he keeps it in his pocket, and generally manages to bring a charger, so if he needs to call out he's good.  Remembering to charge it so we can call in -- that's still a challenge.

[ktgrok]

I can try, and if the phone is charged, and he's awake (because he'll sleep through the ringer) I hit the right time window, it might work. 

 

I don't think his psychiatrist really understands how off his memory is, but I actually think that the uncharged phone thing is probably the clearest sign that this isn't typical.  I should bring it up to her.  I see teenagers with phones everywhere I look.  I teach high school, and if a gen ed teacher tells the class "everyone pull out your phones, you'll need a calculator for this" it seems that every kid has a charged phone on their person.  So, the fact that he can't remember to keep it charged sets him apart. 

 

There's been progress in that area though.  For years, the phone was always lost.  Now, he keeps it in his pocket, and generally manages to bring a charger, so if he needs to call out he's good.  Remembering to charge it so we can call in -- that's still a challenge.

Your son and I sound a lot alike.

[zoobie]

Hmmmm, he's lost a couple, but maybe we could try again.

 

I'm just not sure how an alarm would help. I think the alarm would have to go off in the window of time between waking up, and leaving the room, or between returning to the room and going to sleep. Given that he's not showering, or eating in the room, I imagine that will be a short period of time, and it will vary every day.

 

Also, don't you have to charge a fitbit?

Fitbits do need to be charged. There are watches that don't.

[Daria]

I suggest that you contact the college's Office for Disability Support Services and ask them what strategies they can recommend. They are dealing with many students with similar issues  and also know that their solutions must work with the lockbox policy and the college setting.

 

We've had contact with the DSS at the college, to set up note taking services, and extra time, and an air conditioner, but this just isn't the sort of thing that DSS offices do.  

[regentrude]

We've had contact with the DSS at the college, to set up note taking services, and extra time, and an air conditioner, but this just isn't the sort of thing that DSS offices do.  

 

Then ask the Counseling Center. Colleges differ in the way services are divided between the offices. At ours, DSS and counseling work closely together and would refer to each other.

There should be some entity at your DS' campus that provides counseling, therapy groups, and workshops for students affected by mental health issues. They should have suggestions for you.

[theelfqueen]

Ooh my son has a fireproof case for his phone that has a backup battery ... might it help to extend his phone battery life?

 

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[theelfqueen]

Not fireproof -' "lifeproof" autocorrect

 

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[Daria]

Then ask the Counseling Center. Colleges differ in the way services are divided between the offices. At ours, DSS and counseling work closely together and would refer to each other.

There should be some entity at your DS' campus that provides counseling, therapy groups, and workshops for students affected by mental health issues. They should have suggestions for you.

 

My understanding at this school that while DSS type accommodations are covered by section 504 and are therefore available to any person with a disability, counseling and similar services are part of the student health service and are only available to students enrolled full time.  

[regentrude]

My understanding at this school that while DSS type accommodations are covered by section 504 and are therefore available to any person with a disability, counseling and similar services are part of the student health service and are only available to students enrolled full time.  

 

That may well be. However, I did not suggest that Counseling should take care of your DS' medication, but merely to ask them what they recommend to students in similar situations. I am sure somebody will be willing to answer an email even if the student is not enrolled full time. 

[KungFuPanda]

They make pill boxes with their own alarms. Have you looked into those?

[sassenach]

A waterproof watch with alarms that he never takes off sounds like the best strategy.

[Daria]

A waterproof watch with alarms that he never takes off sounds like the best strategy.

I thought about that, and would be happy to buy one, but I just don't see how it would work unless he either carried the pill box with him (which puts him at risk of losing a week's worth of controlled (and thus irreplacable) meds. Otherwise the chances of him being in the room when it alarms is slight.

 

Anyway, he's there. He says his roommate is nice, but is an actor so they won't have the same schedule.

 

Hopefully, it will all work out.