Hepatitis C Support Group

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.

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MrOSO 09/15/2012

Ok, so I had a senior moment last night, LOL. Or maybe it was just brain fog due to treatment, who knows? Anyway, I went in the bathroom to take my Riba and somehow got distracted & I ended up doing 5 or 6 different things. After coming back to my computer, I suddenly was no longer sure if I had taken it or not. I actually had to count them all out and get out a calendar. Turns out I did take it. But it got me wondering. Since day 2 when I found the advice on this board, I have been very rigid in my schedule. Incivek at 7, 3 and 11, with Riba at 7 and again 12 hours later. I try to keep within 5 minutes of this schedule.

The Incivek is easy, it comes in packs of 6, so every morning I take a pack out of the box and leave the other 4 out to remind me. But the Riba comes in two jars totaling 180, so its more difficult to keep track.

How to you do it? Do you lay each days dose out in the morning? I might start doing that after today. I always thought those little medicine containers with a different compartment for each day of the week were silly, but Im beginning to wonder.

Bob

ImKramer 09/15/2012

Ask your pharmacist for a Dosette Box
http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/281135/530wm/M6251444-Daily_doses_pill_box-SPL.jpg

Sarpsis 09/15/2012

Get a week long, 4 stage pill box is how I did it. I would fill it up with all my pills on Sunday and as I took them, I would leave the top open to show that it was empty.
The brain fog will probably get worse, so I would suggest getting the oill box today! lol! I had to check mine frequently to make sure that I took my pills as time went on. You're just being normal OSO. =)

I'm so proud of you! Onward you go.
Love,
kelly

deleted_user 09/15/2012

I have an am/pm 7 day pill box & could never have kept it straight w/out it. I keep it out in the kitchen where I can see it & check it to make sure I've taken my pills. In the beginning I did forget riba once or twice, and even forgot incivek once - after getting up to eat my 20 grams of fat..... went back to bed and realized later I hadn't taken pills after seeing them sitting there. I had to wait for next fat dose.

Good luck Mroso

kcaseytn 09/15/2012

I've always been a sloppy pill taker - I was told to take RIBA with incivek morning and afternoon dose - taking RIBA late can result in insomnia - this meant I only took pills 3x's per day - I used the alarm on my phone and would hit the snooze until the pills were down - this saved me from forgetting a couple of times

joemz20 09/15/2012

If i didn't have a pill box with three spots for each day I definitely would have either missed doses, or taken doubles

After a while it's so routine you just can't remember if you took them

Yes, you will feel like an old old person when you got to CVS looking at plastic weekly pill organizers, but my advice is to definitely get one

deleted_user 09/15/2012

I second that Joe!
Now I have to take pills & injections 6 times a day and without it, I'd be messed up by now or in the ICU recovering if I even make it there and probably on some other new drug...

My point is, It's hard enough for me to remember taking my regular meds for my liver and the lasix, the wellbutrin, the calcium acetate, the diltiazem, the ranitidine, then my 2 daily insulin shots along with the one or two units of Novalog I inject if my sugar is above 130 1 1/2 hours after each meal...

In other words, it can be complicated to remember when exactly is the time i need to take my meds so that none of them contraindicate the other...

Also, when I miss a dose of something, I do become tired and unfocused... The containers are definitely the way to go!

Respectfully,
Henry

deleted_user 09/15/2012

The little weekly medication boxes are great! If you can find one with Morning, Afternoon and Evening for each day; taking your pills is a no-brainer

ELVISLIVES 09/16/2012

I have used these pill boxes for quite a few years now. I used to be a nurses aide and saw the benefit there. My only issue is that I take meds 5 times a day and can only find ones with 4. I also have a list I wrote out for how many and what I take at each time. I double check this every time. If the house is too noisy at the time of doing meds it can get very confusing.

Also when my dr told me I was low on B12 he said "Lots of elderly people have that problem." It floored me at the time because until then I hadn't considered myself that. Now I can admit I'm elderly (especially while on tx)!!

deleted_user 09/16/2012

Elvis......you are REAL old....................LOL.........or so they say:):)

Get a pill box........its a great help:):)......OLD or not:)

NZmumof3 09/16/2012

I had the pill box but it was up out of the way of the kids so didn't stop me from forgetting. I got a chalk board put it up opposite the kitchen table with a day by day morning and night chart I ticked off. This way my partner could also see if I hadn't taken my meds, even the kids were telling me to take them. It is very visual and I also crossed off the weekly shots left. Cell phone alarms were helpful reminders too.

Just a wee warning: what ever you do, DO NOT rely solely on your memory no matter how good it is. I found my memory got worse and its very upsetting to forget completely your doses and not have the chance to take them. I took my treatment seriously but it happened 4 times, each time I could have sworn I took them. Hoping you don't miss any! smooth treatment sailing MrOSO :-)

MrOSO 09/16/2012

Thanks for all the advice. I purchased a pill container yesterday that has 4 compartments for each day and filled them up last night. It was a lot easier this morning just to gulp down all my meds at once without worring about opening the packages or counting them out.

NZ, I like your idea of a chalkboard, I might give that a try as well.

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