Medications can be extremely helpful in the treatment process for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction or a co-occurring mental illness. At high levels of care, medication is managed by a certified nursing staff. The staff will keep track of medication, administer medication, and call in refills as necessary. Clients are checked to see that they swallowed and took their medication. After graduating from a high level of care like residential inpatient to lower levels of care like intensive outpatient, clients often become responsible for their own medications. They might have to administer the medication to themselves, meaning they have to remember when to take their medication as well as how much. Calling in prescriptions, managing pill amounts, and keeping track of bottles might seem like an easy task. For the brain in early recovery which is still struggling to make sense of everyday challenges, this can be difficult. Many individuals in treatment who are managing their own medication go days without taking it, forget to refill it, or throw off their medication program entirely. Thankfully, there’s an app for that.
Pharmacy Apps
Most major national pharmacies today have their own app. Through the app, you can put in your prescription information and set reminders for when you have to refill. Without having to go to the pharmacy or make a phone call, you can request a refill (as it is available according to the doctor’s prescription) and make a request.
Medication Management Apps
The website imedicalapps.com cites a recent study from the University Of Sydney which evaluated over 200 medication management apps to determine which had the most functionality. For those in treatment for recovery, the Medisafe Pill Reminder & Medication Tracker is the best fit for an app. This app helps you set up reminders and lists of medications for each time of day you are supposed to take them. Not only does the app remind you what to take, how much to take, and when to take it- it keeps track of what you missed as well as what you took, according to the information you put in the app. For extra accountability, you can connect friends, family members, or people from your recovery support network to the app who will be alerted when you’ve missed too many meds.
LEAD Recovery Centers is an extended care program designed to give clients the tools they need to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle of recovery after treatment. For information on our programs, call us today at (800) 380-0012.
