Thinking outside the (pill) box

Over the past months, I've noticed several comments about how difficult it is to find a pill organizer that is large enough to hold the myriad supplements and medications that are necessary for us.

There isn't any law that says it has to come with "Sun AM" or "Wed PM" pre-stamped on it.

My suggestion is to go to your local arts/crafts or sewing/fabric store. These stores sell organizers for beads or sewing notions in a gazillion different styles and sizes. Some come in box forms with x-number of compartments across and x-number down. Some stack. Some stack while screwing to each other (these are great for travel). These and a Sharpie marker are all you need to custom-make a pill organizer that is perfect for YOUR needs.

I hope this helps any of you who are having a difficult time in this area. Please post and let me know if you try this and how it works for you.

lisa

Here's an interesting discussion on this topic that appeared on another forum

[www.inspire.com]

Josiah

Lisa:
I have only just returned from my quest for a daily pill/supplement organizer. Seems they are all organized Mon-Fri single compartments. DUH?

What's wrong with that? asked the salesperson. I asked a simple question and that was "If you are going out for the day and want to take your pills with you, how do you want them organized?" All I got was a blank stare. Obviously they need to be organized by day as opposed to by week. And four compartments per day.

I KNOW that there are a few online sellers as I came across one the other day that was selling these beasts.... problem is that they did not give the measurements of the wee boxes so I did not know if they were the same size as what I have which "just about" works, but the individual lids want to pop open while in transit at the least jostle.

At the dollar store I found a sewing or hobby bits and pieces kit of reasonably sized round 'pill containers' that screw together. Wonder of wonders, 7 in a bag! I took a bunch and will screw four together for each day of the week. Would still love to have a right sized pill organizer by the day; 4 compartments per day. Will report back should I find one.

Going to check out the other thread.

Well, the Dollar Store it is then (I've already been there... for $8 I am set up but was hoping for better).

What I had: A holder that held 7 x 4 compartment boxes with individual covers for MORN, NOON, EVE, BED. It was perfection. If I wanted to get away for the day or go to work or whatever I just slipped the day's box of pills out of the main holder and into my pocket (I put an elastic around it to ensure it did not open in my pocket). Am seriously thinking about carrying TWO of these if I go away. They are just that convenient.

What I presently have and am considering changing to:
In order to accomodate all my meds, vitamins and supplements, I bought a set of 4 stackable, screw together round containers (actually they come in packs of 7). They were $1.00 per stack - spent a total of $8 as I bought an extra stack in cast I crunched one or two. But they are BIG and cumbersome and really not meant for travel unless you are wearing a winter coat or have a purse (I do not).

So I am caught between a rock and a hard place. I cannot squeeze a single additional pill or gelcap into the former system, which is THE ideal system and readily available at most pharmacies.

On the other hand the stackable screw together system, carrying a day's supply in 4 (or 3) stackable screw together containers is huge and bulky but I could store my lunch in there along with the pills.

I am stymied. And am wondering what most everyone else does. I am personally inclined to just use a second square 4 compartment x 7 days system and carry TWO smallish cases instead of one. It is certainly more convenient as it is pocket sized. Once saw a set that was about 50% larger and it would have been perfect but i cannot find hide nor hair of it online or in the local stores including Walmart, the health food stores, pharmacies, the dollar stores, etc.

Very frustrating and something that I am certain my predecessor AFibbers have gone through already.

I am off to bed.

Well gang. Having slept on it for a while I am still stymied as to how to organize, contain and carry my supplements and meds.

On awakening I realize tha these stackable, screw together storage 'disks' are still the same size (I had hoped they would shrink overnight) and are just NOT convenient for tossing into my pocket and going off for the day. If I am going to use them I am going to have to figure out a way to transport them..... and that means an " I'm really happy to see you" look in my pants at the offices I visit, carrying a purse or lunchbox, or wearing a heavy overcoat with large pockets. If I leave them in the car they are going to freeze in our Canadian Winters (although we plan to be out of these winters in a year or two and doing some serious RV'ing). They are GREAT, they are cheap but they are not ideal and are going to use up a bunch of my label maker tapes.

On the other hand, the system that has 7 'wee' 4 section/day removable boxes with individually attached lids that sorta seal up works heavenly well and everyone has seen them in their pharmacy (although you have to hunt and ask for the jumbo size). It fits into my pocket well and is just, plain, much more convenient to use.

I am very, very inclined to give my good wife the stackable disk system for her home scrapbooking system; give some to my son for his (well, his Lord knows what), bits and pieces for paintballing, etc., and be done with them.

I have come to a firm and decisive conclusion this morning! I am going to do nothing at all right now until I have the second set of box type pill holders in my hand. It will be a small matter to put them together with an elastic band.... the biggest drawback is in having the Monday box alongside the Monday box so I am going to have to dremel off the days of the week and use the same colors sides by each.

If anyone has come up with a JUMBO version of this 4 section box, 7 boxes per week, please please let me know and I will kiss the very ground that you walk upon.

When I visit the health food and supplement stores all I get is a blank stare when I ask them about this organizing and storage thing. It's like "we'll sell you lots of supplements but how you organize and carry them is your business."

I am almost inclined to go offshore and get these things made in a JUMBO size.... issue being that I just KNOW that someone out there MUST make one and I just don't have the energy or ambition right now to start a new business although I am certainly most proficient at it and, in fact, do management and IT consulting and administration to put bread on the table. I feel badly when I have to fib and say I am all booked up for tomorrow when all I am doing is giving myself a chance to build up a head of steam..... last night was a bad night. When I slept I slept well, but I was short of breath (too much salt intake or MSG - I ate out and had red meat with specific instructions to put not a thing on it - I knew when it arrived that it had been salted and peppered, etc., and probably had MSG on it to soften it up but I ate it anyway. I'm bad. I was hungry but should have sent it back with a note. So today is a raggedy Anne day. Not much steam but am building one up. So I can decide if I am going to go offshore and find one of these JUMBO systems (twice the size of the standard 7 box/week pillbox system) and start distributing them. The good news is that distribution will be a snap: all of the Health Food stores are listed with Health Canada, as are all of the pharmacies in the entire country. The dollar stores rounds out the market nicely and I figure I can sell them online to boot. What a great retirement business. Only problem is the startup costs for creating the molds... don't know what they cost today but they used to cost some $300K as I recall for a good set. And then another $300K letter of credit to the manufacturer offshore.

Or I could just use two of them and hold them together with a rubber band.

Murray,

If I recall correctly, you live in Canada. I don't know what the equivalent of stores such as Michael's or A.C. Moore (arts and craft) or Joanne's (sewing and crafts) are North of the border. These type of stores will have a much larger selection than pharmacies, dollar stores, or even WalMart (which has a very small domestic goods dept.). You will be surprised how much variety these type of stores have.

I have those round, stackable, screwed-they-become-the-lid-for-the-next-container-below contraptions in 3 different sizes that I have collected over the years for various reasons. I found them all at craft stores.

Happy hunting,

lisa

Hello Murray,

Try Hedonics on-line. Among other things, they sell small ziploc-type bags in lots of several hundred. I have been using these for years when travelling with my supplements. If I am away for more than a few days, I write the day and time of the supplementation on the bag, so I don't get confused!
As fas as I remember, they're not very expensive. And yes, it is a Canadian company. I live in Vancouver and have ordered from them several times.

Cheers, and a terrific 2011!
Reet

Lisa: Picked up several stacks at the dollar store for a buck each yesterday but they are just a pain to carry they are Soooooo big. The will work very well at home though. And we have a labelmaker to label them neatly.

RK, as far as the ziplock bags are concerned, we used to sell baseball cards and medals on eBay and have thosands and thousands of them as they were so dirt cheap on eBay.

Nope, what I'm looking for is the plastic 4 compartment a day, 7 day a week type that has a flip open lid. Makes loading them a breeze and makes carrying them in the morning a breeze as well. Problem is that I have outgrown them so to speak. I need to have TWO sets and just take two daily compartments instead of one. Unless someone comes up with a JUMBO version. And I cannot imagine that nobody out there is making one as there are so many folks in the GNC and other supplement stores that would buy them on sight. Whatever the cost.

Thanks for the suggestions. They do make a JUMBO weekly unit but I would have to buy seven of them and get my son to dremel the extra three days off the things. Go figure.

And there is no carrier for them so they flop around loosely at home which is not an issue. I rubber band them when I take them with me so they don't pop open and give me a surprise.

Well, I have received a response from two of the pill caddy manufacturers and they are both looking at adding extra large size 4/day, week at a time, pill caddies to their lines for those of us taking supplements.

I will keep everyone advised if and when they show.

Murray