Taking medication at the precise time and dosage as prescribed by your doctor is often tricky, especially if you have to take several medications at different times of the day. Fortunately, there are many medication reminder apps you can use to remind yourself to take your scheduled doses.
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According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 24% of people in the United States took three or more prescriptions in the past thirty days, and over 12% take five or more medications. Likewise, according to a recent CivicScience poll, 70% of U.S. adults report taking at least one prescription medication per day, with 36% reporting 3 or more prescription medications daily.
One study has shown that 40% – 50% of patients with chronic diseases requiring medication fail to adhere to their medication dose and timing. Importantly, medication adherence rates are similar even in patients with medication costs covered by insurance, suggesting that the failure in adherence can be — at least in part — due to forgetfulness.
Medication reminder apps can be very helpful for patients who have multiple chronic conditions and have difficulty remembering to take different medications at different times during the day.
What Is a Medication Reminder App?
Medication reminder apps are digital applications that remind a person to take their scheduled dose as directed by their healthcare provider. It works just like an alarm or SMS (short message service, also commonly known as texting) that alerts users when it’s time for their prescriptions.
A 2017 study of 1198 participants showed that there was an improvement in both remembering to take medications and taking them on time without delay for patients who received SMS reminders. A majority of patients thought that SMS reminders were helpful in controlling the disease, and nearly all patients claimed they would recommend the system to their friends and family.
The Best Apps
The following are some of the best medication reminder applications you can easily install on your smartphone (available on android, iOS, and many other smartphones) to help you adhere to your medication regime.
1. MediSafe
According to the MediSafe site, pharmacists rank MediSafe as the #1 medication app. The Medfriend feature of this app allows you to synchronize your data (dose scheduled report) with your caregivers and family members.
This means that if you accidentally miss your dose, your friends or family will automatically get push notifications about your missed dose.
Other features of MediSafe include:
- Personalized reminders for each vital medication
- Information about 30,000+ drug interactions with warnings and side effects
- The ability to record and monitor your blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, weight, and blood sugar level
- Prescription refill alerts
- Visual progress reports that you can share with your doctors
The MediSafe app is free, but requires a subscription to unlock premium content, which costs $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually.
Review: The rating of the MediSafe app is 4.7/5 on the App store.
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2. My Therapy Pill Reminder
My therapy is also another top medication reminder app. Apart from providing daily medication reminders, data synchronization, and sharing progress reports like other apps, it also offers its users the option to:
- Track other health information like mood, blood pressure, and body weight
- Record symptoms and receive personalized tips accordingly
- Track medication injection sites such as the upper arm or stomach
The My Therapy Pill Reminder app is free, but tech support can have some associated fees.
Review: The rating of My Therapy Pill Reminder app is 4.8/5 on the App store.
3. Dosecast
Dosecast’s basic feature (free version) only includes the ability to enter prescription information and set reminders. The paid version, which costs $2.99 per month or $27.99/year, unlocks extra functionality such as:
- Seamless data synchronization with other users
- Progress reports for doctors or caregivers
- Medication tracking with refill reminders
- Option to upload a medication photo to identify each medication easily
Review: The rating of Dosecast app is 4.2/5 on the App store.
4. EveryDose
EveryDose also shares similar features to the above-mentioned apps, such as pill reminders, alerts, and reports. The unique feature of this app is that it offers an AI-powered virtual medical assistant called “Maxwell.” This feature helps users get answers to medication-related questions.
Other features include:
- Information about 10,000+ drug-to-drug interactions
- Foods to avoid during your prescription drug therapy
- Progress reports that can be shared with caregivers, family members, or doctors
- An overview of medication history (showing taken and missed doses)
The EveryDose app is free, but requires a subscription to unlock premium content, which costs $9.99 per month or $59.99 annually.
Review: The rating of EveryDose app is 4.7/5 on the App store.
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5. Pill Reminder-All in One
The Pill Reminder-All in One app allows you to personalize your medication schedule by recurring times and share data with other users. It also gives refill reminders and allows you to track your taken and missed doses. The Pill Reminder-All in One is a free app, and the full version only costs $1.99.
Other features include:
- Alerts about expiring medication
- Medical appointment reminders
- An FDA database search to learn more about your prescription medication
Review: The rating of Pill Reminder -All in One app is 4.7/5 on the App store.
REFERENCES:
- FastStats. (n.d.). Therapeutic Drug Use. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm
- Kleinsinger, F. (2018). The unmet challenge of medication nonadherence. The Permanente Journal, 22.
- https://www.medisafeapp.com/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dosecast/id365191644?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
- https://www.everydose.ai/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pill-reminder-all-in-one/id816347839
About the Author
Reviewed by Dr. Ryo Sanabria
Dr. Ryo Sanabria, PhD, was born and raised in New York. They received a B.A. and M.A. in biotechnology from CUNY Hunter College, and an M.A., M.Phil., and PhD in Nutrition and Metabolic Sciences from Columbia University. Dr. Sanabria is a professor who currently teaches at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Their areas of expertise include gerontology, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and nutrition. They are the recipient of many awards and grants and have authored numerous research papers. The most rewarding part of their work is training and mentoring new scientists. Dr. Sanabria is an avid fitness enthusiast, and in their free time, they enjoy marathon running and weight-lifting. Dr. Sanabria's pronouns are they/them/their.
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