Savvy Senior: Best pill boxes and medication management tools

Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you recommend some good pill boxes and medication reminding devices? I’ve recently started taking several new prescription medications along with some vitamins I normally take and need to get a pill box that helps me organize them. What can you tell me?

-Almost 70

Dear Almost,

Pill boxes (a.k.a. pill organizers) play an important role in keeping people healthy because they help you stay on top of your medication regimen. While there are many options, here are a few tips to help you choose, along with some top-rated pill boxes as recommended by expert reviewers.

Identify Your Needs

When choosing an appropriate pill box for you, you first need to ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• How many pills do you take and how big are they? If you take only a few medications, a smaller pill box may be sufficient. But if you’re taking multiple medications and large vitamin supplements, you’ll want to get a large compartment pill box that can hold your daily dosage.
• Do you take your pills once a day or multiple times a day? If you take medications only once a day, a simple pill box with one compartment will do. But if you need to take medications multiple times a day, you’ll want to get a pill box with either two, three or four compartments for each day of the week.
• Do you have problems remembering to take your medications? If so, there are organizers that have built-in alarms and reminding features, or you can download a free medication reminding app on your smartphone.
• Do you have a difficult time opening your medication containers? If so, there are easy-open pill boxes or automated medication dispensers that are ideal for those with dexterity problems.
• Do you need a portable pill box for when you’re away from home? There are smaller portable pill boxes made for traveling, some of which have sealed-shut cases that prevent moisture and dust from entering.

Best Pill Boxes

With help from The New York Times (Wirecutter) and USA Today (Reviewed), some of the best pill boxes in 2024 are offered by Auvon and Sukuos, which make a variety of single and multiple compartment pill organizers that are big, colorful and easy to open.

Their top-rated options include the “Auvon Weekly Pill Organizer” for once-a-day medication users; “Sukuos AM/PM Weekly 7 Day Pill Organizer” for twice a day use; “Auvon iMedassist Moisture-Proof Weekly Pill Organizer” for four times a day; and the “Auvon Moistureproof Monthly Pill Organizer” for those who want to organize their medications monthly.

Or, if you’re interested in a travel pill box, the “MUchengbao Travel Pill Organizer” is considered an excellent choice.

All of these pill boxes cost around $10 and are available on Amazon.com or Walmart.com.

High-Tech Pill Organizers

If you need more help keeping up with your medication regimen, there are smart pill boxes that will organize your pills, remind you to take them, track your progress, and even text or email caregivers if pills are missed. A popular option to consider here is EllieGrid (elliegrid.com, $149), which connects the pill box to the EllieGrid app (via Bluetooth) that you would install on your smartphone.

Or if you need even more help, there are automated medication dispensers like the Hero (herohealth.com, $45 per month), which is a comprehensive, Wi-Fi connected, app-based system that will remind you when to take your pills and dispenses them to you.

Medication Reminding Apps

If you’re interested in a medication reminding app, some top-rated choices include MyTherapy (mytherapyapp.com) or Medisafe (medisafeapp.com). These are free apps that you can download in the Apple or Google Play app stores that will send you timely notifications to take your pills, and reminders to refill your prescriptions.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.