Medication management equipment

Equipment like pill organisers, pill ejectors or pill cutters could help you organise your medication. 

You can buy equipment like this from a pharmacy. Speak to your Parkinson’s nurse or occupational therapist for more advice.

Pill organisers

Pill organisers can help you arrange and store your medication. This can help you take the right medication and dose at the right time.

Pill organisers have separate compartments for several doses of medication per day. Larger organisers cover a full week.

Types of pill organisers

• Dosette boxes organise medication by the time and day of the week. They can be empty boxes that you refill weekly or may come pre-filled by your pharmacist. Having 2 dosette boxes can make it easier to pick up a refill of your medication at the pharmacy. Dosette-style blister packs are already organised into times and daily doses, according to your prescription.
• Automatic pill dispensers allow you to set the organiser to "unlock" one compartment at a time. This makes sure you’re aware when a dose is due and makes it easy to take the right amount of medication.

Choosing a pill organiser

If you have difficulty using your hands you might prefer a pill organiser with larger buttons and compartments.

Simpler pill organisers may also be better if you have difficulty with your memory and thinking.

Look for alarms that are easy to set and that reset automatically in preparation for the next dose. Many have "pre-set" alarms that repeat daily if you need them to.

Medication alerts will tell you when to take your medication through sounds, vibrations, flashing lights or a combination of these.

You can set these on your phone, tablet or using an Alexa device if you have one. Some devices can send a text message to an emergency contact number if you don't take a dose within a specified timeframe.

Some people find that timers on their mobile phones or digital watches are more convenient than pill timers or pill organisers. 

Some people prefer vibrating timers, rather than beeping ones, because they draw less attention in public.

Pill cutters can help you split pills into smaller sections, making them easier to swallow. These are usually combined with a small plastic container that allows you to place a pill in a slot and cut it cleanly in 2. 

The lid of the pill cutter contains a razor sharp blade that comes down to cut your pill in half, so it’s important to use the cutter correctly and safely.

Pill cutters can be more precise than trying to snap pills in half yourself.

The drugs entacapone and stalevo can be split to help you swallow them but they can taste unpleasant if they’re split. 

You should not use pill splitters on:

• Controlled release or modified release tablets (for example Sinemet CR, Ropinirole XL, Pramipexole PR). Splitting these interferes with the controlled release mechanism.
• Madopar capsules. Your doctor may recommend dispersible Madopar tablets, which you can dissolve in water, instead of regular pills.

You can buy pill organisers, pill ejectors and pill cutters from a pharmacy. Speak to your Parkinson’s nurse or occupational therapist for more advice.