When a teenager heads to college, it will likely be the first time that they have complete independence. While it can be an exciting time for them, it can sometimes be daunting for a parent. Ensuring that your teenager is heading off to college being fully prepared is essential, especially for those who take medication. 

When a teenager goes to college, they will likely stay in a shared space. If so, they won’t have their own private bathroom or kitchen to store and manage their medications. They will also be more distracted due to new friends, events, and a different routine. A college student has a lot to learn in their years of education. Meanwhile, they also need to learn how to be responsible for themselves, which might mean learning to manage their medication. 

It is essential that people do not forget to take their medication, misplace it, or simply become careless. Therefore, here is everything to know and learn about how to manage medication in college. 

What To Do Before College (Practice Makes Perfect)

Before college starts and learning kicks in, it is a good idea for teenagers to practice taking their medication alone. Without the guidance of a parent, they will need to understand how to store their medications, when to take them, and how to keep them safe. This practice will engrain the right role of responsibility into them so that they can take this attitude with them to college. 

Practice makes perfect, so it is a good idea to allow a teenager to manage their meds alone before they head to college and start a new life. 

The Best Ways To Manage Medications While At College

When a teenager arrives at college, they will likely feel overwhelmed with new friends, responsibility, and routine. They will not only need to care for themselves, but they will also have a lot of work to complete. While it can feel overbearing, the medication side of things should be settled if they have pre-prepared and practiced before settling into their new college life. 

The best ways to manage medications while at college are as follows.

Set Timers

Should a college student be forgetful, or not used to taking their medication without being prompted by a parental figure, then it can be a good idea to set a timer. This could be on an alarm in their room or on their phone. 

Having a timer will ensure that they are alerted when it is time to take their medication. Whether it be once or several times per day, the sound and notification while reminding them that they need to be responsible for finding and taking their meds. 

Keep Pills In Safe Spots

Speaking of finding medication, it is important that the student never misplaces their meds. Not only could it mean that they go without it, which can harm their health, but it can also be a danger for other people. If someone finds it and takes it, it could cause serious harm. 

Therefore, it is important for the student to always keep pills in safe spots. This will vary for every individual. For some, it might mean keeping it next to their bed. For others, it might mean keeping it in a safe pocket in a bag. 

Either way, it is beneficial to find and reuse the safe spot so that they always know where the meds will be. 

Use A Pill Case

To keep pills safe and in their best condition, a pill case is a great companion to have. This will make sure that the medication is always kept together and easy to grab. 

A pill case can be designed for daily, weekly, and sometimes even monthly use. It depends on how many pills a person needs to take and how many pills a person wishes to carry around with them. 

Using a case will enhance medication management and ensure that every pill is at the individual’s disposal when they need to take them. 

Set Calendar Reminders

Similar to timers, calendar reminders are another useful tool to help with medication management. 

A student could set alerts with calendar reminders on their devices. Or, use an ordinary calendar and write their medication reminders there. 

Seeing as most students will likely use a phone over a physical calendar, it might be more advantageous to use a phone calendar. 

Get To Know The College Surroundings (Pharmacy and Clinic)

Although college is a time where a student should take full responsibility for themselves, it will help them if they have access to clinical services so that they can get new medication (if they run out or lose it) or need some advice. 

Therefore, it is a good idea for the student to research the college surroundings before they arrive at the campus. Most campuses will have a clinic and/or pharmacy on-site, which means the student can attain professional medical advice and support when they need it. 

Being familiar with the location and the staff will make sure that any issue can be resolved as quickly as possible. 

Should a clinic or pharmacy not be located on-site, then it is beneficial for the student to locate the closest one before they head to the campus. Or, before they decide to choose that campus at all. If a student relies on their medication, then they should always have close access to medical help as they might need it as an emergency. 

Choosing a campus with local access to medical attention will ensure that the student can maintain good health and support at all times. 

Final Thoughts On Managing Pills In College

Managing medication in college is an essential part of maintaining good health. Although it can feel overwhelming at first, putting these steps into practice will make the management of pills much easier. A student can quickly become reliable and responsible for taking and storing their pills so that they can always maintain good health while in a new place of education.