Tackle Taking Vitamins or Medications with Ease by Equadose

Tackle Taking Vitamins or Medications with Ease

As winter has turned to spring and the colder weather starts giving way to warmer temperatures, it’s easy to feel a renewed sense of energy and vitality. We’re starting to spend more time outdoors, watching as the grass gets greener and flowers again begin to bloom, and hopefully paying attention to the things that make us feel renewed, too. The renewal of springtime is a great time to firm up or reestablish habits that will help you to be your healthiest self. Are you setting down your smartphone to pick up books again? Did your New Year’s resolutions or healthy routines stick this year? Are you consistently taking the correct dosage of vitamins or medications that your doctor determined were best for your specific situation?

The importance of your vitamin or medication routine can’t be overstated. Vitamins help you maintain your overall health. For example, vitamins like D, C, and zinc help boost immune system strength—something that we’ve all been more aware of in the last handful of years. Fish oil, or omega-3s, are great anti-inflammatories, including for the brain. A multivitamin is a good start to target overall nutrient deficiencies, which the vast majority of people nowadays experience. Those are just a few of the common ones that can benefit most people.

If you’re not already taking vitamins, you’re actually in the minority. Around 75% of Americans have reported taking nutritional supplements regularly. Their main goals are to maintain health and live an overall healthier life. This tracks with data that has shown that those who regularly take supplements are also more likely to practice healthy habits in other areas of their life—like eating right, exercising, and getting good quality sleep.1

In addition to vitamins, though, the use of prescription drugs also continues to rise. Nearly two-thirds of Americans report being on at least one medication, while over one-fourth report taking four or more at once.2

But just because so many people are taking vitamins or medications, that doesn’t mean it’s easy for them to do. In fact, up to 40% of American adults admit to having trouble physically taking pills. Though more common in older adults—partially due to conditions that make it difficult for them to swallow and those individuals tending to be on more medications in the first place—it can affect anyone at any age. For those who can’t find a solution to their troubles of taking pills, it’s easy for them to stop taking vitamins or medications altogether. This can lead to compounding health complications or worse. Unfortunately, the CDC has reported that there are around 125,000 deaths in our country each year by those who don’t take medications as they’re prescribed.3

So, what can be done when it’s hard to take pills? For some, vital medications or vitamins can’t be foregone. Therefore, a solution must be found. That’s where a key at-home solution comes into play. A pill cutter or pill crusher can help make pills easier to take. Cutting them into more manageable sizes or crushing them into a powder and adding them to food can help. Other ways cutting or crushing pills can help include:

  • Saving money. Oftentimes, higher doses of prescription medications cost the same as lower doses—they’re priced based on the number of pills, not the dosage. There are some medications that you can buy the same number of pills at double the dose—for the same cost—and then split them in half yourself.
  • Getting the correct dosage. Sometimes a doctor will prescribe a half pill, so cutting them is the best way to get the most accurate amount when the amount you need is not readily available. Taking the precise dosage is imperative. Incorrect dosing can not only make the medication not work as it’s supposed to, it can actually be more harmful than helpful to your health.
  • Caring for someone. If you’re a caregiver—whether you’re helping someone who needs pills cut or caring for someone who isn’t able to take pills—using one of these tools will help you make this task of your caregiving easier.  

Please note that not all pills can or should be cut. For example, ones in a gel pill, capsule form, with an enteric coating, or time-release ones shouldn’t. Check with your doctor before cutting pills or taking them in any form that’s not as given.

Remember, whether taking vitamins or medications, making sure you’re taking the amount you were prescribed is imperative. Using a pill cutter or pill crusher can help ensure you’re getting the correct dosage per your doctor’s instructions. Increasing medication adherence, or the level to which a patient follows a doctor’s prescription regarding medications, is important for the prescribed medication to work as it’s supposed to and bring about better health outcomes. If you’re not taking the right amount of your medication, you can lose the effectiveness of the medication, risk safety by overdosing on it, and not having the vitamin or medication work like it’s supposed to.

So as the springtime intensifies and you’re back to your routine of healthy habits, make sure your regular vitamin or medication routine is among them. Both vitamins and medications are there for you to stay healthy, prevent future health complications, and improve your overall quality of life.

 

 

References

  1. Council for Responsible Nutrition CRN Reveals Survey Data from 2022 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements. https://www.crnusa.org/newsroom/crn-reveals-survey-data-2022-consumer-survey-dietary-supplements
  2. SingleCare Prescription drug statistics 2025. https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/prescription-drug-statistics/
  3. Harvard Health Publishing When pills pose problems. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/when-pills-pose-problems
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