Giveaway and Review - MedCenter System

It's not a secret that cancer patients take drugs.  As do the elderly and most of of the people in this country. And, if you take more than one, like I do, then you end up having pill bottles stacked around. Not only that, but if you have chemo-brain, you might not remember how many pills you have taken in a day.

I know I have done this - had a day of pain and likely taken more than prescribed.  On the other end, I've had days where I felt good and didn't take any, when one of them is supposed to be taken anyway to keep the pain control at a steady level.   Non-compliance with medication is a huge problem in the medical world, and a lot of it is accidental.  "Did I take my pills today?  Hmmm.....well, I guess I better take one/skip one, just in case."   So, when I was asked to review this MedCenter System, I didn't hesitate.

The MedCenter System is not one of those weekly pill counters that still leaves you with bottles of pills in your bathroom or bedside or kitchen - several types of which I've tried and discarded.  It seems silly to only use it for a week when you have a month of medicine.  This system has the entire month at your disposal in a very handy and neat-looking form factor.  Not only that, it comes with a timer that you can set for up to four times a day, for your morning, afternoon, evening and nighttime meds, and will remind you when your next dose is due.  Each case end has a different color - green means full, red means empty and you can see it at a glance.  There is a little tray marked "today's pills" and you take that case out of the stand, put it in the tray and take your meds at the appropriate time of the day, and then when you put it back that night, you turn it over to the red side, and pull out the next days pills.

There are only two problems that I have found using this system.  One, the containers can be difficult to open at first.  I had a spoon sitting beside the system so I could open using that instead of my fingers. It has a little curve on the side so a spoon will just pop it open.   If you are setting it up for an elderly parent, you may want to open and close each case for a bit to loosen it up, and show them the spoon trick.   They do, however, loosen, and not all were tight - 90% of them were easy to use straight from the box.  The other problem is that not all of us get a monthly supply of pills at once.  Some of mine are every ten days, some every month, and that happens at different times during the month. I used to save all the bottles so I'd see how empty they were getting and know when to refill.  Instead, I now keep a little pad and paper behind the system with the prescription number and refill date (which I also put into my calendar).

The best part is that I don't take too many meds per day anymore. If I'm having a bad day with pain, then I just know I have to take what is in the container and not keep reaching for the bottle, possibly overdosing myself and then have the problem of being short at the end of the month.   But the best best part is that I have my counter cleaned up.  I keep mine in the kitchen as it is the handiest place.

Before:

After:

As you can see, there is an open spot for your nasal spray, if you happen to be addicted to Afrin like I am.

This is an excellent product for anybody who needs to take medications and I highly recommend it.  It would be especially handy for a confused elderly person but is very useful for me too.

Not that I'm not confused. Or, by some people's estimating (hello son), elderly.

So, where do you get one?  Well, the MedCenter System products can be found nationwide at a variety of retailers including Walgreens, as well as hundreds of .coms, including our favorite store, Amazon.com

But, in honor of this month of giving, the company has agreed to giveaway not one, not two, but three of these MedCenter Systems to my readers!

Here is all  you have to do.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/MedCenterSystems and "like" their facebook page.   Then come back here, leave a comment telling me you have done so, and I will randomly choose a winner.  You must comment by noon on December 12th.   You may remain anonymous in your comments but you will have to share your name and address with me privately if you do win so you can be shipped the product.  The company promises it will ship as soon as they get it, so it might make a nice Christmas gift.

Oh, and if you can, please take the time to vote for me on Healthline's Best Blogs contest.  Not a requirement of entry but I would appreciate it.

 The contest is closed and the winners will be announced this week.  Thank you!