Caregiver Tips for Managing Medications

This post is sponsored in partnership with Greenstone, a Pfizer company. All personal opinions shared are my own.

Caucasion middle age female holding a bouquet of flowers.

If you are in a caregiver role, take a minute, and celebrate YOU. You are doing your best and hopefully, a few of these caregiver tips will resonate with you and help you in managing medications for you or your loved one. 

When it comes to prescriptions, it’s always important to understand how to access your medications to avoid running out of them, especially during these unprecedented times. As caregivers, we should be communicating closely with our loved one’s healthcare providers to ensure they are able to refill their medications in a timely manner.

Know Your Medications

Prescription medications don’t have to be confusing. Do some quick research. Ask about cost, types of medication side effects, and anything else that concerns you. I bet you have heard of generic prescription drugs, but do you know about Authorized Generics? They’re not new, but many people don’t know about them or how to access them. Authorized Generics are a category of generic medications that are made by the original manufacturer.

Did you know that an Authorized Generic drug and other generic drugs are not the same thing?

All generic medications work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit as the brand-name versions. They also meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality and manufacturing standards, but Authorized Generics are made by the same manufacturer as the name brand.

Authorized Generics are the same size and shape as the brand-name drug but do not use the brand name on the label. In a few instances, the medication may have a different marking or, in limited circumstances, a different color. Generics may have minor differences from brand-name drugs, including inactive ingredients, shape, size, or color. You can find a list of all Authorized Generics by visiting the FDA website.

Authorized Generics are available at generic pricing. Many factors will determine what you’ll pay for your medicine, including insurance co-pays, pharmacy charges, and savings cards. You should contact your insurer or pharmacy for specific price information.

Greenstone has been providing Authorized Generic versions of original brand-name medications for over 25 years. At this time, Greenstone sells over 70 Pfizer brand-name drugs as Authorized Generics. This currently includes six of the 25 most prescribed medicines in the United States, across a broad spectrum of diseases and conditions, as of March 2020. GREENSTONE provides Authorized Generics from other manufacturers, in addition to some generic products. Visit GreenstoneGenerics.com to learn more.

As you know, prescription medications are very important to the well-being of your loved ones so those need to be a priority. From my own caregiver experience, I know that things can quickly get overwhelming. Carving out some time for a bit of pre-planning will allow you to advocate for yourself and others to get the needs of your loved one met quickly.

blue pill organizing box with the letters of the days of week on each compartment

Create Online Resources

When I was a caregiver for my mother, I needed to include my siblings in the day-to-day happenings. Together we created a shared online document that could be accessed from anywhere on a smartphone or computer.

Managing medications, appointments, moods, eating habits, and more was easy with an online document. For us, it was easier than a phone call in the respect that the document was accessible for viewing and updating 24/7.

It’s important to keep other caregivers and relatives up-to-date and make sure the contacts and information for medical practitioners, managing medications, and treatment plans are all in one place for easy access.

Caucasion middle age female sorting medications into a blue pill organizer

Take Control

Losing control of everyday tasks isn’t easy for someone that has been independent before aging or becoming ill. You will need to be firm but loving when explaining that you are doing what is best for your loved one.

Managing medications through organization and on a timely basis will be important. Someone who needs care can easily be confused about times of days and quantity and even colors of medicines and supplements they are using. At first, we used a weekly pillbox for the organization, but when the medication needs to be changed that’s when it became tedious and confusing for all of us.

Read this post to learn How To Save on Prescription Drug Costs.

In the end, we created a pill locker. All medications whether brand name or other generics were kept in original containers in a small lockable tote box and I took control. I dispensed medicines at designated times and tracked it in a small notebook that was locked in the totes and easily accessed by in-home medical professionals, easily transported to doctor visits, and accessible if emergency personnel had to be summoned to the home.

pink note book and pink note pad with a red pen on top

Learn More About Greenstone Authorized Generics


Visit GreenstoneGenerics.com to see if there is a Greenstone Authorized Generic available for your loved one’s prescription medication. Not all pharmacies carry Greenstone Authorized Generics, so you may have to request them when consulting with your pharmacist. 

If your pharmacy is unable to provide it, you can use an Authorized Generics pharmacy locator service, such as the one at GreenstoneGenerics.com, to find a pharmacy near you or online that can fill your loved one’s prescription with an Authorized Generic.

Next time you’re about to fill a prescription for a loved one, check whether there’s an Authorized Generic version of the medication and discuss with your doctor and/or pharmacist.

If you’ve found this post helpful, check out this post about Medicare Annual Enrollment Tips next!

Ipad with a screen shot of the website greenstonegenerics.com

This post is sponsored by Greenstone, a Pfizer company, and I received compensation for this article. This should not be construed as medical advice as I am not a medical professional and not qualified to provide medical advice. Please talk with your doctor about your individual medications.

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