Is your health compromised? Do you deal with a lot of prescriptions, vitamins, and other supplements? Are you observing any birth control methods? Do you always forget to take your medicine on time? Are you under long-term medication? Do you catch yourself running out of pills?
These are just some Americans’ daily struggles, which must take two or more pills to keep their health at bay, especially those with chronic conditions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, patients don’t follow their doctor’s prescription 50% of the time! Around 20% to 30% never even have an initial filling of their prescriptions, and the majority take less or stop taking their medication altogether. This is referred to as medication non-adherence and has led to an increase in failed treatments and even deaths among people with chronic diseases.
The National Survey of Family Growth reported that 21% of the 15-24 years old participants of their survey had missed two or more contraceptive pills than the 13% of the participants in the 25-44 age bracket. This simply shows that age is not the primary factor why people forget or miss their medications.
There are various reasons for medication non-adherence. Some forget to take them, some have difficulty remembering all of their medications due to the number and different instructions of taking them, others procrastinate until eventually not being able to take them for the day, some are just too lazy to get refills, and most are pre-occupied with work and other things. The cost of medication is also one reason why people cannot adhere to their doctor’s prescription but without knowing that they are setting themselves up to spending more in this case.
It is a fact that medicines are most effective when taken as prescribed and, in some cases, can even save lives. Adhering to your doctor’s prescription will help lessen your doctor’s visit or avoid going to the emergency room, which in turn lessen expenses for healthcare. You are also saving money by properly taking your medications since pills must be taken within a timeline, and missing one could mean restarting all over again, like in the case of antibiotics. The same goes for patients with chronic conditions.
Fortunately, there are a lot of available aids for those who have difficulty adhering to their medications. There are pill organizers with day and time labels, timer caps, and reminder apps. The latter has proven to be the most cost-efficient since almost everyone has a smartphone on which reminder apps can be easily downloaded. Hence, it is probably best to download a medicine reminder app that will remind you when to take your medicine on time, as often as needed, and with the correct dosage and offer other helpful features.
A great medicine reminder app does not only notify you when you need to take your medicines. It does more than that. It must also include other features such as pill count, refill options, educational aspect, purchasing or pharmacy connections, physician access, and a record of medicines you have forgotten to take, underdosed, or overdosed with. This way, you can have an overall account of your medications and holistic healthcare right at your fingertips.
The following list of the 15 Best Medicine Reminder Apps will surely help you find the right one to fit your needs whenever and wherever. Most of the list apps can be downloaded for free, while some might require you to purchase premium versions to access more exclusive and great features.
- Groove Health
- Care4Today® Connect
- Mango Health
- CareZone
- MedPlan
- Bedsider Birth Control Reminders
- Medisafe
- DoseCast
- MyMeds
- Pill Reminder – All in One
- RoundHealth
- Drugs.com Medication Guide
- RxRemind
- Lady Pill Reminder
- MedList Pro
Groove Health
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: HIPAA covered if activation code from the user’s benefit or healthcare provider was used to register
Standout Feature: Groove Health is the first medication management app with a medication assistant powered by artificial intelligence.
Maxwell, the app’s conversational AI, will be with you throughout your medication and even beyond that. The medication assistant will answer all queries related to your health and medications. He’s like a buddy from whom you will receive words of encouragement and who will share with you some links and articles tailored for your health. This is the solution that will increase medication adherence among its users.
Another great feature worth mentioning about the app is that it provides information about drug interactions based on the medications you have provided and apprise you of what type of food and drinks to avoid. The app will alert you in case it detects something that should be given concern. This is important because certain interactions with drugs bring about side effects and may even result in death. Being informed and educated on this topic can save one’s life, but the best way to know more about this is to talk to your doctor.
You can also share your progress and daily records with family, close friends, and vice versa. This way, you can check and motivate each other. Groove Health proves to be more than just a medicine reminder app.
User Reviews:
mcleod_bk: “Groove Health has been a game-changer for my grandparents. It was essentially a part-time job ensuring they all stayed on schedule with their daily medications before Groove. Now, though, it’s almost like they enjoy staying on schedule. Such a comfort knowing they’re all healthy and taken care of!”
Candi-o: “I never forget my medicine now because the notifications don’t go away till I say I took it. Also, I love that the drug interaction information is provided along with regular info you get.”
Care4Today® Connect
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: To protect users’ personal information, reasonable measures cover organizational, technical, and administrative aspects.
Standout Feature: Automatically illustrates the data input into graphs to show your overall adherence to your medication and keep track of your missed and attended appointments, the changes in your vital signs, and your progress.
This app was conceptualized by Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions, Inc. with prior consultation with healthcare professionals. The main purpose of the app is medication management. Under this option, you can input the frequency, the time the medicine must be taken, and the quantity, along with more options. It will also notify you when you are running low on any medications you have recorded in the app.
Adding your medication is easy and convenient because their database is paired with images of pills and medicines. You can simply compare from the list the actual pill you are taking rather than having to take time scrolling through tens and hundreds of medicines with similar descriptions.
Care4Today® Connect is more than just a medicine reminder app. It also serves as a health tracker by allowing you to input your vital signs such as pulse rate, temperature, and including blood pressure. Other health-related activities like your doctor visits, check-ups, exercise, water intake, weigh-ins, and meals can be entered into the app as well. With its great features, you can actively keep track of your health to make necessary changes in your habits and lifestyle.
User Reviews:
Anonymous Patient: “Care4Today® Connect helps me better manage my health and wellness goals and keep track of my progress. It doesn’t just send me medication reminders; it also helps me monitor my activity and create a report that I can share with my healthcare provider. These tools give me the support I need to play a more active role in my healthcare.”
Mango Health
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: Steps are taken to secure any personal information. Users may elect to opt to exclude the information they provide from being accessed by third parties.
Standout Feature: The app observes a reward system wherein you earn points every time you adhere to your medication schedule. The points earned can then be used to join the weekly raffle to win gift cards and donate to charities. This has proven to be a success mainly because the founder conceptualized that it has a gaming background.
If you want to start building good habits, Mango Health is the right app for you. It sets up alarms for you to take your medication and creates a routine for the user. You can watch your weight, keep yourself hydrated, track your blood pressure, or check your blood sugar level.
Mango Health will keep you informed about the important details regarding all your medications. This includes possible side effects and drug interactions between the medicines you listed. All these pieces of information are accessible through the app anytime and anywhere.
Users can view other app users’ status as they level up on their journey to a healthier lifestyle. This motivates them to follow their medication requirements and actively maintain healthy habits to advance further and have bigger chances to win the rewards.
User Reviews:
Edithann Schaffer: “Very helpful to keep me on track with not only my medication. I monitor my water intake, my weight, my mood and take my blood pressure weekly. It’s very helpful when talking with your doctor.”
Anonymous User: “I’m blown away by this app! Everything is on-point. It’s attractive, intuitive, engaging, and creative. Most medication reminder apps are as dry and dull as you might expect from something so mundane as a glorified alarm, but Mango turns typical on its head. The interface, the game, the PRIZES!”
CareZone
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: All communications and data stored are encrypted using industry-standard AES encryption
Standout Feature: It offers a free monthly delivery service of your medications right at your doorstep. This means that you will never miss a refill or endure long lines in pharmacies.
To enter medications in the app, one simply needs to scan the pill bottles using a phone camera. Because all pertinent information is usually printed on the bottle, you can be sure that the app misses no detail! You will also be notified if it’s about time to get a refill of any prescription you have entered. You can set the app to remind you to check your blood pressure or blood glucose, which will then be presented in graphs. The app can be utilized for the entire family.
What makes everything convenient with CareZone is its pharmacy platform – CareFlow. This made on-time medication delivery possible. It has made the entire process from electronic transfers of prescriptions to synchronization of refills to communicate with patients and customers seamlessly. Another great thing about the app is that it provides access to other vital health services and allows you to share the data with your healthcare provider.
CareZone does not only offer convenience but also presents you with options for saving. They have licensed health insurance brokers across the states who will help you save on Medicare upon checking if you are qualified. You only need to scan your health insurance card and leave all the work to them.
User Reviews:
User #1: “The med reminder not only reminds me to take my meds but also to give my service dog her epilepsy med as well! We couldn’t make it without you!”
User #2: “I take multiple medications, and the app keeps me on track of when and how to take my meds. CareZone feels like an old, trusted friend, and I look forward to checking off my meds every day.”
MedPlan
Price: Free; In-App Purchases
Availability: Available on Google Play only
Information Security: App servers are secure.
Standout Feature: The app has an all-encompassing trivia game where you get to learn medical facts, understand how your body works, and know how to take care of it correctly.
The app is divided into five features – reminders, health history, health news, game quiz, and extras.
The reminders feature contains the schedule of medications and doctor’s appointments so that you will never miss them. You can input your vitals, weight, blood pressure, temperature, blood sugar, and others in the health history tab. You can also note your allergies or side effects.
There are articles and infographics for different medical fields and conditions in the health news section in a newsfeed format. Likewise, there is a separate women’s and men’s health section since both have different needs and require different treatment plans in some instances.
The game quiz showcases a lot of trivia questions with anything under the medical umbrella as the topic. It could be about first aid, sexual and reproductive health, common diseases, chronic diseases, mental health, pharmaceutical, and just about anything that can add valuable knowledge about human health.
The extras tab allows you to choose your medication reminder sound, acquire a monthly report from your self-reported medical information and history, and save other health information.
User Reviews:
Fiki Nessa: “This is an excellent app with an easy-to-use interface. It provides background information on drug function and effects. The medical/health news feed is also an excellent means to stay informed on health-related issues!”
Lisa Mote: “It indeed is a very lovely app. Suitable for any health-conscious person, especially those living with chronic diseases. I love the health news feed. Keeps me updated.”
Joel Onuwabhagbe: “Great app. I love the Health measurement feature and the fact that it saves my medication history.”
Bedsider Birth Control Reminders
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: Security procedures are in place, but no guarantee of a completely secure system.
Standout Feature: Entertaining content that prevents the user from quickly dismissing the reminder.
This app was specially designed for women but can also be used by men for educational purposes or to work things together with their partners. Whether you observe the pill, the patch, the shot, or the ring method for birth control, Bedsider Birth Control Reminders will help you keep track of them and avoid an unplanned pregnancy before you are ready. With everything that’s going on in our daily lives, it can’t be helped that a tiny little pill, patch or ring replacement, and shot schedule can be forgotten among all our other to-dos.
Besides setting a reminder of when to take your pills, the app also allows you to set reminders for your next appointment with your physician. There’s a snooze button you can hit when it alarms, and the timing is not convenient for you.
The fun trivia that flashes with the reminder adds an entertainment factor to the app that makes you look forward to the next notification. The explorer portion of Bedsider gives valuable information and comparisons of the different birth control methods you could use and study to help you decide which method to commit to.
You can also opt to be notified through Short Message Service (SMS) in addition to the app. This service is available for almost all carriers, including but not limited to Virgin Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
User Reviews:
Laura Dobroski: “This is a great way to get my daily reminder to take the pill, way less obvious and obnoxious than when I used my phone’s alarm.”
Deb Delk: “I love this app. I like the little messages in the reminders.”
Medisafe
Price: Free; Offers In-app Purchases; Premium costs $4.99 a month
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: HIPAA Compliant; ISO 27001 Certified; 256-bit Encryption
Standout Feature: Users can invite caregivers, friends, and family to the app. They will then be notified if you have forgotten to take a pill and are given the option to either text, call, or e-mail you. This way, you can be sure that someone will always check on you regarding your medications.
When you download the Medisafe Pill Reminder and Medication Tracker App, you do not only get to be reminded to take your medications on time. It also gives you a weekly adherence rating as you go through the week, ensuring you know your missed medications.
The health companion feature allows you to browse through videos about specific medications. This could be more effective than reading paragraphs and paragraphs of information about the drugs since it is more engaging.
Besides providing information, the app also educates you about the possible reactions when taking other medications and eating certain foods.
User Reviews:
Michaela Miller: “Using this app has helped me remember to take doses when I put it off (snooze option), helps me aim to do better when it tells me my overall results for the week, and gives many options for why I choose to skip or cannot take a dose. I’ve been able to take my pills more regularly and remember that I’ve taken them. This app also includes some informative videos about what I’m taking too. I can’t wait to see where this app goes in the future, but even if it stays the same, I’m happy.”
DoseCast
Price: Free; Pro Edition with Cloudsync costs $2.99 monthly
Availability: Available on Google Play, App Store, and Amazon
Information Security: The app and data transmissions maintain no identifiable information is encrypted.
Standout Feature: The Pro Edition of the app offers Doctor and Pharmacy Tracking, which allows you to link medications individually to your doctor or chosen pharmacy. It also allows you to contact them through the app.
DoseCast can be used whether you have an internet connection or not. If you are a jet setter, this is the right app for you because it takes note of your timezone and accordingly adjusts the reminders to take your medications.
Aside from the daily reminders, special directions, notes, duration of the prescription, expiration date of the pills on-hand, and the refill date are also provided. It tracks your medication schedule as well. Users can review the intake history of anyone they have registered in the app for the last month to check all the missed, skipped, or delayed doses. You will also be notified if you are over-dosing according to the maximum dose allowed for every medicine.
Since not everyone can follow a schedule to the tee because of other activities that we engage in our day-to-day lives, the app has a helpful feature that allows you to postpone medicine intake or take them earlier than scheduled. The only feature that might hamper medication adherence is the “Skip Doses” option on the pop-up window itself.
The app includes RxSaver Services, which could give users big discounts and coupons. Dosecast has been featured in various publications such as Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, Real Simple, and other major publications.
User Reviews:
Anonymous User: “I had a major issue complying with epilepsy medication, which I need to take every 4 hours. Aside from occasionally forgetting to take my medication, I might accidentally forget that I’ve taken a dose and re-take it-which can be dangerous. Since installing Dosecast and setting up a reminder, I now always take my medication safely and on time. Thanks, Dosecast!”
MyMeds
Price: Free
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: HIPAA-compliant
Standout Feature: Real-time data exchange between user-patients, their caregivers or healthcare providers, pharmacy, app med coaches, and insurance providers.
The above-stated exchange between the people concerned is that it has made early intervention possible resulting in early treatment and better health.
MyMeds believes in the concept that just like many other things we do, taking medications can be formed into a habit – either adhering to them or not. The habit of non-adherence must be stopped at the onset, and this is where the app comes to be superior to the others. With MyMeds, you will never feel alone in your medication journey. You can even use your app to manage the medications of your family.
You no longer have to worry about forwarding messages across all healthcare professionals involved in your treatment and medication because this app can keep them up-to-date for you.
This is also an educational app as there are medical-related videos you can watch and learn from. The app can help you compare your medicines’ prices and point you to avail yourself discounts.
For the medication and refill reminders, you can choose whether to receive them by push notification, text, or e-mail. It’s totally up to you depending on what works and is effective.
User Reviews:
Anonymous User: “Convenient way to keep track of meds and supplements for the whole family. Sharing feature is a smart way to get the info to the physician. Love the archive feature too.”
Olay 40: “I’ve been looking for an app that lets me manage my parents’ and kids’ meds all in one place. This one lets me do that and send text reminders to each of them, even my parents who just have regular cell phones.”
Pill Reminder – All in One
Price: Free; Offers In-App Purchases; Full Version for a one-time payment of $1.99
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: Observes commercially acceptable standards of securing users’ information.
Standout Feature: It has multiple user support that allows one member to be in charge of everyone’s medications in the family. This allows an organized and complete recording of all medications, which can be presented to their doctors and other healthcare providers.
As long as your medications are to be taken at a regular interval, Pill Reminder will do the work of reminding you to take them without any problem. One of its main features is that it allows you to reschedule doses for the day when you have either taken them late or earlier than scheduled. You can also set a repeating reminder to a maximum of six times in equal intervals.
If your doctor has advised you to suspend any medications in the meantime, the app also gives you the option to do so with a corresponding resume button if you are told to take them again without having to delete and reenter its data all over again.
Your medication history can be sent directly to your physician through e-mail so he can check your progress with the prescription he or she has given you and make changes if necessary.
User Reviews:
DustyFirst: “With aging parents and aging siblings, I found myself challenged with assisting them in documenting and tracking each person’s medication and more. I am NOT in the medical field but found this to be helpful for me and others who find themselves assisting in In-home care by default.”
Shakhilia Lindsay: “Does everything I need, and I haven’t had any issues with this app! Impressed it keeps up with the time zone I’m in and am automatically update the time as necessary.”
RoundHealth
Price: Free
Availability: Available on App Store
Standout Feature: Time window setting
With RoundHealth, the time you set to take your medicine, vitamins, or supplements is more flexible because it offers a time window between half an hour to a whole two hours. In this case, it would be impossible to miss your medications since the app will constantly be reminding you within the set time window. The alarms that go with the app are subtle and will not put you in an awkward situation where you have to hurry to turn off your regular phone alarm.
It’s a simple and easy-to-use app with an intuitive interface that will allow anyone, even those who are technologically challenged, to go about it stress-free. It can accommodate multiple and complex medications. The app likewise covers refill reminders. Users can view the calendar mode to see what dates they have missed for their medications.
The features of the app are very well suited for iOS users. You can receive the reminder even when your phone is locked, and you can easily swipe to mark the notification as taken or snooze it to a later time if you cannot take it at the moment. The app can also be linked to the user’s Apple Watch, adding to its accessibility and hassle-free factor.
User Reviews:
Anonymous User: “A good app to keep reminding me to take my meds. It gives multiple warnings around the time you need to take your meds, which is important for me. In the past, I’ve had just one alert for my meds, and if I miss that alert, I forget to take them completely.”
Treefairyfawn: “The app keeps me accountable and never second-guessing or double-dosing on accident!”
Drugs.com Medication Guide
Price: Free; Offers In-app Purchases
Availability: Available on both Google Play and App Store
Information Security: Generally accepted standards for data security are observed for both transmitted and recorded information.
Standout Feature: Since this app is linked to a website, you can be sure that its database is complete and always updated – from drug listings to the latest FDA alerts and drug approvals.
If you use this app, you do not only have access to a medication organizer and reminder, but you also get to have a comprehensive list of all drugs, consumer information, and possible interactions with other drugs, food, and medical conditions automatically. These kinds of information are also stored in the app, and you don’t need to be online all the time to read through them.
You can be sure to find any medication you are taking. The app can easily identify any pill you are entering into the system through its imprint and even by just its color or shape. If you do not know your medicine’s correct spelling, you can use the smart phonetic search.
In the Q&A part of the app, you’d be surprised to learn that your questions are similar to that of other users. The answers for which are also displayed on the app.
There are many other helpful tools on the app, such as dosage information, possible side effects, and the Symptom Checker. The latter goes beyond what is expected of a medicine reminder app.
User Reviews:
Keith Roberts: “So helpful. Great tool. I have all my 22 different meds organized here, and all my safety concerns with the different combinations and interactions are highlighted and explained. Whenever one of my doctors adds something new, all I have to do is add it to the list, and the interactions with all the others are automatically updated. Besides all that, it prints a very nice wallet-size list for me.”
RxRemind
Price: Free; Offers In-App Purchases
Availability: Available on Google Play, App Store, and Windows App
Information Security: Any personal information you enter is never tracked nor provided to third parties.
Standout Feature: The greatest feature of this app is its security. You can use the app without giving any personal information or information that you think can be traced back. Registration requires only the essential data about your medications. You can even utilize the app offline without missing out on any function of the app. Registration and linking your RxRemind account with other accounts on other social media platforms is not necessary.
For an added personal security, the developers of the app have given users the option to add their passcode.
RxRemind understands the importance of and gives priority to medication adherence. It does not only give you reports on how consistent or inconsistent you are with taking your medicines. It also helps you improve this habit. This is the primary reason for the development of this app. The simplicity of the app directs your attention to observing medication adherence.
It doesn’t matter whether you are taking one pill or multiple pills with complex dosage and instructions. The app will surely organize them for you, which is less than another thing to worry or stress about.
The app helps its users find the nearest hospital and chemist or pharmacy to your current location through maps whenever you need a refill for your medications.
User Reviews:
Bart: “I downloaded every RX app in the store, and this is the best one! It’s easy to use and has all the necessary functionality!”
Mohit Bhalani: “This app is exactly what I was looking for. Brilliant app and the first time I have gone weeks without missing a tablet.Thanks to everyone who is involved with this app. You are awesome.”
Lady Pill Reminder
Price: Free; Offers In-App Purchases
Availability: Available on Google Play
Information Security: Appropriate security measures are observed to stop unauthorized parties’ access and safeguard user information.
Standout Feature: The simplicity of the app is one of its strongest features since it helps achieve its main purpose, and that is to make sure that you don’t miss a single pill. There are no unnecessary features that will make the app complicated to use.
This app understands every lady’s needs when it comes to taking birth control pills. For the app to understand these needs, you have to indicate the exact type of pills you are taking and when you usually take them.
It will take note of your starting day and will send you notifications during the period. You will not receive any reminders or alarms during your break days from the pill for the cycle. This helps avoid any confusion in your pill intake. The app will also remind you when you need to buy a new pack of birth control pills.
If you have symptoms, mood changes, or are experiencing other changes in your body, you can note them in the virtual pill pack illustrated in the app.
The alarm and notification they send are discrete, so you don’t have to worry about alarming others as well. It is not blocked by the Do Not Disturb mode on your phone and will keep popping in your notifications unless you do take them.
User Reviews:
Noemi Magyar: “I love this app, it makes birth control pills easy to understand, it has a very personalized aspect to making sure it’s optimized for the kind you take and how many you have.”
Ana A: “It works well, it never failed to notify me (unlike other apps) it doesn’t have too much publicity or annoying ads. And it shows the actual pill pack (unlike many other apps with just a calendar) which I personally love.”
MedList Pro
Price: Free; Offers In-App Purchases
Availability: Available on Google Play
Information Security: Any personally identifiable information is kept secure from third parties unless the user’s consent is obtained.
Standout Feature: It supports multi-patient tracking wherein you can upload photos for different profiles for easy identification and avoid confusion.
The app can serve as your and your family’s medication journal to input any relevant information about your medicines, treatment plans, vitals, appointments, and medical history. It can come in very handy during your visit to the doctor or other healthcare establishment. You can show them the data you have registered on the app, so you no longer have to keep repeating yourself and explaining the patient’s medical situation. No need to worry about lost lists anymore. It offers much better security than a piece of paper because it can be password protected.
Users can take photos of their medications and save them on the app as a guide. This lessens the confusion compared to looking for photos of the drug in the app’s album. Set as many reminders as necessary as the use of the app is free and unlimited. If a notification is ignored, a talking reminder and alert e-mails will be received by the user.
Language can be selected, whether English, French, Spanish, or German.
User Reviews:
Julie Fields: “Great app for listing our medications! So easy to just show health care workers instead of needing to remember generic names and dosages. Thank you for creating this!”
Alan Johnson: “I like the app. It is user-friendly and is easy to use. You don’t have to carry a list of medications around with you; it is all on your phone. Helps when I go to the doctor’s office for a visit. I show the nurse the app page with all my medication listed when she is taking vitals, and she checks off the list against my records. I recommend the app if you have a list of medications you take.”
