Today’s Practical Pill Organizers Go Chic with Sparkle, Snap and Pop

Pill containers that sparkle, snap and pop (like you do with your pills), once were cheap, dull, lifeless as a pill (hence the saying, “She was such a pill.”) But they’ve now found new life. While we may easily denigrate the commonness of this practical device, we might forget how indispensable such dispensable pill cases can be.

In years past, we may have made fun of our parents and elderly relatives who toted them along to lunch, dinner and on trips. Couldn’t they leave them home and remember to take their pills in the morning, noon or night? Or just pop a few into their wallet or purse and be more discreet?

Now that we’ve reached the age when we may be taking multiple pills a day and our forgetfulness is increasing, we’re no longer snarky or snide about such behavior. Count us in on developing our own easy-to-follow routines.

Some of us put our prescription and supplemental pills on a counter and try to remember what to take when. Barbara lines up her scripts on her bathroom counter by a sink in order of how she takes them, some for the morning and others for the evening or both times of the day. She uses a chart one daughter printed out with names of all her medicines to check off doses as she takes each. That’s what prescription life can be like without a pill organizer.

However, even the best routines present problems. Hers occasionally does when she takes a pill but forgets to check it off. Recently, she rushed to Dr. Google to check whether it would be better to skip a dose if she couldn’t remember if she had popped it or whether to take another one in case she hadn’t and risk the chance of a double dose. In either case, would she have to suffer the consequences of no or double dose? In the worst-case scenario, would either cause her to have a stroke or heart attack? Dr. Google advised her to forgo a dose; she luckily lived to write about it. 

Why do she and others feel such pushback about what’s an inexpensive purchase? Like prior generations’ hearing aids, a homely plastic pill container in different shapes that parents pulled out of a pocket like a magician’s rabbit, seems to make us feel even older. We wonder how we got to this age and stage.

Others aren’t wasting time debating and are taking matters into their own boomer hands. This cohort is determined not to identify as sickly. It’s eager to take a host of pills and supplements to enhance health, yet in a much more stylish, better-to-remember way.

Enter the underrated pill box that today has emerged in an enormous array of choices that mediate between bland, affable, practical and even glitzy.  A fashion statement? It can be, and you might want several: one to leave at home, another for business meetings , a third for travel and even a designer fourth for fancy evenings on the town.

In a recent Zoom in which Barbara was a participant, each of her aging peers pulled forth their pill boxes like an adult version of show and tell.  There was a collection of designs and materials in an array of primary colors, from white to clear, blue and pretty pink. Some contained the names of the days of the week, some were blank and could be hand labeled, some looked ready to be toted on travel, and the consensus was that with pill organizers,  the sky is the limit.

After the Zoom, Barbara perused the internet for a pretty case that fit her personality and pills. She even studied The New York Times’ “Wirecutter” site for its ratings and description of best pill cases available, as well as other companies’ and publications’ findings. She saw cases that come in florals, frills, and fringe, sequins and sparkles, hues for each day of the week and countless materials and shapes from chunky, soft and hard cases to masculine/feminine bold prints. Some have two daily compartments or more per day that are large enough for big pills. One even had cute and childish drawings of when to take each pill—connoting sunrise, noon or full sunshine and sunset for evening or bedtime dose.

Barbara carefully read the descriptions about the containers and caps and if they were easy to open for arthritic hands; though she’s not there yet. She also learned that some are more moisture-proof than others, better near a kitchen or bathroom sink. One stood out for being described as pretty with a circular shape, shiny and sleek. All the prices varied greatly, though none represented an extravagant purchase.

The bottom line is that a good pill organizer, whether to perch on a counter at home or inside a purse, pocket or hand-held suitcase, is the good soldier of prescription drugs that keep our pills and our health in line. 

If you’re interested in exploring the range of pill organizers, you can browse options on Etsy for handmade designs, Amazon for a variety of brands and features, stores like Walmart, Target or the Container Store for more practical ones. In each case, consider what matters most to you: overall size, size of each vial or tray and its compartments, shape, design, colors, printing if words are used, ease of opening and closing each container, the price and any add-ons like a cup to take a pill with water or your favorite beverage.

Keep in mind, there’s no magic pill to take to remember to refill the pill case or tray each day or week, unless there’s AI we don’t know about yet that can remind us. Every choice has an up- and a downside as we continue to try to remain healthy.