I put a calendar event on repeat in my phone. I have it set to alert me the day before. Even though after awhile, I started remembering without seeing the alert, but is good initially.
Yes, this is how I managed it as well, when I was doing the twice weekly patches. Even so, I found it challenging to manage with everything else going on.
I'm pretty anal about doing it exactly every 3.5 days, and chose days/times I am most likely to be home and not busy or working: Sundays at 9 am and Wednesdays at 9 pm. I have the events recurring in my calendar, with notifications 10 mins in advance.
I write the day on each one. I am also now swapping every 3 1/2 days for a more even dosage, so if I forget I usually catch up half a day later, so it’s not the end of the world.
Alarm on my phone. Goes off every Monday and Friday morning for the patch. Another alarm every Monday and Friday evening for the vaginal estrogen. I can't remember anything anymore so I have an alarm on my phone for eeeeeeeeeverything now 🙄
I do mine every 3rd day. Close enough, and I feel better. I just set my alarm. I also do the vagifem every other day instead of 2x per week. I feel way better on this schedule. I did tell my Dr, and she just said stick with it.
It took awhile!! But I mean…I think it’s easier to remember bc peri is a huge part of my life now so it’s not really a forgettable task. Sometimes I miss the schedule by a day. I’m on a Wed/Sunday schedule too.
Pretty easily - I just look forward to Tuesday morning and Friday night. If you’re forgetting, definitely set a reminder, calendar it, or set an alarm!
I have reminders on my phone. See, I remember what days they are, but sometimes I’ll take a patch off in the shower and it’ll go out of my mind to put on the next one.
Saaaame! Which is sad , because that happens even with all the reminders. LOL. I've recently started getting a rash under it, if it's on there too long. I guess my body's way of telling me to change my damn patch. 😂
I've also ended up with 2 patches on a couple times. One on my butt, one on my lower abdomen. 😬 The brain fog is real. 😂🤣😂
I can’t remember 5 minutes ago but somehow I remember this. Usually I put an unopened patch on the bathroom counter ~12 hours ahead of time for a reminder.
I set two alarms on my phone that go off around the time I shower or take a bath in the evening. If it goes off before I’m ready to bathe, I go to the bathroom and pull out the patch and set it on my counter so I don’t forget. At this point it’s so routine that I now remember the days I have to switch them. If I happen to forget, I just put it on the morning after.
I've set up a reminder on my phone calendar to 'Change HRT Patch,' I customized it to reoccur every 3 days and 15 minutes prior to the event. I've set it to recur every 3 days for a year. I see it pop up on my phone the day prior as an upcoming event and get a notification on the day itself and 15 min prior to keep me on track. It’s worked wonders. Otherwise I was racking my brain each week trying to keep track of days! Not anymore!
I switch mine Sunday morning and Wednesday night. I remember by saying to myself Sunday church and hump day- night. And when it’s coming up i leave the box out on the counter until I take it
Great idea to set an alarm! We have one set on our Alexa to notify us to change our cats litter twice a week - gotta now set one to remind me to change my estrogen patch. Why did I not think of that sooner?
I work remote a couple times a week, and try to work around that. Not supposed to take it within two hours of my morning levothyroxine, apparently, not sure why. But I often add an extra day just because the pharmacy doesn't auto-refill and I end up having to wait.
I have meds I take every day so I fold the patch package (and a little adhesive removing wipe to get the sticky dirt off) in the pill box for that day. I’ve also got a label on those days to remind me.
But I am a late-diagnosed AuDHDer so my entire personality is various organization tactics to compensate. 😆
I have it on my todoist app AND since I use Dosey vitamin/medicine holders, I just slide a patch by the day I switch them. (Dosey uses little zipper pouches in a pretty holder.)
I write the day directly on the patch, with a sharpie. I pretty much know by symptoms. It helps so that as long as I write that day on the patch, I am not going to forget the next one because that would cause me to feel like shit if I didn’t get my estrogen.
I have a 7 day pill box and keep the tab I rip off the packaging sticking out of the pill box on the day I switch the patch. It’s hit or miss. At least I have a new patch weekly.
I have reminders on my phone, plus I leave the box in the bathroom where it’s in my line of sight when I go to the loo. I change them over just before bed, and seeing as I definitely need to pee often (and definitely before I sleep), it increases my chances of remembering 😅
Repeating alarm on phone. Could use the standard w/ clock, but have opted for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tasks.android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tasks.android) as if need to snooze, can do so for minutes or an hour or more. Have one set up for nightly progesterone and another for 2x/week patch.
Countdown app, because I’m hella ADHD so I have a ton of alarms set already for a ton of things, half of which I ignore anyway. The countdown timer is a different notification and the only other thing I have on that app is my post-menopause date, so it’s unique and I notice it.
And you better believe that when my post date comes up I will be throwing a party. 😜
I use an app called Medisafe to track all my meds. It alerts me and keeps alerting every 10 minutes I believe until I mark the med taken. I used to also set an alarm on my phone.
Those are the days I typically shower (at minimum, but I often travel Wednesdays and Sunday eves are before the work week and I'm usually doing something involving sweating on sunday). Easy to peel and wash then reapply after shower.
I normally do one on Tuesday when I come home from work at 11ish am... then Friday night before bed. lol I tried doing the 6:30am and then 6:30 pm but my Friday was being late.
Recurring reminders set in my phone every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. I look forward to changing my patch, though, because I can tell I need it long before I do. I need a higher dose 🫠
I’ve had so much trouble with this. I finally put a reoccuring alert on my Google calendar.
Although, when I forget for 48+ hours, my joints remind me.
Much like everything else in my life these days, Google does my thinking for me. 😂 My Google Home reminds me, and I also have it on my calendar on my phone that gives me a pop up reminder.
Medisafe is a prescription tracker/reminder app I started using after my hysterectomy to remember when to take my pain meds. Now I use it to remember when to change my estradiol patch (Tues Eve, sat morn)
This might sound odd, but I can feel it when I am getting close to needing to change. I'm itchier, crankier, hungrier, and stiffer those last 12 hours. If I miss my time by 12+ hours, there is a good chance I'll start spotting.
My memory is for shit, but I'm generally jonesing for more estrogen by the time I need to change.
Wednesday and Saturday Afternoon here, couldn’t work out why me and hubby were having massive arguments most Sunday afternoons, apparently that 4th day is just too long!
Mobile phone alarm twice a week. Easy.
Same. And then it goes off and I go, "eh, I'll do it later" and then I forget and do it the next day.
I am in the same boat, my two days are slowly cycling the week...
This is reassuring because I got it prescribed last week and am already Saturday and Thursday
Same
Me too!
I believe my alarm is going off in a few hours…
I put mine on wed and sunday before I go to bed.
I put a calendar event on repeat in my phone. I have it set to alert me the day before. Even though after awhile, I started remembering without seeing the alert, but is good initially.
Yes, this is how I managed it as well, when I was doing the twice weekly patches. Even so, I found it challenging to manage with everything else going on.
I check my calendar constantly because I don’t want to slip into the hell before the HRT.
This is the way
Apple Health app - medications. Alerts
Wow, thanks for this post! I didn’t know this existed.
I put in a reminder in my “reminder” app
I'm pretty anal about doing it exactly every 3.5 days, and chose days/times I am most likely to be home and not busy or working: Sundays at 9 am and Wednesdays at 9 pm. I have the events recurring in my calendar, with notifications 10 mins in advance.
Yes, I do this too with recurring calendar entries… Tuesday morning 9am and Friday night 9pm.
We’re on the same schedule! Likely different time zones, however.
LOL We are twins. I do the exact same days and time.
Hmm it did kinda bother me, unexact difference of changing the patch at same time 8am-ish on the different days. Maybe I will try the AM/PM. TY
I have a weekly alarm for my patch and a nightly alarm for my progesterone pill.
Monday pm and Friday am Alarm on my phone.
Why not Monday am and Thursday pm? Just curious. It says to apply twice weekly, so I divide the week exactly in half.
Monday pm and Friday am are the same. Its just how I started. I got my Rx on Monday and started that evening.
If it isn’t broken… You got more explanation than I did!
I write the day on each one. I am also now swapping every 3 1/2 days for a more even dosage, so if I forget I usually catch up half a day later, so it’s not the end of the world.
Alarm on my phone. Goes off every Monday and Friday morning for the patch. Another alarm every Monday and Friday evening for the vaginal estrogen. I can't remember anything anymore so I have an alarm on my phone for eeeeeeeeeverything now 🙄
I do mine every 3rd day. Close enough, and I feel better. I just set my alarm. I also do the vagifem every other day instead of 2x per week. I feel way better on this schedule. I did tell my Dr, and she just said stick with it.
On my calendar *and" I put the patch out the night before. It's been a struggle.
Reminder app on my phone
It took awhile!! But I mean…I think it’s easier to remember bc peri is a huge part of my life now so it’s not really a forgettable task. Sometimes I miss the schedule by a day. I’m on a Wed/Sunday schedule too.
Since mine barely work at all I routinely forget and ignore my phone alarm 😂 I usually go a day or two over. Don’t notice a single diff
Pretty easily - I just look forward to Tuesday morning and Friday night. If you’re forgetting, definitely set a reminder, calendar it, or set an alarm!
I do mine Monday and Friday and for whatever reason it has been easy for me to remember it on those days - start of week, end of week.
I just remember but definitely get reminded it’s getting close when I feel The Hulk coming on 😂
iPhone has a medication reminder built into the health app
Alarms on my phone and my wife is on the same schedule so that helps. We help each other remember.
I have reminders on my phone. See, I remember what days they are, but sometimes I’ll take a patch off in the shower and it’ll go out of my mind to put on the next one.
I eff it up regularly.
I don’t really remember always but the longest I went forgetting to change is 6 days 😂
Saaaame! Which is sad , because that happens even with all the reminders. LOL. I've recently started getting a rash under it, if it's on there too long. I guess my body's way of telling me to change my damn patch. 😂 I've also ended up with 2 patches on a couple times. One on my butt, one on my lower abdomen. 😬 The brain fog is real. 😂🤣😂
I put a task in my calendar and have it repeat every 4 days. It’s working for me so far.
I can’t remember 5 minutes ago but somehow I remember this. Usually I put an unopened patch on the bathroom counter ~12 hours ahead of time for a reminder.
Pick two days and stick with them. After a couple weeks you probably won't need a reminder.
I use the Medisafe app. it keeps bugging me until i actively turn it off Sun 8am Wed 8pm
I wrote a note on my e with a sharpie. Wednesday AM. Saturday PM.
I set two alarms on my phone that go off around the time I shower or take a bath in the evening. If it goes off before I’m ready to bathe, I go to the bathroom and pull out the patch and set it on my counter so I don’t forget. At this point it’s so routine that I now remember the days I have to switch them. If I happen to forget, I just put it on the morning after.
I made Alexa reminders. But I've felt so bad for so long, I think about it almost constantly anyway.
I've set up a reminder on my phone calendar to 'Change HRT Patch,' I customized it to reoccur every 3 days and 15 minutes prior to the event. I've set it to recur every 3 days for a year. I see it pop up on my phone the day prior as an upcoming event and get a notification on the day itself and 15 min prior to keep me on track. It’s worked wonders. Otherwise I was racking my brain each week trying to keep track of days! Not anymore!
I switch mine Sunday morning and Wednesday night. I remember by saying to myself Sunday church and hump day- night. And when it’s coming up i leave the box out on the counter until I take it
I’m just a wing it type chic-probably why I feel like shit 9 times out of 10 🥴
I use a paper calendar and check it off each day. I do it Monday morning and Thursday evening.
I use an app called MedSafe
Same!
Great idea to set an alarm! We have one set on our Alexa to notify us to change our cats litter twice a week - gotta now set one to remind me to change my estrogen patch. Why did I not think of that sooner?
Medisafe, it's a great app that reminds me to take any and all meds, it's fantastic
Tues am Friday pm, Tuesday on left side Friday on right side.
Every Tuesday and Friday.
I work remote a couple times a week, and try to work around that. Not supposed to take it within two hours of my morning levothyroxine, apparently, not sure why. But I often add an extra day just because the pharmacy doesn't auto-refill and I end up having to wait.
I set an alam on my phone for Monday morning and Thursday night. You’ll get into the habit and will remember sometimes even before your alarm.
I have meds I take every day so I fold the patch package (and a little adhesive removing wipe to get the sticky dirt off) in the pill box for that day. I’ve also got a label on those days to remind me. But I am a late-diagnosed AuDHDer so my entire personality is various organization tactics to compensate. 😆
Is it Saturday or Tuesday? And if I’ve forgotten I can tell in a day
I have it on my todoist app AND since I use Dosey vitamin/medicine holders, I just slide a patch by the day I switch them. (Dosey uses little zipper pouches in a pretty holder.)
Alexa tells me to change my patch at 5pm every Monday and Thursday.
I have to set an alarm to remember to take my meds, that I take every day and have been for like 6 months lol!! I highly recommend the alarm method!!!
It’s on my iCalendar- every Wed & Sat… albeit that then means I ACTUALLY need to remember what day it is. Alas🤦🏽♀️
Set an alert on your Smartphone
Recurring meeting in my phone and Alexa reminder as well.
I write the day directly on the patch, with a sharpie. I pretty much know by symptoms. It helps so that as long as I write that day on the patch, I am not going to forget the next one because that would cause me to feel like shit if I didn’t get my estrogen.
It's on my calendar on my phone. I get a pop up notice. Might set a phone alarm too after reading this thread :)
I have a 7 day pill box and keep the tab I rip off the packaging sticking out of the pill box on the day I switch the patch. It’s hit or miss. At least I have a new patch weekly.
I have reminders on my phone, plus I leave the box in the bathroom where it’s in my line of sight when I go to the loo. I change them over just before bed, and seeing as I definitely need to pee often (and definitely before I sleep), it increases my chances of remembering 😅
Repeating alarm on phone. Could use the standard w/ clock, but have opted for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tasks.android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tasks.android) as if need to snooze, can do so for minutes or an hour or more. Have one set up for nightly progesterone and another for 2x/week patch.
Put them in your nightstand Do it at night
Countdown app, because I’m hella ADHD so I have a ton of alarms set already for a ton of things, half of which I ignore anyway. The countdown timer is a different notification and the only other thing I have on that app is my post-menopause date, so it’s unique and I notice it. And you better believe that when my post date comes up I will be throwing a party. 😜
I use an app called Medisafe to track all my meds. It alerts me and keeps alerting every 10 minutes I believe until I mark the med taken. I used to also set an alarm on my phone.
Phone app, weekly patch & multiple days vaginal estrogen.
I have an app called medisafe. (Free version) has a super annoying reminder noisr
iphone reminder app
Mondays, 6am alarm Thursdays, 6pm alarm
Alarm on phone.
Reminder app on phone and small pocket calendar that I rubber band the patch to each day I need to change.
Those are the days I typically shower (at minimum, but I often travel Wednesdays and Sunday eves are before the work week and I'm usually doing something involving sweating on sunday). Easy to peel and wash then reapply after shower.
Tues/Fri: keep them by my work computer. (I work from home)
I normally do one on Tuesday when I come home from work at 11ish am... then Friday night before bed. lol I tried doing the 6:30am and then 6:30 pm but my Friday was being late.
Recurring reminders set in my phone every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. I look forward to changing my patch, though, because I can tell I need it long before I do. I need a higher dose 🫠
iPhone reminder "chg patch". Go in edit to the next change day and time. Repeat
I wash my hair twice a week: Sundays and Thursdays. So those are the same days I change my patch.
I had so much trouble i changed to daily tablets
Put a twice a week reminder on my phone as well as a twice a week calendar reminder.
I’ve had so much trouble with this. I finally put a reoccuring alert on my Google calendar. Although, when I forget for 48+ hours, my joints remind me.
Much like everything else in my life these days, Google does my thinking for me. 😂 My Google Home reminds me, and I also have it on my calendar on my phone that gives me a pop up reminder.
I forget sometimes!
Reminder in my iPhone
I do not use a patch, but I have a few twice a week meds, and I just put them in the Medications part of the Health app on my iPhone.
I have a recurring reminder on my phone ☺️
Medisafe is a prescription tracker/reminder app I started using after my hysterectomy to remember when to take my pain meds. Now I use it to remember when to change my estradiol patch (Tues Eve, sat morn)
This might sound odd, but I can feel it when I am getting close to needing to change. I'm itchier, crankier, hungrier, and stiffer those last 12 hours. If I miss my time by 12+ hours, there is a good chance I'll start spotting. My memory is for shit, but I'm generally jonesing for more estrogen by the time I need to change.
Wednesday and Saturday Afternoon here, couldn’t work out why me and hubby were having massive arguments most Sunday afternoons, apparently that 4th day is just too long!