Accidental Double Dose today - kind of scared me

This has never happened to me before, ever.  I am ever so careful on all of my pain meds, I take my dosing  times very serious, and if I ever have any doubts on whether I take some or not, I will always err on the side of safety and skip a dose, even if means staying in pain.

Today, at noon on the dot, it was time to take (2) Lortab 10/500 pills.  Always the same routine.  Go to the medicine cabinet, grab the bottle, take off the lid, take out two pills, put the pills on the shelf, close the bottle, put it back, pick up the pills from the shelf, go to bathroom sink, fill up little water glass, take the pills with the water.  End of story.

Sometimes, after putting the pills down, I get distracted, and will find them there later.  If its within an hour of when I was suppose to take them, I will still take them.  If it's more than an hour later, I will put  them back in the bottle and take them later.

Well today, about an hour after I thought I took them, passing through the bathroom, I saw the two Lortabs sitting there side by side in the exact spot on the shelf.  So I simply thought, must have forgotten to take them.  So I took them.  Minutes later, told my wife I just took my meds and wanted to lay down soon.  She said, btw, I found 2 of your pills on the bedroom dresser, so I put them on the shelf by the medicine cabinet and meant to tell you.

I realized right then, that I had taken a  total of (4) Lortab 10/500's in the space of an hour.  Kind of freaked.  So she kept a good eye on me (she is a nurse), and her thoughts were that why that wasn't a good thing  to do, that I was opiate tolerant she doubted it would cause any serious harm, and obviously, would need to skip my next med pass.

Within 30 minutes, my speech started slurring, and I couldn't keep a thought straight in my head.  So I laid down for a nap, and soon passed out cold (so to speak, not literally).  She stayed with me to make sure that I was ok, that my breathing was normal, etc.

As I said, this has never happened before, just amazing coincidence that I  took them and she found 2 that I must have forgotten from another time and just happened to put them in the exact same place.  Good thing it wasn't something more powerful that could have really harmed me.  Had that been the case, I would have been in ER real fast, as we live less than a 2 minute drive from the nearest hospital.

I really need to use a pill box.  I use to, but sometimes I really can't trust my memory or I get distracted.

Did get a good nap in this way.

david

 

David,
Oh gosh this is exactly what happened to me about a year ago so now I have the lovely pill box. I forget within minutes if I took my meds or not so all I do is check my box and know right away. They are inexpensive but can definitely be a lifesaver. I am so glad that you are okay and that your wife was there to keep an eye on you.

Much love and gentle hugs,
Lynn

Good evening David!

…I have done the exact thing before myself,….and infect several times! I finally decided to do something about it, and downloaded an APP to my iPhone, that notifies me when to take my meds, which happen to be all day long at different times of the day. Not only does it notify me, but it forces me to check it off the list and records what time I actually too the med. This has solved the problem of taking meds on top of meds already taken.

I understand the fear and have been there many times. I would suggest at the very least you keep a paper record of what and when it was taken. If you have an electronic device to help automate that process, then so much the better.

Take care,

SE

I think a big part of the problem is that 1. taking meds becomes so routine we stop consciously thinking about doing it, and 2. we usually end up taking meds while in the middle of something else.

It's like locking the front door when you leave the house, or turning the oven off after taking the food out.

Most of the time you do those things without it even registering you did them, but then every so often you question yourself "did I lock the door?" "Did I turn off the oven?" because you cant really distinguish doing it that morning from the memory of doing it all the other mornings.

The thing that drives me crazy about the pill dispensers/separators is that i havent found one that fits in my pocket!

Thanks. I am ok, no real harm.

Now due to the dangerous nature of Fentanyl, I have a rigid routine. On my computer calendar, which I keep all appointments, major events, etc, I map out every new script of Fentanyl. I mark each one from 1 to 15 (I switch every two days). These numbers are marked on my Calandar as Patch 1 through Patch 15.

So on my switch days. I get the correct patch number for that date. I always take off the old one, and dispose of it before opening then new one. Then I put the new one on, always rotating arms each time. Then I go back to computer and bring up, let's say "Patch 1", and type in the word "done" next to it.

At least twice a month, I inventory what I have left, and make sure there is the right number for the remaining days for that particular prescription.

Kind of a silly method, but it keeps me from forgetting to swap, or ending up with 2 patches on my arm at the same time.

On the Lortabs, I take it regular at Noon, an then at 4 pm. The last two, I take as needed, I try to make them last so that I will have some pain relief benefit through the night. I may take 1 at 11 to midnight, and the final one at 2 in the morning, since I am always up.

Going to dig up a pill box today, just for the Lortabs, so that I don't repeat what happened yesterday. Was glad my wife was home, wouldn't have felt so safe had I been home alone at the time. I learned my lesson for sure.

david

David,

Just a quick hello and wanted to see how you are feeling today. I hope you are doing alright and that your pain levels aren't thru the roof today.

As always you are in my thoughts and prayers. Let us know ow you are doing today.

Hugs,
Barbara

Monday evening.

None the worse in wear. Slept about 6 hours on and off yesterday after the double dose, and Lord knows I need the extra sleep. Woke up, not so groggy. Despite all the Lortab in me, still woke up with a lot of leg and foot pain.

Today, was way too busy for my own good, and been paying for it all evening. I see the pain/CRPS doctor in a little over a week, anxious to see what he has to say.

Thanks to all my concerned friends at HW CP. Was just glad it happened on a day that my wife was home, if she had any doubts about my safety, we would have been right in the ER.

david

I completely understand your confusion as I found myself in the same boat on more than one occasion.  Now I

have a small 4x5 tablet  that I write the time and dose of all meds, vitamins etc. I take each day.  It has been a

godsend. I appreciate your honesty because it is a reminder and wake-up call for those that take meds. Thanks

I did this a few times when I was on Gabapentin.

The drug caused quite significant short term memory issues for me so many times at work I would take it in the middle of doing something else and have to concentrate really hard to think if I had taken the dose or not.

Problem was due to it taking 2-3 hours to kick in I would have to either wait and and have lots of pain come on if I hadn't taken it, or take another dose there and then leading to being massively spaced out if I had indeed taken the previous dose. Bit of a dilemma.

Bit better now I am on Pregabalin instead, since it is taken only twice in the day and kicks in much more quickly. Still thinking of investing in a pill box too since I am going to be taking my other med twice a day soon as well.

Hi David,

I use an app called Rxmindme and have no problems anymore. I used to really have to think to remember if I took my shot or not, but now it is as simple as clicking the red alert to clear it. The program allows for notes and keeps exact times you took your meds. It will even allow you to print the info for the dr, do a remaining pill count, and help you reorder the meds in the correct day.

Good luck!!

Hi and Thank You! It's been a refreshing break. I hope you find the app as helpful as I have.

It's good to see you too!

I didn't find rxmindme (I have an android) but I searched for pill reminders and there were over 700 apps. I found one that sends an alarm and even helps with scheduling doctors appointments. My favorite feature is a blank form with questions to ask my doctor when I go!

We should create a pain journal app! That would be helpful.