New in iOS 16: How to Stay on Top of Your Medications

If you’re like me, you sometimes forget to take your medications, or you take them irregularly, which can lead to serious health problems.

My brother-in-law has chronic pain, and he has to take medication every day to manage his pain. However, there are days when he forgets to take his medication or takes it at the wrong time. As a result, his pain becomes unmanageable, and he ends up in the hospital.

I’ve also seen this happen with friends who have to take medication for mental health conditions. If they don’t take their medication as prescribed, their symptoms can quickly spiral out of control.

That’s why it’s so important to track your medications and make sure you’re taking them as prescribed.

The Health app’s new medication tracker can help you do that.

With the Health app’s new medication tracker, you can:

💊 Add your medications and track when you need to take them
💊 Set up reminders for when it’s time to take your medication
💊 Log in when you’ve taken your medication or if you’ve skipped a dose
💊 See potential interactions between your medications and other substances

If you’re on any kind of medication, I encourage you to set up the Health app’s new medication tracker and use it to stay on top of your medications. It could make a big difference in your health.

Here’s how to stay on top of your medications with the iOS 16 Health App…

Adding Your Medications:

1. Open the Health app.

2. Tap Browse at the bottom.

3. Under the Health Categories section, tap Medications. 

4. Tap on Add a Medication.

5. Then, from the Add Medication page, search for your medication by name or tap the Camera icon and scan the label of your medication. 

6. Schedule your frequency and the time of day you take your medication.

7. From the Choose the Shape page, pick the shape of the pill or container. This will help you remember which medication this entry is for. Then select the color of the medication on the Choose Colors page. 

8. Enter any additional details on the medication summary page, like the display name you want to use or notes about the medicine.

9. Tap Next (or Skip).

10. You can indicate on the Medical Interactions page if the Health app should warn you about any possible interactions with substances like alcohol, cannabis or tobacco.

11. Tap Done. 

You will get notifications when it is time to take your medication after you have set up the schedule information.

You can change the details for any medication at any time by returning to the Your Medication section and tapping Edit on the details page.

Logging When You Take Your Medication:

You can stay on top of your medication schedule by logging in when you take your medications. You can make a note of when you took your medication or mark it as skipped if you did not take it for some reason.

1. Open the Health app

2. Tap Browse.

3. Tap on Medications. 

4. First, find the medicine you need to log on the Medications page. Tap on it to open up the medication page.

5. Tap to indicate if the medication was Taken or Skipped. 

Give it a Try!

If you follow the steps in this tutorial, you’ll be on your way to staying on top of your medications and keeping track of your progress. The Health app’s new medication tracker is a valuable tool that can make a big difference in your health. So don’t hesitate to set it up and use it to stay on top of your medications.