Automatic Pill Dispenser. Top-of-the-Line Locked e-pill MD2 MedSmart for Home or Institutional use. Dispense up to 6 times per day. Large Pill Capacity. Secure Lock & Loud Alarm.

by e-pill Medication Reminders

Product Features

• Top-of-the-Line Automatic Pill Dispenser (Locked but NOT Monitored)
• EARLY DOSE + Patient Compliance Dashboard
• Easy SET-UP. Long Alarm Duration (never stops until picked up).
• Lockable with KEY (2 keys included).
• 6 Daily ALARMS. HOME or INSTITUTIONAL Use.

Product Description

e-pill® MedSmart Locked Automatic Medication Pill Dispenser. New improved locked (tamper resistant) automatic pill dispenser. Now easier to use with Early Dose feature. Increased pill capacity. - Feel Better. Never forget to take your medications again! Avoid medication errors. MedSmart MEDICATION DISPENSER - NEW more ROBUST second generation AUTOMATIC PILL DISPENSER (locked pill box) e-pill Medication Reminders. This past year Mom forgot to take her heart medications and ended up in the hospital. We got her a MedSmart Automatic Medication Dispenser and now we no longer have to worry about Mom under or over medicating. The loud alarm sounds and she gets the correct pills at the correct time. What great peace of mind for her and me. Long Alarm Duration. Lockable with KEY (2 keys included). Tamperproof lock. Patient Compliance DashboardTM. Loud SOUND + Blinking LIGHT. NO monthly FEES. AC or Battery operation. Medication Time: Alarm will sound & pills rotate into position. Lift up device with one hand, turn the dispenser upside down to allow the pills to fall into your other open hand. All other medicine is inaccessible. Alarm stops by turning device upside down (or after one hour). Easy to hold with rubber grips. Each compartment has a capacity equal to 20 Aspirin sized tablets. For added capacity you may set two alarms for the same time and double the capacity. Set the alarm clock, you can program up to 6 alarms per day. Unique EARLY DOSE feature allows patient to access medications before scheduled medication time (only one activation allowed, this feature may be turned off). Great for all tablets, vitamins and capsules. 2 medication times per day - refill tray every 14 days (2 weeks!). 4 medication times per day - refill tray every 7 days (once per week!) 6 medication times per day (max) - refill tray every 4 days.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001PZ33LC
• UPC: 837066001258
• Item model number: MedSmart
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,983 in Health & Personal Care (See Top 100 in Health & Personal Care)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for some memory-challenged older adults, April 17, 2011

By 

M. Molinaro (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Automatic Pill Dispenser. Top-of-the-Line Locked e-pill MD2 MedSmart for Home or Institutional use. Dispense up to 6 times per day. Large Pill Capacity. Secure Lock & Loud Alarm. (Health and Beauty)

SUMMARY: this is an excellent, reliable dispenser that can be programmed for 4 to 30 days (depending on frequency of doses) for people who have the ability to remember what the alarm is for, how to get the meds out of the dispenser, and who will take the meds very soon after taking them out of the dispenser.

THE PROBLEM:
After finding out that two older adults I am responsible for were having problems remembering to take their medications, I started putting a week's supply of med doses in pill minders (the plastic kind with little compartments). When they started missing doses, I bought a talking med alarm clock, and that seemed to help for a while. Then they again started missing doses, and sometimes they took out meds, forgot about them and left they lying around, and then found them and put them back in the wrong compartments. In desperation, I paid the $400+ for this product, after doing research on all the available models.

ADVANTAGES BASED ON MY RESEARCH:
For its price range, this seemed to have the deepest med compartments (you never know how many or what size pills might be added to someone's med regimen) and the most "programmable events"/compartments (in my case I wanted five doses/day for at least five days at a time--this dispenser has 28 compartments). It also had an alarm that went on for 90 minutes before advancing to the next dose, which was good if they were asleep or stepped out for a few minutes. It has an AC power cradle it's placed in so the back-up batteries aren't used up. If someone is going out, the next dose can be dispensed immediately to take along (and this button can also be concealed). You get an extra tray so you can fill one and have it ready to switch when the current tray is empty--and you don't lose all the programed med times--just have to resent the number of filled med compartments. And it can be locked, so one doesn't have to worry that anyone will put meds back in the wrong places or take them too early/often.

IN ACTUAL USE:
I (and my older friends) have now been using this dispenser for several weeks and it has been excellent. Since the alarm (you can choose from three) won't shut up until the unit is actually picked up and the pills are shaken out into one's hand, that usually guarantees that the meds will at least get into his/her hand. If the meds are not removed, after 90 minutes of alarm the compartment advances and skips that dose--which means you can tell if any doses were missed when you open it up to put in a new filled tray (in my case, no doses have been skipped, but when my friends thought they missed doses I could tell that they hadn't--or at least, that they had taken the meds out of the dispenser at the right time).
In this case we are talking about a married couple using the dispenser, so it has also helped that I can program first her dose, then his, right after each other (I chose about five minutes apart) for the times they both take meds.

STRATEGY:
Obviously, the weak point of any automatic med dispenser is that it doesn't guarantee that the person will do the right thing after the alarm goes off, or that after the meds get into the patient's hand, that they will be taken. So the person has to have a memory adequate to learn to recognize the alarm, recognize who it is for (in my case, since it's dispensing meds for a couple), and take them immediately so there is no chance to put them aside and forget them. If your loved one (or you) can't learn to do this, the dispenser won't help.

The couple taking the meds were doubtful about all the "technology" and had trouble remembering what to do when the alarm went off. So I did two things from the beginning:

1. I put large type informational signs on the top of the dispenser (there's a fair amount of room) listing who took which dose of meds when (ex: "Fred-9:30; Mary-9:35"), what to do when the alarm went off, and the need to "TAKE MEDS IMMEDIATELY!" I went over the written instructions several times, and had them go through the drill of picking up the dispenser off its cradle and shaking the dose into their hand, then putting it back on the cradle.

2. I then called the couple a minute or so before every med dose time for the first week, and stayed on the phone until they heard the alarm and reported responding to it correctly. They got sick of me calling after the first few days, but they learned how to use the dispenser. I think that some people with memory problems may seem more impaired than they are because caregivers don't know how (or don't have the patience--understandable) to help them learn effectively.

In any case, based on several weeks of using this pricey but effective (in my case) dispenser, I would highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful product, September 15, 2011

By 

Jane (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Automatic Pill Dispenser. Top-of-the-Line Locked e-pill MD2 MedSmart for Home or Institutional use. Dispense up to 6 times per day. Large Pill Capacity. Secure Lock & Loud Alarm. (Health and Beauty)

I purchased this unit for my 83 year old mother who has mild Alzheimer's. She lives in the independent living area of a retirement community. Her pharmacy offers a blister pack for her medications: a different blister for each dose and the pack is labeled with the days of the week down the left side and breakfast, noon, evening and bedtime across the top. You have to punch out each dose. She could not handle this and was taking too much medicine. She would get confused about the day or time of day. Also, she would take a nap and wake up and start her pills all over for the day. Sometimes the pills would get caught in the foil backing on the blister pack.
This unit has been a godsend for us. She feels so much more independent now. I helped her the first couple of times the alarm sounded, then phoned the next few times when I knew the alarm was about to sound. I no longer have to call her. She loves it and is bragging about the unit to all of her friends. The alarm will sound for 60 minutes. If she doesn't take the dose before the next one is due, the missed dose moves around on the carousel and is not available to her. I have the key to the unit. She can't take too much medicine but it won't prevent missed doses though. The slots for the pills are pretty deep, she takes about 9 pills in a variety of sizes at breakfast and they fit easily. The unit came with templates for different dosage schedules, i.e. 2 times a day, 3 times a day, etc.
For her situation, this is exactly what we needed. We've had this unit about one week and so far it is well worth the money. It would cost much more to have someone dispense the medicine for her each time.

5.0 out of 5 stars least expensive for the reliability, January 27, 2012

By 

Julia Lui - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Automatic Pill Dispenser. Top-of-the-Line Locked e-pill MD2 MedSmart for Home or Institutional use. Dispense up to 6 times per day. Large Pill Capacity. Secure Lock & Loud Alarm. (Health and Beauty)

Pros
-helps remind patient when to take meds
-loud and audible for the hearing impaired
-sturdy lock to discourage tampering
-easy display (would be better if it had a backlit option)
-early dose option so patient can take ONE dose to bring with them if they are going out

Cons
-none so far

This product was bought for my grandma because she was mixing up all her medications and time.
I actually bought a cheaper one (like 1/5 the price) but was SO disappointed when we received it.
It was flimsy and it didn't even dispense correctly.
Since my grandma is more important, my family decided to spend the extra money and get her a better automatic med dispenser.
When this item came, we were VERY satisfied just by the packaging and hot the item felt.
The battery lasts maybe about 1 month, but since there is a charging dock, I recommend using rechargeable batteries.
After a few months of using this, my grandma is feeling better (thanks to taking the right meds at the correct time).
Thanks e-pill!