Dear Heloise: When it’s time to restock your pill dispenser from your personal pharmacy, it can be challenging to remember which time of day to take them or how many pills to take. To make this process easier, consider using a magic marker to write when to take each pill on top of the cap, such as “a.m.,” “p.m.,” or whatever time you need them.

For medications that need to be taken multiple times a day, you can write “a.m./p.m.” For medications that need to be taken at a certain quanity, you can add the quantity on the cap, such as “2x” or “1/2.” These markings should only be made on your “active” bottles.

When you receive a refill for a medication, place it in your pill bag/box without marking the cap. This helps keep the “new” bottles without cap markings easily distinguishable from the “active” ones. Once an active bottle is empty, simply transfer the cap from the empty bottle to the new bottle and return it to the bag/box. The cap from the new bottle should then be placed on the old empty bottle. Remove the label and recycle.

I use two bags; one is stored inside the other. The inner bag contains active pills, and the new pills are placed between the outer and inner bags. I hope this helps some of your readers. — Michael Floeser, in Rochester, New York

MOVE IT TO JUNK

Dear Heloise: I am responding to Steve W. about unsubscribing. I have spent time unsubscribing to unwanted emails. If it’s a legit company, then I’ll consider it. But I’m finding that most of them are probably just phishing to find live email addresses. Recently, I read an article that suggested to instead move these unwanted emails to “junk.” Then your phone will start sending them there directly. — Mark Hadley, via email