Medication Reminders

What is this? Intake reminders for medications – with support for various dispenser types up to the smart smarTabBox. Reminders ring reliably even when the phone is locked (iOS AlarmKit).

Getting Started

Settings → Medications

You see two tabs:

• Intake Schedule — choose dispenser type, configure alarm slots, start the filling assistant
• Medications — medication catalog (generics, variants, stock) and sources (doctors, pharmacies, …)

Three Dispenser Types

Without Pill Organizer

For those who manage their medications without a physical dispenser. Set up simple alarm reminders: time, medication name, quantity.

Standard Weekly Dispenser

For classic weekly pill organizers (morning/noon/evening/night for 7 days). The app assigns a reminder to each compartment.

smarTabBox©

For the intelligent smarTabBox from smarthome-parkinson.com. The box is connected to the app via QR code. Intake reminders and confirmations are synchronized between box and app.

💡 The smarTabBox was developed specifically for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions where medication adherence is especially important.

Setting Up an Intake Schedule

1. Choose Dispenser Type

In the Intake Schedule tab, tap the box card at the top. You see the three options – the checkmark shows your current selection. After selecting you go directly to the configuration of the chosen type.

2. Configure Alarm Slots

Below the box card you see your alarm slots (e.g. 08:00 – Aspirin, 20:00 – Ramipril). Tap a slot to edit it:

• Change time
• Enable/disable alarm
• Assign medication from the catalog
• Set dose per variant (tap the variant detail sheet)
• View schedules (daily, weekdays, every N days, monthly)
• Set ring duration (at least 5 seconds, default: 5 seconds)
• Set snooze interval — also determines the spacing of backup reminders after a side button dismiss
• Assign ringtone profile — choose from Standard, Wake-up, Meeting, Degrading or a custom profile (see Reminders)

Slots you no longer need can be deleted by swiping left.

3. smarTabBox: Scan QR Code

With the smarTabBox type, first scan the box’s QR code. Then configure alarm slots as described above.

Filling Assistant

The Fill Box button in the Intake Schedule tab opens a guided assistant. The process can be interrupted at any time and continued later:

1. Setup — select number of boxes (1–10) and start date
2. Correction matrix — 7-day grid: tap compartments that are already filled (checkmark = skip), to avoid double-filling. Each row shows “Compartment n: x medication(s)” — compartments you mark as already filled are highlighted in bold
3. Confirm — overview with total number of required tablets per medication; tapping “Fill now” records the consumption in inventory

Medication Catalog

In the Medications tab you manage:

• Medications — generics (e.g. “Ramipril 5mg”) with any number of variants (e.g. “ratiopharm”, “Hexal”) and PZN numbers
• Sources — doctors, pharmacies, drugstores, online pharmacies or other sources

Adding a Medication

1. Tap the + button in the medications section
2. BfArM search: Start typing the active ingredient name — the app searches directly in the official database of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and suggests matching names
3. Create at least one variant (PZN scan or manual)
4. Set dose per variant and dosage form
5. Assign source (optional)

Supplements and Products Without PZN

Not every product has a pharmaceutical central number. Vitamins, dietary supplements, over-the-counter products or foreign medications can be entered without a PZN:

1. Tap + → enter product name (skip BfArM search or enter manually)
2. Leave the PZN field empty for the variant — it’s optional
3. Choose dosage form from the picker (21 options, e.g. tablet, capsule, drops, powder, cream, spray …)
4. Set dose in the appropriate unit (pieces, ml, mg, g, …)

💡 This way omega-3 capsules, vitamin D drops or homeopathic remedies can be fully integrated into the intake schedule – with reminders, stock management and history view just like prescription medications.

Managing Stock

Each variant can have a stock level (tablets, ml, capsules, …). The Stock tile on the dashboard shows a single traffic light display – the worst status across all your medications combined:

A box cycle equals the number of your weekly dispensers × 7 days. With one box that’s 14 days – red means the stock won’t even last until the week after next.

Tap the tile to open the detail view. At the top you see the date until which a complete intake of all medications is possible – i.e. the earliest expiry date. Below that all medications sorted by urgency, with remaining duration and expiry date. Swipe left on an entry to record a refill entry — medication name, dosage and the last known package size are already pre-filled. Quantities are written out correctly: “1 tablet” or “93 tablets”.

Confirming Intake

When the reminder appears (even from the lock screen):

• Tap the notification → intake dialog opens directly on the lock screen
• Confirm intake → event is saved, stock is automatically deducted
• Optional: Snooze (reminds again later) or Skip with a note

The confirmation is saved as an event in the app and is traceable in the history view.

After confirmation the app immediately reschedules the alarm for the next day — even if you don’t open the app again. The next morning’s alarm is guaranteed, even if you go to sleep directly after confirming.

💡 Reminders use iOS AlarmKit — they ring reliably even with Do Not Disturb active and when the device is fully locked.

Side Button Dismiss and Automatic Re-Reminders

Medication reminders use the same rescue and backup alarm system as all other tile reminders: rescue alarm after silent dismiss, backup alarms on the snooze schedule. Confirming or snoozing breaks the chain — skipping does not.

💡 “Skip” means “not now”, not “forget today”.

→ Technical details: Tile Reminders

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enter multiple medications? Yes, as many as you like. Each alarm slot can reference its own variant from the catalog.

What’s the difference between a generic and a variant? The generic (e.g. “Ramipril 5mg”) represents the active ingredient. A variant (e.g. “ratiopharm 5mg, PZN 1234567”) is a specific package. You can create multiple variants of the same generic and select the desired one in the alarm slot.

What happens if I forget to take my medication? You can enter the intake retrospectively – either via the notification (which is marked as missed) or manually in the event history.

Can I enter supplements and vitamins without a PZN? Yes. The PZN field is optional. You can enter the product name manually, select the dosage form from the picker and set the dose — reminders and stock management work exactly the same as for prescription medications.

Is medication data linked to Apple Health? Not directly at the moment. Medication events are saved in the app, but not yet automatically transferred to Apple Health.

Retroactively Confirming Missed Intakes

If a reminder was missed (e.g. phone was on silent), the intake can still be entered retroactively:

1. In the Intake Schedule tab, tap the orange slot
2. Select “Confirm retroactively”
3. Adjust the actual intake time → Confirm

The stock is retroactively deducted correctly. Missed and confirmed intakes are clearly distinguished in the history view.

Dosage Changes

If you change the dose of a variant (e.g. because the doctor adjusted the amount), the app detects this automatically and migrates the affected alarm slots — existing slots adopt the new dose without manual rework.