Top Apps for MS Patients
CareZone
Good MS treatment relies on good coordination. All of your support – doctors, family, pharmacists, and other people you need to lean on – need to be able to communicate with you (and often with each other) in order to help you stay on track. The CareZone app is not designed specifically for MS, but will definitely help with a range of tasks and challenges that many MS patients must juggle.
You can keep all your info organized with a journal, calendar, contact list, medication log, to-do list, and any photos or files that could come in handy. In fact, you can even take a photo of your medication, and the app will fill in the name, dosage, and other pertinent info for you! You can share whatever you like with whomever you choose, but it’s a very useful tool for personal reminders, too.
Available for iOS and Android devices.
MS Journal
Daily injections are a common – and unwelcome – part of MS, plus they can be difficult to track, especially when you need to take them in different sites. The MS journal has one specific aim, and that’s to help you record and remind yourself when and where to take your medications.
The app includes a countdown timer to your next injection, you can add comments to help you track and record details, and then send reports to your health care team. The best thing about MS Journal is its simplicity: one screen clearly tells you the time, location, depth, and units of medication to inject. On the other hand, it won’t help much with daily symptom management.
Available for iOS devices.
RxmindMe
An MS diagnosis usually comes with a variety of medications, and it can be difficult to keep everything straight on a good day (let alone when brain fog and memory loss takes over). That’s where RxmindMe comes in handy: helping you note which medications you need to take, when exactly to take them, and perhaps most importantly, if you’ve already taken them.
You can search for facts on medications, refill a prescription (at Walgreens), and email off of your prescriptions details to your doctor or other healthcare provider from this single app. The only problem is that it may be too helpful – be careful not to rely solely on this app (or any other) when it comes to your medication dosage and schedule.
Available for iOS devices.
SymTrac
Aiming to take out some of the stress and obligation of MS, SymTrac tracks your symptoms and other environmental factors that could weigh in on your comfort, but it also helps you record relapses clearly – and that can make a huge difference in your MS treatment. In fact, the customizable app reduces the risk of serious issues that can arise when seemingly small changes go unreported.
The easy-to-read charts and other simple recording features makes this a good app for relapse management. Since the app was designed around input from MS patients, there is an emphasis on accessibility and straightforward tracking. Doctors like SymTrac because it takes the work out of remembering symptoms and changes until their next neurologist appointment (which could be 12 months away).
Recording information is only one part of the equation: in order to improve your approach to your treatment, you need to keep learning about your disease. While you’re searching for the perfect MS map to carry along with you, consider downloading Momentum Magazine, a condensed online version of the National MS Society’s magazine. It gives you practical tidbits to make your life happier and more comfortable, but it’s also your lifeline to the research and advancements that are taking place behind the scenes.
