Medisafer Story: Dianna

“Every feeling, including those that come with mental illness, are fleeting. It will pass, it can take time, but it does get better.”

Dianna hails from just outside Atlanta, Georgia and was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Growing up, Dianna says she thought she had depression, following her first depressive episode at eight years old.

Throughout her adolescence Dianna was hospitalized several times for depression and mania but her bipolar disorder was always overlooked. As a result, she was taking a myriad of antidepressants, but they weren’t treating the underlying cause.

Six months ago, Dianna was finally given a diagnosis and put on just two medications, an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer. Dianna says she experienced a drastic recovery and positive upswing but still found herself missing doses and ignoring her phone alarms.

Enter Medisafe.

While she was looking for a med tracking tool, Dianna found Medisafe and says her adherence has gone from somewhere around 50% to nearly 100%! The med separator in her bathroom is still there, but Dianna says it only helped her sort, not actually take her meds.

Favorite Features:
Snooze button. Dianna likes that she can’t just dismiss the med reminder but postpone it until she’s home or otherwise free to take her meds. Dianna’s reminder goes off right as she pulls into her driveway after work.
Refill reminder. Like many pharmacies, Dianna’s is only open five days a week so staying on top of her refills is really important. Counting down each med helps Dianna make sure that she never finds herself on a Friday night with no meds available for the next two days.

Grateful for:
Dianna was fortunate to have a doctor who recognized her manic episodes for what they were and helped her accept her diagnosis. Now Dianna attends group therapy and gets support from the county’s mental health system.

Messages to others in a similar situation:
“Fight for your own rights. It’s hard as a mental health patient but get a second opinion.”
For more info or to connect with Dianna, check out her Youtube channel and Instagram.