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Opening Medicine Bottles with Ease

By Heather Larson

Struggling to open bottles, specifically childproof tops on prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine bottles, can be maddening. When getting to the medicine that’s supposed to relieve your pain causes additional pain, it’s tool time.

Look for an opener that requires minimal grip pressure and is easy to figure out, says Cathy Dow Royer, director and associate professor for the division of occupational therapy at American International College, in Springfield, Mass.

“You’ll also want a rubber nonslip coating on the grip points, so that your hand doesn’t slide,” she says.

Here are tools that work well when you want to open bottles:

Dycem Bottle Opener. This dome-shape opener fits in the palm of your hand and provides a stable grip to open childproof twist tops. Use it also to open doors and cupboards, and to turn on taps and oven dials. $9.

Multi-Grip Twist Cap Opener. The opener gives you increased leverage to remove stubborn twist caps from any size bottle. $5.

PurrFect and DogGone Openers with Pill Extractor. Different parts of this cat- or dog-shape tool can be used to flip off caps and remove cotton from the narrow openings of OTC medicine bottles, twist open prescription bottles, push pills through foil containers, split pills and open cans that have tabs. $10.

Jean Caruthers

27 Feb 2010, 21:12

I've just been diagnosed with RA. I'm 67. One of my biggest problems now is buckling my seatbelt without twisting my left shoulder. Does anyone have any ideas of how to handle the prob?

30 Nov 2009, 06:47

Roberta,

All pharmacies are obligated to replace drug bottle caps with easy open ones if you ask. They will put it in your file, but may not read it and put one on, so you have to double check before you leave the store. Try another drug store if they refuse. Costco have the cheapest drugs and dispensing rates that I have found so try them.

Other bottle help:

For regular drug bottles, like most Advil, provided that they don't have child proof caps, the Black & Decker electric bottle opener will open them quickly. They cost about $40 but I just bought a spare one on sale for $15. They will open almost every single bottle provided it is below a certain height. The only bottles I can't open with it are the large Kraft salad dressing bottles. They will open anything from tiny to wide bottles, short to tall.

For the large ones, like these and 2 L Coke sized bottles, I use a pair of nutcrackers. Some work great, others don't - so don't give up on the first pair you try if it does not work.

I have a Facebook group called Aids for Daily Living if you are interested in searching for other tips.

Terry Perrelli

17 Nov 2009, 11:56

Here's a tip. When opening twist caps wrap an elastic band around it for extra grip.

Bob

11 Sep 2009, 07:52

Checking out the website of the PurrFect Medicine Opener, there also is a Easy Grip Jar and Bottle Opener called the PurrFect Gripper. Compared to other bottle openers, this one on www.bamaze.com has a seal cutter, a bottle opener, and a flexible body to open everything from a hot-sauce bottle to a pickle jar. Lastly, it has a magnet for easy storage on the fridge and quick access when needing to open a jar or bottle. It is visible at http://www.purrfectgripper.com and retails under $10.

Roberta Heiss

30 Jun 2009, 10:41

I have chronic arthritis and Keinbocks Disease in my left hand. I cannot open the bottles which are now sent to me by the PBM mail order pharmacy. It is my understanding that Federal Law requires that any patient can request easy open cap, but CVS Caremark refuses to provide this. I simply am unable to open the bottles. I have gone without meds because of this.

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Opening Medicine Bottles with Ease

Opening Medicine Bottles with Ease

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