FreeRxReminder.com has set out to leverage the ubiquity of mobile by offering prescription medication reminders via SMS.

The service from FreeRxReminder.com lets patients keep closer track of their prescription medications and dosage times. FreeRxReminder.com hopes to ensure the timely and safe consumption of medication for the 47 percent of Americans using at least one prescription drug, according to a report from the Center for Disease Control.

?Currently we are using carriers that support email alerts that get sent via SMS,? said Rex Bowden Jr., president of Group Net, Baton Rouge, LA. ?The strategy is to help those that have to take medication on a daily basis get easy reminders via mobile and email. 

?It is an easy way to help those that may forget,? she said. ?Just about everyone now carries at the very least a phone on them so we figured this would be the perfect place to reach them.?

The report from the Center for Disease Control found that prescription drug consumption among the senior population spikes up to 66 percent in the 45-65 age range.

Eighty-seven percent of the 65-plus age group are also consuming prescription drugs.

FreeRxReminder.com is also concerned with the higher risk of forgetting to take medication or forgetting having already taken medication that this age group faces. In either case, the consequences could be harmful, if not fatal.

FreeRxReminder.com is addressing these challenges head-on by providing a free reminder service for anyone who feels it could assist in daily life or prevent a tragic mistake.

FreeRxReminder.com claims that written medication schedules and pill cases can only help people remember to take their pills to a degree, but that some people who live by the out of sight, out of mind doctrine may need more.

?Some people have yet to embrace the ease of SMS or email,? Mr. Bowden said. ?So the main challenge is making sure the end user knows how to operate his or her own mobile device. 

?For us the main challenge is getting beyond SMS throttle limits, email filters and other limits set by the carriers,? he said.

The service from FreeRxPerscription.com lets users choose the method by which they would like to receive their medication reminders: phone or email.

For the patients who prefer to keep written medication schedules, FreeRxReminder.com offers various printable schedules and charts.

Site visitors can monitor their medications strength and common uses and share their prescription medication information with their physician and pharmacist via FreeRxReminder.com.

?This is a great platform because 90 percent of the population in the U.S. has a mobile device,? Mr. Bowden said. ?It's hard to find someone not carrying a mobile device at any time.

?Mobile isn't the future, it's the now,? he said. ?Those that don't figure out how to reach these customers will be left behind.?