Even the stingy insurances in two European countries I checked tend to pay for a service it if you're taking 3+ medicines, suggesting that it's cheaper in the long term for them, either by reducing cost from waste, cost from classic pharmacies, or by improving outcomes in ways that result in less treatment (or the company running it managed to convince the regulator to make it covered by mandatory insurance because it's beneficial for patients).

When I was taking several different medications, I started seeing why this service would be useful, even as a relatively organized, non-impaired person.

Mind sharing the countries? Because it's only now after moving to certain 1 country that I see the "pill counting" and "translating scripts into layman terms" as parts of a pharmacist's job.

To me it was an absolutely American thing from the movies: I've always had the posology written by doctors already in layman terms, and nobody counts pills, you just get the number of boxes needed for the period of treatment (e.g. now for a treatment for which I need 38.5 pills I got exactly 38.5, in all other EU countries I've lived in I'd get 1x40/2x20/4x10 boxes).

The UK tends to do this, even though the pills are boxed. I've not seen the group-by-date service yet.

Loose pills in bottles are seen as a hazard in most countries after contamination/confusion incidents.

I know a pharmacist in England was grouping medication for my grandma.

Maybe they only do it if they think you'll have difficulty managing it yourself.

Oh yeah, my French family has leftovers of every antibiotic under the sun. 7 day prescription, 10 days dispensed, over enough years, they end up with a looooot of extra while still taking what was prescribed. and well sealed to boot!

In Switzerland doctors sometimes give 1 stripe directly instead of one package. Other than that agreed, nobody counts pills.

How are the pouches marked? I've always been told to keep medication in it's original labeled bottle when traveling.

https://www.globalsupport.harvard.edu/travel/advice/tips-tra....

They’re labeled with the pills in the pouch and the date and time they should be taken.

So 20mg Med A, 10mg Med B Morning 9/26/2023

The time depends on your prescription. So you can ask your doc to write it how you need.