When should i take my medication calculator

Whether you need to take a drug at a specific time of day depends on the medication and the condition you are treating. For some medicines, it doesn’t matter what time you take it.

And for others, the pharmacist may recommend you take it at the same time each day.

How to take medicine correctly

But we estimate that for around 30% of all medicines, the time of day you take it does matter. And a recent study shows blood pressure medications are more effective if you take them at night.

So, how do you know if the timing of your medication is critical?

Read more: Health Check: what should you do with your unused medicine?

When timing doesn’t matter

In most cases, it’s not important when you take your medicine.

For instance, you can take non-drowsy antihistamines for hay fever, or analgesics for pain when you need them. It doesn’t matter if it is morning, noon or night.

What is more important is the time interval between each dose.

For instance, paracetamol needs to be taken at least four hours apart, any closer and you run the risk of taking a toxic dose.

Read more: Australia has a paracetamol