How to remember to take your medicine every day
Use the time on the label, attach it to something you already do, and mark the dose after you take it.
Start with your medicine list
Have your medicine packs beside you and write down:
- Name and strength.
- How much you take, and the time.
- Any note about food, and a stop date if the label has one.
Pills, capsules, liquids, inhalers, drops, and injections all belong on that list. If the label says "as directed", ask your pharmacist to explain the schedule.
Do not move a dose to a more convenient hour. Some medicines need a gap, a meal, or an empty stomach.
What with food, before food, and an empty stomach mean is in take with food or on an empty stomach.
An antibiotic course is a short version of the same rule. See how to take antibiotics.
Vitamins follow the same idea, with their own rules about fat and iron. See the best time to take vitamins.
For several medicines, see managing multiple medicines.
Choose a reminder that fits your day
Pick a cue that already happens at the right time, such as the kettle, brushing your teeth, or a meal the label allows. Keep the prescribed timing, even when you link it to another habit.
- Set an alarm at the prescribed time, named clearly enough that you know which medicine it is.
- Keep the medicine where the label says to store it, and where that cue happens. Follow any note about the fridge, heat, or light.
- Mark a chart or a phone record after the dose, not when the alarm rings.
Store medicines out of reach of children and pets, even if you want them in sight. A closed cupboard is the safer spot, and the alarm can be the cue.
See how to store medicines safely at home.
How to fill that box, and when a pharmacy pack is the better option, is in how to use a pill organiser.
Record the dose you took
Record the medicine, date and time after each dose. If a carer gives it, agree that they will update the record straight away.
Pillbo keeps a reminder and a log of taken, skipped, or missed doses, offline for your own routine. It will not tell you whether a late dose should still be taken.
If the record and the pack disagree, use what to do if you miss a dose. On iPhone, the limits of Health are in medication reminders on iPhone.
Travelling? See taking medicines across time zones.
If you keep missing doses
Try one change at a time, such as a louder alarm or a paper chart. Keep medicines stored safely, following the label.
Ask your pharmacist for help if:
- You are unsure of the time, the strength, or whether a medicine is finished.
- You want a pharmacy pack, or you want to crush, split, or move a dose.
- Side effects are why you keep delaying it.
- Several people help, and nobody is sure who gave the last dose.
Take the list, the packs, and the chart or phone record with you.
Common questions
What is a reliable way to remember a daily pill?
Keep the label's schedule, tie the reminder to something you already do then, and record the dose after you take it.
Is a phone alarm enough?
An alarm can remind you. It does not show whether you took the dose after you dismissed it.
What if I cannot tell whether I already took it?
Do not take another dose to be safe. Check the pack and your record, then ask your pharmacist or doctor.
Sources
- Medicines safety for older people, healthdirect
- Accidental overdose of medicine, healthdirect
