5 ways to keep your medication times straight when you take several

When you take more than one medication or supplement, the day turns into a small timetable. One in the morning, another at noon, two more in the evening… Trying to keep track of all of them from memory can let something slip on your busiest day. The good news: once you set up the routine, everything after that is much easier.

1. Bring everything together in one list

The first step is seeing everything you take in one place. Write your prescription medications, over-the-counter items, vitamins and supplements on the same list. The boxes may be in different cabinets and the prescriptions from different dates; the list brings them all together.

Add the following to each line:

• The medication's name and form (tablet, syrup, drops, etc.)
• The amount and times your doctor or pharmacist told you
• When you started and, if you know it, how long it will continue
• Any special notes on the box or that you were told

This list isn't just for you. It's also at hand for your next appointment or when you have a question at the pharmacy. If you'd also like to keep track of what you take each day, the 8-point medication log checklist can help.

2. Set up a separate plan for each medication

Grouping all your medications under a single "morning medications" heading seems practical. But confusion starts the moment one of them changes or runs out. Setting up a separate plan for each medication keeps clear which one is taken when.

When writing the times into the plan, go by the instructions you were given, not your own guess. Things like whether a medication is taken on an empty or full stomach, or whether to leave a gap between it and another medication, are decided by your doctor or pharmacist. You simply carry the schedule you were told into the plan exactly as given. If there's a point you're not sure about, make a note and ask.

3. Make reminders easy to tell apart

If three or four reminders come in during the day, having them all look the same can be confusing. Being able to tell which plan a reminder belongs to at a glance makes things easier.

• Choose a separate sound for the reminder; it becomes easier to tell apart from your phone's other notifications.
• If you're not free at that moment, snooze the reminder for a short while instead of dismissing it.
• If your phone isn't always with you, seeing the reminder on your watch as well can be useful.

If you often miss the time even with a single medication, take a look at How to remember to take your medication: 9 practical ways.

4. Log it right away when you take it or skip it

"Did I take this morning's medication?" is a question everyone who takes more than one medication asks themselves eventually. Looking at the box doesn't always give you the answer. The easiest way is to make a quick log entry the moment you take it.

The log records, by your own entry, whether the medication was taken or skipped. If you skipped a dose, write that down too; a day left blank makes it harder to remember later what happened. As for what to do if you miss a dose, ask your doctor or pharmacist about it in advance. The log makes sure you have clear information at hand when you ask that question.

5. Review once a week, act on changes right away

Once a week, set aside a few minutes and look at recent days: which times were left unlogged, which reminder doesn't fit your day? For example, if the noon reminder always falls during a meeting, noticing that is the first step. Whether it's okay to change the time is something to check with your doctor or pharmacist.

When your doctor changes a medication, adjusts an amount, or has you stop one, update the plan that same day. If the old schedule and the new one overlap for a while, confusion is hard to avoid. If you're setting up this kind of routine for a parent, take a look at 6 family tips for managing an aging parent's medications.

How do you set this up in Oveluni?

In Oveluni, you set up a separate plan for each medication. When you choose New medication plan from the Quick add menu on the Today screen, the plan is prepared in three steps: first the medication's name and form; then repeat, times during the day, amount, unit, and start and end date; and finally a review screen. You can add more than one time per day.

• Intake log: Marks the medication as taken or skipped, with a short note if you'd like. This log doesn't change your plan.
• Reminder settings: Choose a notification sound from Soft tone, Clear tone, System sound or Silent. "Remind me in 10 minutes" in the notification lets you snooze briefly. Reminders also appear on Apple Watch.
• Plan changes: "Edit details and plan" creates a new plan version; your earlier records are kept. When you archive a medication you no longer take, it leaves the active list while its history is kept.
• Weekly view: In Summaries, you see medication intake broken down into taken, skipped and no record.

The plan in Oveluni is the plan you entered; it is not a medical verification. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about any question regarding your medications.