Medication Schedule Planner

How this tool works

Keeping track of several medicines can be hard, especially when they are taken at different times of day. This planner turns the information on your labels into a simple daily chart you can print and keep on the fridge or in your wallet.

For each medicine, you type three things:

• The name, exactly as it is written on the label
• The dose, exactly as written on the label (for example, "1 tablet")
• The times of day you take it, as your label or your doctor directs

The tool then sorts everything by time and builds a chart with a row for each time of day and a box to tick when each dose is taken. You can add vitamins and supplements too, so your list is complete.

Important: this planner only organizes what you type in. It does not check doses, suggest times, spot interactions or give any dosing advice. Always follow your label and the directions from your doctor or pharmacist.

A worked example

Say you enter three items:

• Medicine A, 1 tablet, 8:00 a.m.
• Medicine B, 1 capsule, 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Medicine C, 2 tablets, 9:00 p.m.

The planner would build this chart:

That adds up to 4 doses across 3 times of day: 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. Counting the doses is a handy cross-check against your pill organizer.

Good habits for your list

Bring your printed chart, or the bottles themselves, to every appointment and ask your doctor to check it. Update it the same day anything changes. Using one pharmacy where possible helps the pharmacist see all your medicines. Once a year, ask a pharmacist to review everything you take, including vitamins and supplements; this is often called a "brown bag" review. If you have Medicare Part D and several chronic conditions, your plan may offer a free medicine review through its Medication Therapy Management program. Our guide to managing multiple medications has more tips.

Limits of this tool

The chart is only as accurate as what you type. Spelling mistakes or missed items will carry onto the printout. It does not know about food instructions, such as "take with a meal", unless you add them, and it cannot warn you about drugs that should not be taken together.

When to talk to your doctor

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure how or when to take a medicine, if you miss doses often, or if a medicine seems to make you dizzy, drowsy or confused. Dizziness can raise fall risk; our fall risk checker can help. Never start, stop or change a medicine on your own. If someone takes too much of a medicine, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or call 911 if they are very unwell.