Twice a day, three times a day,
every 8 hours: what they mean.

Two ways of reading the same words

Health sources read dose wording in two ways. Austria’s medicines regulator describes twice a day as about every 12 hours and three times a day as about every 8 hours, to keep enough of the medicine in the body. A UK booklet for parents of babies says most medicines prescribed three times a day can be given at breakfast, lunch and bedtime, and an NHS medicine page describes three times a day as first thing in the morning, mid-afternoon and bedtime.

Neither reading is wrong. For some medicines the gap between doses matters a great deal; for others it matters much less. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can say which applies.

What “every 8 hours” asks for

A label that gives hours rather than times a day, such as every 8 hours, describes the gap between doses. If keeping that gap would mean a dose during the night, ask the pharmacist whether it should, before the first dose.

The same times each day

Whichever reading applies, sources agree on keeping to about the same times every day. Linking doses to something you already do, such as a meal or bedtime, helps, and so do alarms, charts and phone reminders.

If a dose is missed

What to do depends on the medicine, and the advice differs between sources, so check the leaflet that came in the pack or ask your pharmacist. The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service says never to take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one unless the prescriber has advised it.

Asking for a written schedule

If you look after several people’s medicines, ask the pharmacist to help you set times that fit the day, and write them down. AlongWell then reminds each person at those times, and the times follow your family’s meal times unless you set them by hand.