Can You Take All Your Medication At Once In The Morning Or Night?

In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses considerations to dosing all your medication at once in the morning or evening.

Apr 30, 2018

Nicholas asked

is my grandma able to take all of her medications at one time of the day instead of day/night?

Answer

It is hard to answer this question about your grandma's medications without knowing what medications she has been prescribed.

Many medications, especially ones that seniors often take, have specific times of days for dosing. For example if someone is taking blood pressure medications like a water pill, it would not be advised to take these in the evening because she would be up using the bathroom at night, disrupting her sleep and possibly putting her at risk for falls.

Other medications like "Statins" for cholesterol (for example simvastatin or pravastatin) are advised to be taken at bedtime to work best.

Thyroid medications usually are taken on an empty stomach in the morning, one-half hour to an hour before eating breakfast. Some of her medications may be dosed twice or even three times a day.

If there are any specific questions as to when the best times for her to take her medications, and if the bottles are not specific, a quick call to the doctor or her local pharmacist would be advised. If she is having trouble remembering when to take what medication, pill boxes can be helpful. There are also apps you could set up for her on her cell phone (if she has one that she uses).

If you have more questions, please feel free to write in again and let us know what medications she has been prescribed so we can give our best advice. 

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