Patients sometimes forget to take their medication at normal times, which may cause problems due to the reason that missing a dose lessens the efficacy of the medicine and taking doses too close together may increase the risk of side effects.

Local pharmacies in Texas find it difficult to give general guidance on what to do in these situations, especially with the number of patients that come and go, reporting having committed the same mistake. Each situation needs to be examined individually.

To aid patients, here is a list of general guidelines which may help patients who occasionally forget or delay a dose.

General Advice

• If the dose is less than 2 hours late: patients are advised to take the missed dose as soon as they remember

  As a general rule, for all oral medication, it is usually acceptable to take the dose up to 2 hours late. Patients can disregard any warnings about taking it before or after meals, as it is more important to catch up and take the dose. If patients take medicines at shorter intervals than usual, they may get more side effects.

  Pharmacies in Grand Prairie, Texas advice patients to keep track of the time and dose by keeping a medication log in hand or on your phone.

• If the dose is more than 2 hours late: people should take the dose as soon as they remember as long as the next dose is not due with a few hours

  If taken more often than twice a day, it is safer to omit the missed dose and wait until the next dose is due, then continue as normal.

For more details, visit your nearest local pharmacy in Texas and voice out your concerns.