Printable medicine schedule maker

How to use it

1. Copy each medicine from the label

   Type the name and dose exactly as the pharmacy label or prescription says, not from memory. Include inhalers, creams, drops and anything bought over the counter if you want to tick those off too.

2. Pick when it's taken

   Tick morning, midday, evening or bedtime, or add set times such as 08:00 and 20:00. A medicine taken twice a day gets a row for each time, so every dose has its own box.

3. Choose the days

   Every day is the default. For a medicine taken on some days only, untick the others: those squares are shaded on the chart so there's nothing to tick by mistake.

4. Add a short note

   Use it for instructions from the label, such as "with food" or "30 minutes before breakfast". The NHS notes that taking a medicine at the wrong time, or without food when it should be taken with it, can stop it working properly or cause side effects.

5. Print or save it

   Choose A4 or US Letter and landscape or portrait, add a few blank rows for anything new, then press Print or save as PDF. Add a start date if you want each column dated; leave it empty to reuse the chart every week.

How the chart is laid out

Rows run through the day: set times are placed in clock order, and morning, midday, evening and bedtime sit where you would expect them among those times. Medicines taken at the same time are grouped under one heading, in the order you added them, so the morning round reads as one block. Each row shows the medicine, the dose and your note, then one square per day. The chart never adds a time, a dose or an instruction you didn't type, and it has no drug information, so it can't check doses or whether medicines mix. That is a question for a pharmacist.

Tips for keeping a medicine chart useful

• Keep it up to date. When a dose changes or a medicine stops, update the chart the same day. The NHS suggests bringing a list of all your medicines, including vitamins and supplements, to appointments; printing this chart before one does that job.
• Keep medicines in one place. The NHS recommends one place in the home, preferably a locked cupboard or drawer if children live in or visit the house. Put the chart next to it.
• Ask about other reminders. For a complicated routine, a pharmacist may provide a compartment (dosette) box. The NHS notes these are not always free and do not suit every medicine.
• Ask for a review. If you take several medicines, your GP surgery may offer a free structured medication review with a pharmacist.
• Don't run out. The NHS says to request a repeat prescription up to 5 working days before you need it.
• If a box is missed,check the leaflet or ask a pharmacist. The NHS warns that taking a double dose later to make up for a missed one is dangerous. Each medicine's page in the NHS medicines A to Z covers what to do if you forget a dose.

What happens to what you type

Nothing leaves your device. The chart is made by this page in your browser; there is no account and no server step. If "Keep a copy in this browser" is ticked, the chart is stored in this browser's local storage so it's there when you come back, and only on this device. On a shared or public computer, untick it, or press Clear everything when you're done. If your browser blocks storage (some private windows do), the tool still works; it just won't remember the chart.