If you are supposed to take the medicine three times a day, for example, it usually needs to be taken at set times so that the effect is spread out evenly over the course of the day. You could remember the regular times of 6 a.m., 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. for an antibiotic that needs to be taken every 8 hours, for example.
Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day. If you take it 3 times a day, this could be first thing in the morning, mid-afternoon and at bedtime. Ideally these times should be at least 4 hours apart.
There's an increased risk of side effects if you take 2 doses closer together than recommended. Accidentally taking 1 extra dose of your antibiotic is unlikely to cause you any serious harm. But it will increase your chances of getting side effects, such as pain in your stomach, diarrhoea, and feeling or being sick.
Try to take the right number of doses each day, leaving at least 3 hours between doses.
Yes, it is OK to take your meds an hour prior to your normal time. This won't have any impact on your health.
Official answer. In an ideal world - every 6 hours is best. In hospital they would dose you every 6 hours. This is what you should do if your infection is severe.
Waiting too long between antibiotic doses increases the chance of bacteria growing and becoming resistant to the medicine. The following are examples of appropriate time intervals for taking your antibiotics. If your label says to use the medicine: Twice a day – take your dose every 12 hours.
The reasoning is simple: Exposure to antibiotics is what drives bacteria to develop resistance. Taking drugs when you aren't sick anymore simply gives the hordes of bacteria in and on your body more incentive to evolve to evade the drugs, so the next time you have an infection, they may not work.
Amoxicillin is usually given three times each day. These should be evenly spaced, usually 4–6 hours apart. For example, between 7am and 8am, between 1pm and 2pm, and between 7pm and 8pm.
“Take every 8 hours” generally means the medicine should be taken 3 times a day.
Sir Alexander Fleming, Ernst Boris Chain, and Sir Howard Walter Florey shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of penicillin and its ability to treat a variety of infectious ailments. Vancomycin 3.0 is one of the most potent antibiotics ever created.
Typically, people take amoxicillin twice to three times a day, or every 8-12 hours, either with or without food.
It's usually safe to take medicine 1-2 hours early or late, but don't double up doses. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to see how to handle the switch to a new time zone.
When taking an oral antibiotic, it is important to know the dose you are taking and how many times a day you should take the medicine. Also, it is generally not a good idea to take these medications right before bedtime because this can lead to an irritation of the esophagus.
It's safe to take paracetamol with most prescription medicines, including antibiotics.
There's an increased risk of side effects if you take two doses closer together than recommended. Accidentally taking one extra dose of your antibiotic is unlikely to cause you any serious harm.
Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day. If you take it 3 times a day, this could be first thing in the morning, mid-afternoon and at bedtime.
️ Amoxicillin is usually taken three times a day. Space your doses evenly over the day (during the hours you are awake). For example, adults who've been prescribed a dose three times a day could take one dose at 7am, one at 3pm and one at 11pm.
So for example, if you are supposed to take your antibiotic every 12 hours, you could take it if it's less than six hours away from your next scheduled dose. If it's beyond six hours, simply take the next dose when it's due, understanding that your therapy will need to be extended to incorporate the dose you missed.
High acid foods – Citrus fruits and juices like orange and grapefruit, soda, chocolate and tomato products have a high acid content, which could decrease how much medicine is absorbed into your system for certain antibiotics.
If an antibiotic is prescribed for a clear indication, and a minimum duration is supported by evidence-based guidance, patients should be advised not to stop treatment until the end of the course.
Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day. If you take phenoxymethylpenicillin 4 times a day, this could be first thing in the morning, around midday, late afternoon and at bedtime. If you're taking it twice a day, leave 12 hours between each dose.
Taking your medications at the proper intervals during the day. Try to divide up your dosing times as evenly as possible throughout the day: for example, every 12 hours for a drug that needs to be taken twice a day, or every 8 hours for a drug that needs to be taken three times a day.
Staying hydrated helps prevent infections and keeps antibiotics working.