Getting all of a kerfuffle with tablets!

I set the alarm on my mobile to remind me to take antibiotics...I'm on a course of 4 a day for 7 days another UTI!

jen That's if they even bother to give them at all, my dad's were often just left on the bedside table all day!

Good point jen !

Why is that when you are in hospital they will give everyone their pills at the same time, taking no notice of whether they are to be taken before or after a meal, but as soon as you go home you are expected to follow the instructions?

Erm, until next Monday, or it might be Tuesday. Better take one now, as I'm having an early night.

(one too many 'fors' there, sorry!)

For how many days do you actually have to take these damned tablets for, phoenix?

Cressida so glad it isn't just me.

Now, what happens if you took a tablet around 8pm, but right now could just fancy a bowl of honey nut cornflakes? It's not 2 hours since I've eaten, and if I hang on until 10pm, then it will bugger up play havoc with the one I should take before going to bed?

Phoenix, you have my sympathies. I had to take the same tablets not long ago and it was a nightmare trying to fit meals in with taking the tablets. You're right with the 2 hours after food or an hour before.

I normally have porridge when I get up but was having to take the horse pill tablet then waiting an hour before I could eat. I had lunch at 12 so I could take a tablet at 2, evening meal at 5 & take tablet at 7 and the last one when I went to bed.

I'll try!

It's so much easier with Maurices pills, once a day at 5.30, just before the cats have their supper.

And I've trained my self well with my other tablets, when the bongs go at 6pm on Radio 4, I'm straight to the cupboard with a glass in my hand!

Pavlovs dog or what?

So maybe your need to take the tablets at regular intervals will even up your mealtimes too, which will be good for your health. Write the mealtimes into your sheet of paper between the tablets, and stick to those too!

Sorry to be a bit late coming back, and thank you all for the responses.

They are Flucloxacillin, 500mg capsules. To be honest, while Mr P is away I don't have much of a regular eating pattern, perhaps some toast around about 11 ish, then evening meal about 6.30.

Up until last Thursday, while I was still employed, I was eating a small bowl of cereal around 10.15, then a proper(ish) lunch at 1pm, then a meal at home at 6.30ish.

The ones that have to be taken with food are the worst! If you spread them out equally through the day they don't seem to fit in with meal times and you end up eating extra food that you don't even want.
The doctor has just prescribed more antibiotics for DH. I rather pointedly said that the last ones were good because they were just once a day ......but no, the new ones are four times a day luckily they are not linked to food at all !
When DH is having full on chemo we end up using a spread sheet to work it all out.

Don't forget to take lots of pro biotics along with the antibiotics.

Have tried Elegran's method myself in the past and it is the only way to remember for me!

Plus one an hour before midday meal, one an hour before evening meal. Sorted.

I would still get it written down and tick them off as I took them.

One in the morning as soon as you wake up, one at night before you go to bed - only two to juggle about with during the day...

Agree with all above!

Phoenix Get a sheet of paper and write down four times in the day when your stomach is empty. Each time you take one, put a tick opposite that time on the list. At the end of the day, cross off all the ticks so that you can start again. Paula is right in what she says here, there are lots of sites which have all the info that was on the missing bit of paper.

www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/default.aspx is the NHS drug list.

What are they called? I used to have a Mims floating round the house but seem to have mislaid it.

phoenix put the name of the tablets in Google and you will get all the info you need..Try to make sure you choose a reputable website of information.