Hi bluebicycle. I have always taken my morning and evening medications at around 7 am and 7 pm, respectively. These times are either during or immediately after my breakfast and dinner, meals that happen at the same time every day. I keep my pill boxes in a pretty painted box on my dining room table. The ritual of taking my medications with these meals helps me to remember to take them. Plus, my husband reminds me if he thinks I forgot them. He takes his morning medications at the same time as me, so I give him his box at the same time I open mine. Taking my medications with meals has also been necessary because some of them require that I take them with a minimum number of calories.

As for the afternoon dose of propranolol that I used to take, I guess it varied, like Nammu wrote. Taking it with lunch was what I usually tried to do (for the ritual sake), but during the years I was still working, lunch hours varied. Plus, I was often so busy and muddled at work, that I forgot to eat lunch sometimes. Even after I went on disability, my lunch times varied (or didn't exist). That's why I eventually asked for twice per day (morn/evening) instead of three times.

In addition to the calories needed with some meds, I like to take my Seroquel XR earlier than later (meaning at dinner instead of right before I go to sleep). It takes about 3 or 4 hours for my Seroquel XR to make me tired. If I take my Seroquel XR as late as 10 pm or 11 pm, I won't be able to fall asleep until 2 or 3 am, sometimes. In those cases, I might wake up with a Seroquel XR "hangover" and not even be able to eat breakfast at my normal time (which may make me forget my morning meds). If I take it at dinner, I don't have the "hangover" and everything works out perfectly. I even take my Synthroid/levothyrozine with breakfast, even though they want you to take it 30 mins+ before eating. But I almost always forgot it (or couldn't wait to eat that long), so my doctor gave me permission to take it when I could (breakfast) and dose adjustments could be made. My TSH/T4/T3 results are fine with no symptoms of hypothyroidism. Strategizing medication rituals (and sticking to them) not only reduced side effects, but improved my stability.

Tim Gunn says "Make it work!"