2 April 2013-Popping your daily pills at the right time can help you maximise their benefits and avoid potentially dangerous interactions.
When You Wake
Medications for thyroid (Synthroid) and osteoporosis (Boniva, Fosamax). Take these about half an hour before breakfast, says Jennifer Reinhold, PharmD, and wait two hours before taking supplements, which make these drugs less effective.
With Lunch
Calcium and magnesium. Break up calcium intake into doses of 500 mg or less, because that’s all your body can use at once, says Heather Mangieri, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, US. If your first dose is at lunch, you can take the next (if needed) at dinner. It’s good to take Vitamin D at the same time, since it aids absorption of the minerals.
Before Bed
Aspirin for heart health; also statins. People with prehypertension who took aspirin at bedtime had lower blood pressure readings than those who took it in the morning, found a 2009 study at the University of Vigo in Spain. Because our bodies produce most of the cholesterol at night, you should also take cholesterol-lowering simvastatin (Zocor) at bedtime, Reinhold says.
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