How to follow the meal instructions of your medications
By the HoraDose team · Updated October 9, 2026 · 2 min read
Some medications are taken with food, others before or after a meal, others away from meals. The instruction comes from your pharmacist or your doctor, and it is often written on the label. The safest way: write it down clearly, ask how long, and organize your meals around it.
Why the meal matters
Food can change the way some medications work or how well they are tolerated. That is why an instruction sometimes says when to take them in relation to a meal.
This instruction varies from one medication to another. Only your pharmacist or your doctor can tell you the one that applies to you. And some medications are taken at a fixed time, whatever the meal.
Where to find the instruction
- On the pharmacy label stuck on the box.
- In the patient leaflet that comes with the medication.
- By asking your pharmacist, at the counter or by phone.
The most common instructions
On a label, these words generally mean:
- “With food” or “during the meal”
- Take it while eating.
- “Before the meal”
- Take it a little before eating. Ask how long before.
- “After the meal”
- Take it after you have eaten. Ask how long after.
- “Away from meals”
- You need to leave some time between the dose and food, before and after. Ask how long. In HoraDose, this is called a “food restriction”.
- “Avoid a certain food”
- Some instructions target a particular food or drink. Note it just as your pharmacist told you.
If an instruction is not clear, ask for it in writing. It is a normal question.
Organize your meals around the instruction
Write down your usual meal times. Then place each dose in relation to the meal, as the instruction says. If you need to wait before eating, note the time when you can eat.
On a day when you eat later, ask your pharmacist whether the dose can be shifted along with the meal. Do the same if you skip a meal.
How HoraDose can help
HoraDose keeps your meal times and the instruction for each medication: before, with or after the meal, or a food restriction. Reminders are placed around your meals, and the home screen shows you when you can eat.
Try HoraDose now
The test version is free and open to everyone, on iPhone and Android. Choose your phone:
iPhone: If Apple asks, first install its free TestFlight app, then tap this button again.
Android: Tap “Become a tester”, then “Download it on Google Play”.
On a computer? Open horadose.com on your phone to install the app.