I am 22 female, 125 pounds, my dosage is 500 mg 3 times a day... I am wondering how I am supposed to take it 3 times a day.. today I took it at 10 , 2 and 10 ... I am just wondering if there was a certain amount of time in between I should be taking it. It is for an upper respiratory infection. Thank you.
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There is a general guideline you should follow --
You shouldn't take the antibiotic closer than every 6 hours. Given it is Rx'ed at 3 times per day, aka: TID. The optimal dosing would be every 8 hours. Though taking it 3 times a day at meals is just fine. IE: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
It doesn't have to be a large meal if you eat , say, only twice a day -- Then eat a small snack with it to add a third one in.
An example schedule would be:
8am (morning)
2pm (afternoon)
10pm (evening)
You can modify this how you like. If you are a night owl and stay up to 12am or later then..
8am morning.
4pm Afternoon
12am Evening/night.
The key is to try an keep it at least 6 hours (give or take) between doses.. and 8 hours is the absolute optimal but it is understandable to be ahead or short 2-3 hours either way.
Why?
Because antibiotics work by building up in the body.. they have half lives just like other medications. By spacing it out across the day, the serum levels of the antibiotics stay at an even and maximum therapeutic level to best fight the bacterial infection.
10, 2, and 10 is just fine. You could adjust that to 10 - 4 - 10 for a little more even spacing, but it won't make a HUGE difference either way.
It is vastly important that you take ALL of your Rx'ed antibiotic even if you feel better before you are finished with the Rx.
Take care,
You shouldn't take the antibiotic closer than every 6 hours. Given it is Rx'ed at 3 times per day, aka: TID. The optimal dosing would be every 8 hours. Though taking it 3 times a day at meals is just fine. IE: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
It doesn't have to be a large meal if you eat , say, only twice a day -- Then eat a small snack with it to add a third one in.
An example schedule would be:
8am (morning)
2pm (afternoon)
10pm (evening)
You can modify this how you like. If you are a night owl and stay up to 12am or later then..
8am morning.
4pm Afternoon
12am Evening/night.
The key is to try an keep it at least 6 hours (give or take) between doses.. and 8 hours is the absolute optimal but it is understandable to be ahead or short 2-3 hours either way.
Why?
Because antibiotics work by building up in the body.. they have half lives just like other medications. By spacing it out across the day, the serum levels of the antibiotics stay at an even and maximum therapeutic level to best fight the bacterial infection.
10, 2, and 10 is just fine. You could adjust that to 10 - 4 - 10 for a little more even spacing, but it won't make a HUGE difference either way.
It is vastly important that you take ALL of your Rx'ed antibiotic even if you feel better before you are finished with the Rx.
Take care,
-
Just take three a day as directed. No strict schedule required.