AM or PM? A simple way to split your supplements

Start with the label and your clinician

Before anything else, read what each label says about timing. Some products are specific: take with a meal, take on an empty stomach, take at bedtime, do not take with certain other things. Those instructions come first.

If you take prescription medicines, or you are managing a health condition, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you change when you take anything, including supplements. Some supplements and medicines affect each other, and a pharmacist can tell you which of yours need to be kept apart. This post is about organizing a routine, not about what or how much to take.

Common reasons people split doses

Once the fixed instructions are in place, most people find that their reasons for choosing morning or evening fall into a few groups.

• Food. Some products are better tolerated, or are meant to be taken, with a meal. Pair those with the meal you most reliably eat.
• Spacing. Some things should not be taken at the same time as each other. Splitting them between the AM and PM rows is an easy way to keep them apart, if your pharmacist or the label says they should be.
• Sleep and energy. Some labels suggest a time of day, and some people simply notice they get on better with a product at one end of the day. Follow the label, and mention anything you notice to your clinician.
• Convenience. For anything with no timing instructions, the best time is the one you will actually remember.

A simple sorting method

Sit down with every bottle and a piece of paper, or a note on your phone. Then work through them in this order:

1. List everything you take, with the name exactly as it appears on the label.
2. Beside each one, copy what the label or your clinician says about timing. If it says nothing, write “no preference”.
3. Place the fixed ones first: morning, evening or with a particular meal.
4. Note any pairs you have been told to keep apart, and put them in different rows.
5. Place the “no preference” items wherever is easiest for you to remember, which for many people means keeping the evening row light.

Anchor each row to a habit

Routines stick when they hang on something you already do. The morning row might belong with breakfast or your first glass of water; the evening row with dinner, or with brushing your teeth. Keep the organizer where that habit happens, not where it looks tidiest.

If your days vary, pick anchors that do not. A weekday breakfast that turns into a weekend brunch is a weak anchor. Brushing your teeth is a strong one.

Write it down and keep it current

Keep your list somewhere you can find it, and update it whenever something changes. Bring it to appointments. A clear, current list makes it much easier for a doctor or pharmacist to spot anything that should be timed differently or not taken together.

Where TapStack fits

TapStack has fourteen compartments: an AM lid and a PM lid for each day of the week, the morning row on top and the evening row below. Once your plan is set, filling it is mechanical, and the week reads at a glance. When you take a dose, a tap of your phone on the lid logs it with the time, so you can see what you took and when.

If you only take things in the morning, use the top row and leave the bottom one empty. The organizer should follow your plan, not the other way round.