As-needed medicines: painkillers, inhalers, antihistamines

A painkiller has no 08:00. But “how often have I been taking this?” is exactly the question a doctor asks, and it is impossible to answer from memory.

Set one up

1. Add the medicine as usual — name, strength, form.
2. Choose As needed as the schedule.
3. Save. No times are asked for, and no reminder is scheduled.

Record a dose

Open the medicine from Medicines and tap Log dose. It records the moment with the amount, and the page shows how many you have had today and when the last one was.

Why it is worth doing

• An inhaler used more often than it used to be is something your doctor wants to know about.
• A painkiller taken daily for a fortnight is a pattern that is invisible until it is written down.
• The doctor's report includes as-needed doses with their dates and times.
• Stock tracking still works, so you are told before the inhaler runs out.

What the app will not do

It will not tell you whether you may take another dose, or how long to wait. It records what you tell it; the limits on the box and your pharmacist's advice are what decide.