How Daylight Saving Time can impact your medication schedule

In retirement, sticking to a routine can be important. There are bills to pay, appointments to keep, and birthdays to celebrate. For some people, it can also mean medications to take. And depending on where you live, this routine can be thrown off twice a year due to Daylight Saving Time.

Come spring and fall, you may wonder — how does the time change affect me? Here’s the short answer: Generally speaking, you should be OK to stick to your established medication routine. In fact, doctors recommend taking your medicine at the same “clock” time every day before, during and after Daylight Saving Time.

For example, if you take it at 12:00 p.m. before DST, you can take it at 12:00 p.m. during DST, and 12:00 p.m. after DST.

While there is an hour’s difference, doctors say the average time medicine is taken has a variation of an hour anyway. But this isn’t a universal rule, and some medications may require your attention.

Medications that need extra care

Some medications require more precise timing. This can be because they have much smaller metabolic windows, need to work with meals or work with your body’s natural daily rhythms (like cortisol or hormone cycles).

• Heart and blood pressure medicines: Pills like lisinopril, amlodipine, and metoprolol work with your body’s natural daily blood pressure changes.
• Diabetes medicines: Insulin shots and diabetes pills like metformin must match the rises and falls of your blood sugar due to meals or daily activities to prevent dangerous spikes or drops.
• Hormone medicines: Thyroid pills like levothyroxine sodium and cortisol medicines like hydrocortisone need to match your body’s natural hormone schedule to work properly.
• Seizure medicines: It’s important that medicines like carbamazepine and levetiracetam be taken on a consistent schedule to reduce the risk of breakthrough seizures.
• Parkinson’s disease medicine: Medications like carbidopa and levodopa can wear off quickly. Wearing-off symptoms vary for each person.

If you’re taking any of these types of medications, talk to your health care provider. They can help you follow best practices for your health care needs and situation.

Beyond the medicine cabinet … how DST can impact your health

The transition to Daylight Saving Time can create short-term health problems — sleep issues, fatigue and changes in blood pressure, as well as health issues that can become long-term in nature: depression, weight gain and cluster headaches.

Here are some ways Northwestern Medicine recommends to counteract these potential side effects:

• Keep a sleep routine: Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. The night before DST starts, go to bed one hour earlier than normal to prepare.
• Chase the morning light: For one to two days leading up to the switch to DST, get outside in the morning. More natural morning light can help preserve your circadian rhythm.
• Eliminate sleep disturbances: Avoid excess amounts of caffeine, alcohol and blue light exposure (from screens) one to two hours before bedtime.
• Exercise in the morning: Activity raises your body temperature, which can increase your wakefulness and help reset your internal clock.

Whether the clocks spring forward or fall back, following these tips can help make sure your health routine doesn’t skip a beat.

The bottom line

In many cases, you should be fine continuing to take your medicine as usual. That said, it’s very important to check with your doctor before Daylight Saving Time. They can advise you about what’s best for your specific medications and health routine.