The standard pattern
Written QDS or 1-1-1-1, four times a day is normally 8 AM, 1 PM, 5 PM and 9 PM — roughly four to five hours apart through the day with a longer overnight break. Strictly every six hours would mean a 2 AM dose, which almost nobody sustains and which most prescriptions do not intend.
Why the fourth dose is the one that gets missed
The morning and evening doses attach themselves to waking up and going to bed. The two in the middle have no such anchor, and the late-afternoon one is missed most often because it lands during work, school runs or a nap. A chart on the wall with a tick box fixes this better than memory does: an empty box at 5 PM is visible from across the room.
Eye drops four times a day
For drops, four times daily is extremely common after surgery or for infections. If you are using more than one drop at the same hour, leave about five minutes between them so the second does not wash the first out. Mark which eye in the site field and it prints inside every dose box — worth doing, because treating the wrong eye is a genuinely common error.
Making the chart
Choose four times a day, shift any hour to fit the household, and print. The chart puts the hours down the left and the dates across the top, so the answer to what is due now is one row rather than a search through a list.
How to make one
- Choose 4 times a day
- Move any hour to suit your routine
- Print and tick off each dose
Questions
Does four times a day mean every 6 hours?
Rarely. It usually means four doses across waking hours. Every six hours would include an overnight dose, which your prescriber would tell you about specifically.
Can I move all four times later?
Yes, as long as you keep them reasonably spread out and finish the day's doses. Tap any time to change it.
What about eye drops at the same time as tablets?
That is fine. They appear stacked in the same box on the chart.
A note on safety. PillsChart reproduces the schedule you type. It does not check doses or interactions. Always follow the instructions from your doctor or pharmacist, and check the printed chart against the prescription before anyone relies on it.
More chart guides
Ready to make your chart?
It takes about two minutes and prints on one page. Nothing you type leaves your device.
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