A personal medication dispenser is provided that has a storage compartment (1) and a manually operable closure (2) for providing access to the storage compartment, and a microprocessor (4) together with associated electronic circuitry including a memory (5) and an electronic time clock (6), and an alarm (7) operable by the microprocessor in response to an alarm time outputted by the time clock on the basis of data in the memory. The memory retains data as to each selected time the dispenser is opened to provide access to the storage compartment during an historic period of an integral number of days with each item of retained data being identified as pertaining to a particular timeslot of a predetermined duration that is separated from any other timeslot or timeslots by a predetermined time interval. The microprocessor is arranged to cause activation of the alarm at an automatically determined alarm time that is determined on the basis of historic selected opening times within one or more different timeslots over said predetermined historic time period of days. User programmed alarm times may optionally also be provided.
