General Advice:

 

Medicines are designed to help you with your symptoms but they can be damaging if they are not stored correctly or get into the wrong hands. So here are some simple rules to keep you and your medicines safe:

 

1. Only use your own medication as prescribed by a healthcare professional.

2. Please don’t share. Do not give your medication to anyone else, because even though their symptoms may be similar to yours, your medicine may make their condition worse.

3. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place, not in the bathroom or kitchen, unless otherwise instructed.

4. Keep them out of the reach of children. If possible keep a childproof lid on the bottle.

5. Eye, ear and nose drops and creams should always be thrown away a month after opening

6. Always check the expiry date on the container. Discard, by taking them to your nearest pharmacy, if this has passed.

7. Read the instructions on the label and make sure you follow them.

8. Read the patient leaflet that comes with the medicine to see how it should be stored, anything you have to be careful about while taking the medication, e.g. avoiding sunlight, and any side effects you might expect

9. Drinking alcohol while you are on medication is not a good idea in general and especially bad with some medication, so ask your pharmacist if you are concerned.

10. Some medications individually or in combination can affect your reaction time so you must take care if you are going to drive or operate machinery.

11. If you have a minor illness that you want to buy a medicine for, always check with the pharmacist when you are purchasing, that it will not interfere with any medication you are on from the doctor.