Knowing about and taking your medicine in the right way is important to your health. The way you take a prescribed medicine can make a big difference to how effective it is. Understanding how and when to take your medicine, and how to recognise and deal with side effects is important to your general well being. Many people make mistakes with taking their medicine without even realising it. It’s a known fact that approximately half (50%) of people taking prescribed medicine do not take it properly.

In order to help you understand what each medicine is for and how to take it properly, a new pharmacy service has been introduced. We call it “Medicines Check” and the good news is, it is totally free to those eligible to receive it.

How do I know if I need a Medicines Check?

It is especially useful if you:

• Find it difficult to remember to take medicines
• Take more than 3 medicines or 12+ doses a day
• Don’t know how and when to take your medicines
• Don’t know what your medicines do or why they are taking them
• Haven’t got your symptoms under control
• Have side effects from your medicine
• Find your medicine difficult to take or swallow.

While you may recognise some of these signs, there may be other things that you are not aware of or may not notice and you could be putting your health at risk without even realising it. For instance, you may be taking your medicines regularly, but may not be taking them at the right time of day or you may be taking them with other medicines that may have an impact on their effectiveness, so it may still be worthwhile talking to your pharmacist.