5 questions to ask about your medicines
By your accredited pharmacist · 4 min read
Most medicine problems aren't caused by rare side effects — they come from small everyday gaps: a tablet whose purpose nobody remembers, two doctors who haven't compared notes, or a dose that quietly doubled up. Asking a few plain questions closes most of those gaps.
1. What is this medicine for?
Every medicine on your list should have a job you can name. If you can't say what one is for, ask your pharmacist or GP. "I don't know" is the most common answer we hear during home reviews — and sometimes neither does anyone else, which is exactly when a medicine should be reviewed.
2. How and when should I take it?
With food or without? Morning or night? Does it clash with your coffee, your calcium tablet, or your other prescriptions? Timing can change how well a medicine works and how it makes you feel.
3. What side effects should I watch for?
You don't need the whole leaflet — just the two or three things worth calling someone about. Dizziness after a new blood pressure tablet, unusual bruising on a blood thinner, muscle aches on a cholesterol medicine.
4. Do I still need this?
Medicines started years ago for a problem that has passed often just… stay. Asking "do I still need this?" once a year is one of the safest questions in medicine — and stopping (with your GP's guidance) is sometimes the best prescription.
5. Does everything on my list work together?
Prescriptions, over-the-counter painkillers, vitamins, and herbal supplements can all interact. Keep one complete list and show it to every health professional you see.
The easiest way to ask all five at once? A free, bulk-billed Home Medicines Review — we come to you, go through everything, and send a clear report to your GP.
Request a review.
Taking lots of medicines? Managing polypharmacy safely
By your accredited pharmacist · 5 min read
"Polypharmacy" simply means taking five or more regular medicines. It's common — almost one in five older Australians — and often entirely appropriate. But every extra medicine adds a little more to keep track of: another interaction to consider, another dose to remember, another side effect that can be mistaken for a new illness.
Why five is the number to watch
Research consistently shows that once someone takes five or more medicines, their risk of an adverse medicine event, a fall, or an unplanned hospital visit rises steeply. It isn't that any single medicine is wrong — it's that the combination has usually never been reviewed as a whole.
Signs it's time for a review
- You take medicines prescribed by more than one doctor
- You've added over-the-counter medicines or supplements on top of prescriptions
- You feel dizzy, foggy, or more tired than you'd expect
- Your medicines routine feels complicated, or doses get missed
- Nobody has looked at the full list in over a year
What you can do this week
- Make one list. Every medicine, vitamin, and supplement — with doses. Keep it in your wallet or phone.
- Use one pharmacy where you can, so someone sees the whole picture.
- Ask your GP about a Home Medicines Review. It's free, bulk-billed, and designed exactly for this situation.
Did you know? After an HMR, it's common to safely simplify a regimen — fewer doses per day, and sometimes fewer medicines altogether, always in partnership with your GP.
Webster-paks and dose administration aids
By your accredited pharmacist · 3 min read
A dose administration aid (DAA) — often called a Webster-pak or blister pack — is a sealed weekly pack prepared by your pharmacy, with your tablets sorted into little bubbles by day and time. Monday morning's tablets are in Monday morning's bubble; if the bubble is empty, you've taken them.
Who do they help?
- Anyone juggling several medicines at different times of day
- People who occasionally can't remember whether they took a dose
- Carers and family members who help manage someone else's medicines
- People with arthritis or dexterity issues (no fiddly bottle caps)
Things worth knowing
- Your community pharmacy prepares packs weekly; many deliver.
- Not every medicine can be packed (some degrade outside their bottle, and "when required" medicines stay separate) — your pharmacist will advise.
- When your prescriptions change, the pharmacy updates the pack — no sorting tablets at the kitchen table.
Not sure if a DAA would help? It's one of the most common recommendations to come out of a Home Medicines Review — we can assess your routine at home and coordinate with your pharmacy and GP.
Get in touch.
After hospital: why your medicines deserve a check-up
By your accredited pharmacist · 4 min read
Leaving hospital is one of the riskiest moments for medicines. Doses get changed on the ward, old medicines are stopped, new ones are started — and the letter explaining it all doesn't always reach your GP before you do. It's very common to arrive home with two versions of your medicine routine: the old one in your cupboard and the new one in your discharge bag.
The classic traps
- Doubling up: the hospital's brand and your old brand are the same medicine with different names.
- Restarting stopped medicines: the cupboard supply of something the hospital deliberately ceased.
- Missing new medicines: the new prescription never makes it to your regular pharmacy.
- Unclear "for now" medicines: short courses that were supposed to stop, but quietly continue.
Your after-hospital checklist
- Put all your old medicines in a bag and set them aside — don't mix supplies.
- See your GP within a week, and take your discharge summary and both sets of medicines.
- Ask your GP about a Home Medicines Review — a recent hospital stay is one of the strongest reasons to have one.
Recently discharged? This is exactly the situation HMRs were designed for. We visit at home, reconcile the old and new lists, and give your GP a clear picture within days.
Request a review.
Want tips like these in your inbox? Sign up for occasional medication-safety emails —
no spam, unsubscribe anytime, and we only add you once you confirm by email.
These articles are general information only and are not a substitute for advice from your GP or pharmacist about your personal circumstances. Never stop or change a medicine without speaking to your doctor.