Keeping up with your daily meds can be a difficult task at the best of times. But with the coronavirus outbreak, it’s more important than ever to make sure you have an up-to-date list of all the medicines you take on hand.
Pharmacist and medicines line manager at NPS MedicineWise, Nerida Packham, said keeping a medicines list can be a useful way to keep all the information about your medicines together. Having a list of all your medications in one place also helps your doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare workers take better care of you in the event of an emergency.
“If you take one or more regular medicines, make sure you have an up-to-date medicines list in case you need to go into hospital unexpectedly or visit a doctor or pharmacist who is not familiar with your health status,” Packham advised.
“Updating your medicines list is easier when you are feeling well, so now is the time to make sure yours is up to date.”
She continued: “If you care for someone, help them prepare a list of their medicines too, and make sure family members know where and how to access a copy of each other’s medicines lists. You can record your list of your medicines or the medicines of someone you care for in whichever way suits you best.
“Most importantly, have the medicines list with you when you go into hospital, or visit or talk to your doctor,”
It comes after NPS MedicineWise issued advice around stockpiling medication, recommending that people should not purchase more than one month’s supply.
“Medicines play an important role in treating conditions and diseases. They help people to manage long-term conditions and to manage symptoms of short-term illnesses,” a spokesperson said.
“However, there is no need to stockpile large quantities of medicines you or your family take. Having much more than a month’s supply of medicines is generally not necessary and comes with extra costs and medicine safety risks. If you keep too many at home, they may sit in your cupboard for a long time, and before you know it, they may have passed their expiry date.”
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.