It is not box-ticking. It is the single most useful thing we do, and it only works if you tell us everything.
Every time you collect a prescription, someone behind the counter asks what else you are taking. Most people answer out of politeness and assume it is a formality. It is not.
What we are actually checking
A pharmacist is the last person to see your whole medicine list before you swallow any of it. Your cardiologist knows what they prescribed. Your dermatologist knows what they prescribed. Often nobody has seen the full list together except us.
- Interactions — two medicines that are each fine alone and a problem together.
- Duplication — the same drug under two different names, from two different prescribers. This is commoner than you would think.
- Doses that no longer fit — kidney function changes with age, and some doses should change with it.
- Something that is no longer needed — a medicine started for a short-term problem that quietly became permanent.
The things people leave out
When we ask what you take, most people list their prescriptions and stop. The gaps that matter most are usually:
- Supplements and vitamins. “Natural” does not mean inert. St John’s wort interferes with a long list of prescription medicines. High-dose fish oil matters if you are on a blood thinner.
- Over-the-counter painkillers. Ibuprofen and its relatives interact with blood pressure medicines, blood thinners and kidney function.
- Anything prescribed by someone else — a walk-in clinic, a specialist, a dentist.
- Medicines you were told to stop but did not, or stopped but did not mention.
Bring the box, or a photo of it. Nobody remembers the strength. If you are not sure, photograph the labels on your phone and show us — that is genuinely easier than trying to recall it at the counter.
Ask for a proper review
If you take several medicines, you are entitled to more than a question at the till. Ask for a medication therapy review: a pharmacist sits down with your whole list and goes through it properly. It takes about twenty minutes, it costs you nothing, and it regularly turns up something worth changing.
If something does need changing, we talk to your prescriber. You do not have to be the messenger.
Talk to one of our pharmacists — no appointment needed.
This is general information, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on the strength of an article. Talk to us or to your prescriber first.