What do you need to know about a medication?

What do you need to know about a medication?

There is a difference between having an up-to-date list of tablets (which we emphasised in this top tip) and really knowing what they are for, and how they work.

Learning about the medicines you take regularly is a key part of taking responsibility for your health. So, what do you need to know?

1. Name – medications have a generic name (the name of the active chemical in the medicine) and a trade name (given to the drug by the company that manufactures it). For example, paracetamol is the generic drug, and Panadol is a brand of paracetamol
2. Purpose – what does the medication do?
3. Dose – correct units, like mg (milligram) or mcg (microgram)
4. Frequency – how often to take it per day, and how long you are meant to be taking it for
5. Side effects – possible side effects of the drug to look out for.

You can ask your pharmacist for more information about your medication.