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Your Lungs
Pills, Potions, Drugs & Alcohol
Cancer
Living with Chronic llness and Pain
Making Sense of Sensory Loss
Men as Carers
Dental Health
Healthy Driving

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Pills, Potions, Drugs and Alcohol

Wise use of medicines

Acknowledgment: Source - DVA Sponsored 'Wise Use of Medicines'.

'Any substance which changes
the way our body normally works
is a drug'

A range of medicines and drugs

There are a lot of different substances we use to change the way our bodies work, not all of which we recognise as drugs.

A drug is a chemical substance that causes a change in the body. This includes both prescription and non-prescription medicines, herbal medicines, alcohol, nicotine and illegal drugs.

Medicines are very helpful - even lifesaving, otherwise we wouldn't use them.

Medicines are drugs used to treat illness. The wise use of medicines involves you, your doctor and your pharmacist, working together to decide the best way to use medicine so it does you the most good.

However, medicines taken incorrectly have the potential for great harm.

If used incorrectly or unwisely, medicines can cause you problems or even harm.

Types of medicines

Prescription medicines are prescribed by your doctor or sometimes your dentist and dispensed by a pharmacist. Non-prescription medicines are either classed as Pharmacy Medicine (S2) or Pharmacist Only Medicine (S3) which are only available from pharmacies and can be recommended by your pharmacist.

Some other non-prescription medicines are available in supermarkets and health food shops.

The same care should be given to non-prescription medicines as should be given to prescription medicines.

Risks

There is a greater risk of medicines causing problems if you:

Use them other than as directed
Are using other prescription or non-prescription medicines
Have kidney, liver or stomach problems
Drink alcohol
Are allergic to any substances in the medicines.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking new medicines, especially if you are already taking other medicines.

Understanding medicines

Your doctor and pharmacist choose medicines they believe will have the best result for you. Talk to them if you're not sure about their choice or directions or if you have trouble using the medicine.

Questions to ask your doctor

How long is my condition likely to last?
What is the name of the medicine you have chosen?
Should I expect to feel any different while using it?
When should I have it reviewed or stop using it?
How long will I need to use it?
What does it do?
What is my diagnosis?
How should I use it?
What can I do to help myself?
Will it interact with any other drugs I use regularly eg. non-prescription medicines, herbal medicines, alcohol, nicotine?

Questions to ask your pharmacist

What might affect how well it works?
What side effects (if any) are likely?
What can I do to reduce the chance of side effects?
What do I do if side effects occur?
What should I do if I miss a dose?
How can I remember to take my medicines?
What is the best way to use this medicine?
What other information should I be aware of?
Can I have a copy of the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) for this medicine?

Storage

Keep medicines in their original containers
Store medicines in a cool dry place, out of reach and sight of children
Return all old or unwanted medicine to your pharmacist for safe disposal.

If in doubt about any aspect of your medication use: ask your pharmacist, GP or nurse.

Q: Some drugs you take once a day and others two times a day. Why is this?

Some drugs interact with foods (eg. antibiotics and milk). Some foods may reduce the effect of drugs if taken at the same time (eg. grapefruit and milk)
Each drug has its own special effects and therefore one drug can sometimes increase or decrease the effect of another
Some drugs affect the same body system and if they are used together there can be a risk of overdoing the desired effect (eg. alcohol and tranquillisers, which are both depressants)
Some drugs reduce the effect of other drugs used at the same time
(eg. antacids, antibiotics and most other drugs).

How medicines can affect us:
Medicines can affect people differently. So it is important not to take medicines prescribed for someone else.

Important!

If you think you or anyone else has taken an overdose of a medicine, get emergency help, even if there are no signs of poisoning. Signs may not appear for a few days after the overdose is taken, but treatment must be started straight away.