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It is very important to know how to take your medicine.
For prescribed medicine follow the instructions that the doctor or pharmacist gives you. For non-prescribed medicine (over the counter), make sure you read and understand the printed instructions.
Instructions printed on the packaging or container are basic. Instructions printed on the leaflet inside the box are more detailed and are usually presented under the following headings:
- What the medicine is for
- A brief description of the medicine and what it does
- Before you take this medicine
- Who can safely take the medicine
- Who should not take the medicine
- When to seek further advice from your doctor or pharmacist
- How to take the medicine
- Recommended dosage – how much, how many, how often
- When to take the medicine
- What to do if you forget to take the medicine
- What to do if you take too much
- Possible side effects
- A list of possible adverse reactions and what to do if they occur
- Storing the medicine
- Where and how to safely keep the medicine
- Further Information
- The medicine’s ingredients
- What the medicine looks like
- The amount of medicine
- The manufacturer
- The leaflets publication date