How to keep an up-to-date medication list

Most people take more medicines over time than they realise: a daily tablet, an occasional inhaler, a supplement, an eye drop. A single, up-to-date list is the simplest way to keep track — and the easiest thing to hand to a doctor or pharmacist.

What to include

• Medicine name (brand and generic, if you know both).
• Strength or dose (for example, 5 mg).
• How often you take it (for example, once a day, in the morning).
• What it is for, in your own words.
• Who prescribed it, and when it was last reviewed.

A simple format

You do not need a complicated template. A short table or a plain list works well. The goal is that a person who has never met you can read it and understand what you take.

Keeping it current

1. Update the list whenever a medicine starts, stops or changes strength.
2. Once a month, read through it and remove anything you no longer take.
3. Note the date you last updated it, so you know it is current.

Sharing it well

Bring the list to every health appointment. If you help a parent or family member, agree together what they are comfortable sharing, and with whom. A short, current list is far more useful than a long, out-of-date one.