Managing medicines

The pharmacist can provide a written list of all the person’s medicines and when they should be taken, and/or can prepare a blister pack (e.g. Webster-pak) that arranges all the doses that need to be taken throughout the week. The pharmacist can also keep the person’s prescriptions on file to make it easy to get repeats made up.

A medicines list can help you keep track of any medicines. It can also help health professionals understand which ones are being used – especially important in an emergency.

You can create your own list on paper or on a computer. You can also download the MedicineWise app from the App Store or Google Play onto your smartphone. This lets you scan the barcode on packaging to add a medicine to the app, record dosages, and set alarms to remind you to give each medicine at the right time.

Through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the Australian Government subsidises the cost of many medicines. In addition, you can apply for the PBS Safety Net card once you have spent a certain amount on medicines during the calendar year.

You can track what you spend on PBS medicines on a Prescription Record Form (available from pharmacists). If you use the same pharmacist, you can ask them to keep a computer record instead.

Once you’ve spent the threshold amount, your pharmacist can give you a Safety Net card and your PBS medicines will then be cheaper or free for the rest of that year. To find out more, call 132 290 or go to Department of Human Services and search for “PBS safety net”.