Prescriptions

Taking prescription medicines

Most people will take prescription medicines to prevent, treat or manage illness.

The effective use of medicines can help you stay healthy for longer.

Many previously debilitating or life-limiting conditions are now prevented or managed through regular medicines use, often on a long-term basis.

Prescribing medicine

If your doctor or a specialist prescribes you long-term medication, you should follow their professional advice. This means:

• taking the exact dose at the right time
• taking only the medicines prescribed for you
• ordering only the medicines you need and use from your GP

This is  important if you have a long-term condition, which may involve life-long daily treatment, like asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are medicines used to treat illnesses caused by bacterial infection.

You shouldn't take antibiotics to treat a cold or flu which are caused by viruses.

It's important to follow your doctor and pharmacist's advice when taking antibiotics.

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, you must finish the course. You shouldn't stop taking the medicine once you start to feel better.

Drug-resistant bacteria

Drug-resistant bacteria don't respond to antibiotics and cause infection and diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and meningitis. 

You could increase the risk of developing drug-resistant bacteria if:

• you take antibiotics when you don’t need them for example to treat a viral infection
• you take a partial dose of antibiotics 

If you're concerned about any prescription medicine you take,  ask your pharmacist or doctor for more information.

• Antibiotic resistance

Wasted medicine

If a pharmacist dispenses medicine but you don't use it, the medicine is wasted.

More useful links

• Risks of buying medicines over the internet
• Community pharmacists
• Your local doctor (GP)