Community Update helps keep you informed about issues around medicines use as they relate to individuals and the community.

In this issue

• Be medicinewise — NPS helps you ask the right questions about your medicines
• Be medicinewise about managing pain
  
• New brochure — Why does it matter which pain reliever I choose?
  
• New Be medicinewise prescription wallet
• Tips for overcoming eyesight trouble to safely manage your medicines
• Be medicinewise with antibiotics
  
  

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Be medicinewise — NPS helps you ask the right questions about your medicines

With the average doctor appointment taking just 12 minutes, it’s easy to forget to ask all the right questions or know what information to share about your medicines.

A recent survey of 1,500 consumers conducted by NPS found that 60% of participants had not asked their doctor or pharmacist any questions the last time they received or purchased a medicine, while 48% had not told their doctor or pharmacist about other medicines they were taking.

Asking the right questions about your medicines is crucial to being medicinewise. It’s important that decisions about your medicines are made jointly between you or your carer, and your doctor or pharmacist. NPS encourages all consumers to be actively involved in their own health care and be informed by asking the right questions and sharing the right information with their doctor and pharmacist.

A good start to being medicinewise is being aware of what a medicine is. Medicines are anything you seek a therapeutic effect from and have the potential to interact with other medicines. They include prescription medicines, herbs, vitamins, creams and things that can be purchased in a supermarket or over-the-counter in a pharmacy, like aspirin and paracetamol.

To help you get the most from discussions with your doctor and pharmacist, NPS has developed checklists with important information you should know about your existing medicines and things you should know before starting a new medicine.

Top 5 medicinewise questions to ask when you are taking or going to take a medicine:

• What is it for?
• What is the active ingredient?
• How do I take or use this medicine correctly?
• What are the possible side effects and what can I do about them?
• What should or shouldn’t I do while taking this medicine?

Top 5 medicinewise questions to ask when thinking about starting or changing a medicine:

• Why do I need this medicine?
• What are my medicine and non-medicine options?
• What are the benefits and risks of my treatment options?
• Is this treatment option suitable for me?
• Where can I find trusted information?

Download or your free medicines checklists.

Learn more about being medicinewise.

Be medicinewise about managing pain

The second phase of the Be medicinewise campaign focuses on managing pain and the safe use of over-the-counter pain relief medicines.
The campaign looks at managing pain in children, helping parents and carers understand how to accurately measure and safely administer medicines, particularly for children under the age of 5 years.

Managing acute low back pain is also addressed, including information on selecting the right medicine to manage pain if you have a chronic condition.

Television, radio, online and print advertisements will be supported by editorial content and new information and resources.

Read more about managing pain.

New brochure — Why does it matter which pain reliever I choose? 

Pain relief medicines are commonly used for a range of conditions, such as headaches, arthritis, back pain and toothaches. There are many different kinds of pain relievers available over-the-counter without a prescription. People are often unaware that as well as benefits, all medicines can carry risks.

To help people make the best decisions about pain relief medicines, NPS has developed a new brochure about the risks and benefits. The Why it's important to choose the right pain reliever brochure addresses what happens when pain relievers are:

• not taken as directed
• interact with another medicine
• used by people who have certain health conditions.

Download or order the Why it's important to choose the right pain reliever brochure for free.

New Be medicinewise prescription wallet

Keep all your prescriptions together in the new Be medicinewise prescription wallet. The wallet also comes with a Medicines List to help you keep track of all your medicines.

Remember to include any over-the-counter medicines you take in your medicines list, along with all prescription medicines and herbal remedies.

It’s also a good idea to keep a list of the over-the-counter pain relief medicines in your cabinet at home, so you’re prepared when you need them.

Order a free Be medicinewise prescription wallet with included Medicines List. 

Tips for overcoming eyesight trouble to safely manage your medicines

Many people find their eyesight deteriorates as they get older, which can make it difficult to read the small print on medicine labels. This in turn can make it harder to manage your medicines, leading to medicine mix ups and subsequent health problems.

Vision deterioration can occur slowly so its immediate effects on everyday life may not be obvious. The latest issue of Medicines Talk includes tips for identifying and storing medicines, and sourcing accurate information to help make life easier for people with eyesight problems:

• Check your medicines in a place with good lighting and use a magnifying glass to read the medicine label.
• Be organised. This can help make things less confusing. Keep all your medicines in 1 place and group the same medicines together with an elastic band or by using a colour-coding system.
• Speak to your doctor and pharmacist about how they can help you manage your medicines. Ask them to give you the same brand of medicine each time so that the shape and size of the packaging won’t change. They can also print the medicine information leaflet in larger font so it’s easier to read.
• Ask your pharmacist for a medicine organiser, also known as a dose administration aid. These are daily or weekly pill boxes that store each dose of your medicine in separate compartments that are clearly labelled according to the day or time it should be taken. There are a number of different organisers available so make sure you buy one that is large enough to store all your medicines, easy to use, and clearly labelled.

There are also devices now available to help people with little or no vision identify items like groceries, clothing and medicines. These include small barcode scanners and audio labellers, which can store a voice recording of your medicine which is read out when you point the device at its container. Ask a friend or relative to help you purchase these online from Vision Australia or by calling 1300 847 466.

Read the full article in the latest issue of Medicines Talk.

Be medicinewise with antibiotics

Reports from a summit of infectious disease experts found that antibiotic-resistant superbugs are becoming increasingly common around the world. NPS is reminding consumers that antibiotics should only be used to treat bacterial infections, not viruses.

NPS clinical adviser Dr Danielle Stowasser said there is a common perception in the community that antibiotics are a ‘cure all’ — despite being ineffective against viruses, such as those which cause the common cold.

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, so taking them for a common cold will not help your symptoms or make you get better faster. Taking them ‘just-in-case’ is not only a waste of money, it contributes to the global problem of antibiotic resistance and we all have a part to play in preventing that from happening.

Most upper respiratory tract infections will resolve without antibiotics, and usually within a week. Some symptoms, such as a cough, may linger for 3–4 weeks but this still doesn’t necessarily mean you need antibiotics.

The back-to-school period is a prime time for children to pick up viral infections like the common cold. Many of these infections will usually clear up on their own, so only use antibiotics when you really need them, as recommended by your doctor.

If you are caring for a child with a common cold, here are a few things you can do to make them feel better:

• Make sure they get plenty of rest.
• Give them soothing drinks such as water or juice.
• Keep them away from irritants like cigarette smoke.
• Help sooth a sore throat with salt water gargles or throat lozenges. Sucking on ice can also help relieve throat pain.
• Help clear mucus using saline (salt water) sprays, nasal drops or steam from a hot shower.
• Use over-the-counter pain relief medicines such as children’s paracetamol or ibuprofen to help with pain and fever. 

Read more information and tips on medicinewise ways to manage colds in Medicines Talk.

  

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