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Prescription medicine labels explained Prescription medicine labels explained
Every time you buy a prescription medicine, the pharmacist puts a label on the medicine's container that provides important information about the medicine and when and how to take it.
Two names
Prescription medicines have two names: the active ingredient (or generic name) and a brand name.
The brand name is usually on the top line of the label. It is the name the manufacturer has given to their brand of the medicine, and is often the name with which people are most familiar.
Equally important, however, is the active ingredient, which lies below the brand name, because it is the actual name of the medicine. If your medicine was dispensed at a hospital pharmacy, only the active ingredient name may appear on the label.
On the label shown, the brand name is Zocor, and the active ingredient is simvastatin. Other brands of simvastatin produced by different companies include Zimstat, and Chemmart simvastatin.
Strength
Many medicines come in different strengths. The label shown tells you that the Zocor tablets contain 10 milligrams (or mg for short) of simvastatin. Zocor tablets are also available in strengths of 5 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg. Knowing the strength of your medicine, as well as its name, is important.
Instructions and warnings
The instructions tell you when to take the medicine and how much to take.
There may also be additional instructions that are important for the particular medicine. For example, you may be told to 'Discard one month after opening' (eye drops) or 'Take until all tablets taken' (antibiotics).
Elsewhere on the pack
The packaging (not the label put on by the pharmacist) will also tell you the name of the company that produced it, the batch number and expiry date. These details are important if the batch of medicine is ever recalled.
For more information
The label gives you lots of information, but it doesn't tell you everything. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist any questions you may have, or read the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflet.
The information in MedicinesTalk is not medical advice, so seek professional help before making any decisions based on this information.
This article was accurate and up-to-date when it was published. The evidence or context for this article might have changed since then.
MedicinesTalk is a free quarterly newsletter for consumers written by consumers about using medicines wisely. Subscribe to the hard copy version using our online ordering system, or write to MedicinesTalk, National Prescribing Service Limited, PO Box 1147, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012.
