Some medicines interact with each other and cause problems. Occasionally, people end up in hospital because of interactions between their medicines. So, when a health professional asks, ‘Do you take any other medicines?’, what should you tell them? Obviously, you should tell them about any prescription medicines. However, there are many other types of medicines you should tell them about.

Many types of medicines

Medicines include all the products we take to treat illness, as well as all the products we take to prevent illness and maintain good health. Over-the-counter products bought at pharmacies are medicines. So are all the alternative and natural medicines (also called complementary medicines) we get from naturopaths, health food shops and the like, such as vitamins, herbal medicines, homeopathic medicines, Chinese medicines and traditional medicines.

All these products have an effect in the body. Therefore, they are medicines even if we don’t tend to think of them as such.

Although these medicines can be obtained without a prescription, they still have the potential to interact with other medicines. Your health professionals need to know about them, so they can avoid prescribing, recommending or giving you medicines that may interact with those you are already taking. For example, St John's wort can interact with prescription antidepressants and oral contraceptives. Similarly, glucosamine, Korean ginseng and ginkgo can interact with the prescription medicine warfarin.

Tell all

You need to tell your health professional about any medicines that you:

• have been prescribed or given by a doctor, specialist or dentist
• have been given in hospital
• have bought at a pharmacy
• have been given by a naturopath, herbalist or homeopath, etc.
• have bought at a supermarket, health food store, on the internet or anywhere else.

Medicines list

You can help keep track of your medicines by keeping an up-to-date list of them. This helps both you and your health professionals. You can then take the list with you whenever you visit your health professionals or go to hospital. Having a complete list with you will save time, and may save you the inconvenience and pain of having an unwanted interaction between your medicines.

Many health facilities have special forms that patients can use to compile a list of their medicines. Ask your doctor, pharmacist or hospital if they have a form you can use. Alternatively downland and print a Medimate brochure.

Your doctor or pharmacist can help you compile a medicines list. When compiling the list, remember that medicines come in many different forms: tablets, capsules, ointments, drops, pessaries, syrups, injections, infusions and creams. Write down all your medicines, including those you take every day, and those you take less often.

Once you’ve got a list, keep it up-to-date, and take it with you to all your health consultations. If one of your doctors changes your medicines, don’t assume that your other health professionals will be told about it, especially if the change was made by a specialist or a hospital doctor. Get them to note the changes on your medicines list, so you can pass on the details to your other health professionals.