Questions to Ask Pharmacist
Twenty questions to ask at the pharmacy counter when you collect a new medicine or a changed dose. They cover timing and food, interactions with what you already take, missed and double doses, stopping safely, storage, cost, and who to contact if something goes wrong out of hours.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is this for, and how will I know if it is working?
Why ask it
Some medicines produce a change you can feel, and some, including many for blood pressure or cholesterol, produce nothing you would notice at all. Knowing which kind you have been given prevents the common mistake of stopping a preventive medicine because it seemed to be doing nothing.
How long before I notice a difference?
Why ask it
Expected timescales vary from within an hour to several weeks, and people frequently abandon a medicine in week two of a course that was never going to work before week four. Ask for a rough date to review rather than a general reassurance.
When exactly should I take it, and does it matter if I am a couple of hours late?
Why ask it
Twice a day can mean roughly morning and evening or strictly twelve hours apart, and the difference matters for some drugs and not others. Ask what to do about a late dose while you are still at the counter, not at eleven at night.
Does it need to be with food, and is there anything I should avoid eating or drinking?
Why ask it
Instructions here are specific rather than general: some medicines are taken on an empty stomach, some need calcium or antacids kept several hours apart, and grapefruit juice affects a number of common drugs. Ask which of those applies to this particular tablet, because the leaflet lists every possibility without saying which one matters for you.
Can I drink alcohol while I am on this?
Why ask it
Answers range from no interaction, through added drowsiness, to a combination to avoid entirely. Ask plainly and say what you normally drink, because a vague warning is easy to disregard and a specific one is not.
Here is everything else I take. Does anything clash?
Why ask it
Bring the actual boxes or a written list, including anything prescribed by a different clinic or bought over the counter. Pharmacies often hold only a partial record, so an interaction can be invisible to the system while sitting in your kitchen cupboard.
Do my supplements and herbal remedies matter here?
Why ask it
People rarely mention these because they do not think of them as medicines, yet several, including St John's wort, affect how other drugs are processed. List vitamins, protein powders and anything bought in a health food shop.
Is anything on my list now doing the same job twice?
Why ask it
Duplication happens easily when a hospital, a clinic and a general practice each add something, particularly with painkillers, where two products can contain the same ingredient. Pharmacists are well placed to spot this and are seldom asked to look.
Can this tablet be crushed, split or opened?
Why ask it
Modified-release and coated tablets can release their whole dose at once if broken, which is a genuine risk rather than a technicality. If swallowing is difficult, say so, because a liquid or a dispersible form often exists.
Will this make me drowsy or affect driving?
Why ask it
Sedating effects are often strongest in the first days and after a dose increase. Ask about driving, machinery and any work at height, and ask how long the effect usually lasts, so you can plan the first week rather than discover it.
Which side effects are expected, and which ones mean I should stop and ring someone?
Why ask it
The important part is the second half. Ask for the short list of symptoms that warrant stopping the medicine and contacting someone the same day, and write it down, since it is much harder to judge in the moment than it seems at the counter.
What should I do if I miss a dose?
Why ask it
The instruction differs by medicine: take it when you remember, skip it, or never double up. Getting this before it happens avoids both an unintended gap in treatment and an accidental double dose taken in good faith.
What if I take two by mistake?
Why ask it
For most medicines one extra dose is not serious, but for some it is, and it is better to know which you have. Ask what to watch for and which number to ring, and note that a poisons helpline or emergency service is the right call rather than waiting to see.
Can I stop when I feel better, or does this need to be tapered?
Why ask it
Antibiotic courses, steroids, some antidepressants and several heart medicines all have their own rules, and stopping abruptly can cause problems of its own. Ask whether the medicine is to be finished, continued indefinitely, or reduced gradually under supervision.
Can you watch me use the inhaler, pen or drops and tell me if I am doing it wrong?
Why ask it
Device technique is where a great deal of treatment is lost, and it cannot be corrected from a leaflet. Ask for a demonstration and then do it yourself in front of them; most pharmacies will take you into a side room for this.
How should I store it, and how long does it last once opened?
Why ask it
Ask about the bathroom cabinet, which is warm and damp, about the car, and about anything needing refrigeration. Eye drops, liquid antibiotics and insulin all have a shorter life once opened than the printed expiry date suggests.
Is this the same as what I had last time, and does it matter that it looks different?
Why ask it
Generic manufacturers change between supplies, so colour, shape and packaging shift while the drug does not. Ask them to confirm it is the same medicine and strength, because this is a common cause of accidental double dosing when someone keeps both boxes.
Is there a cheaper version, and would it be the same medicine?
Why ask it
Say plainly if cost is a problem rather than leaving a prescription uncollected. Pharmacists know about generic equivalents, larger pack sizes, prepayment arrangements and manufacturer assistance schemes, and none of that gets offered if the question is not asked.
I am pregnant, breastfeeding or hoping to conceive. Does that change anything?
Why ask it
Mention it even for something bought over the counter, and even early in a pregnancy. Advice differs by trimester and by drug, and a pharmacist can tell you which questions need to go back to your doctor or midwife before you start.
If something goes wrong this weekend, who should I call?
Why ask it
Ask for the specific route: the out of hours service, a poisons line, the prescribing clinic, or emergency care. Having the number written on the bag is more use at two in the morning than a general instruction to seek advice.
Using the pharmacy well
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go
- Write down everything you take, with doses: prescriptions, inhalers, creams, patches, contraception, painkillers, supplements. A photograph of each box works as well as a list.
- Note any allergy or reaction you have had to a medicine, and what happened. Rash, breathing difficulty and stomach upset are treated quite differently.
- Write your questions on the bag or on your phone. Most people forget two of the three things they meant to ask.
- Go at a quiet time if you can, usually mid-morning or mid-afternoon rather than just after surgery hours end.
- Ask for the pharmacist by name if you want advice. The person at the till may be a trained assistant whose role does not extend to clinical questions.
Getting a private conversation
- Most pharmacies have a consultation room. Asking for a quiet word is routine and not an imposition.
- If you would rather not discuss it in the shop, ring instead and ask when the pharmacist will have five minutes.
- Bring someone with you if you find it hard to take in information, and ask for the key points in writing before you leave.
- Ask for a large print label, a weekly pill organiser or a reminder chart if that would help. These are ordinary requests.
What a pharmacist can and cannot do
Can
Check for interactions and duplication, explain how and when to take something, demonstrate devices, advise on over the counter treatment, flag anything that needs the prescriber's attention, and in many places carry out a formal review of everything you take.
Cannot
Diagnose a new problem or change a prescribed dose on their own. If the dose looks wrong to them they will contact the prescriber, which is a normal part of the process rather than a complication.
Varies by country and pharmacy
Supplying a small emergency quantity when you have run out, prescribing within specific services, vaccination and some testing are all available in some places and not others. Ask what this pharmacy is able to do.
Worth knowing
You can use the same pharmacy for everything even when prescriptions come from different clinics, and doing so is the simplest way to keep one complete record of your medicines in one place.
If the medicine is not available
- Ask whether the shortage is national or local, and whether another branch or another pharmacy nearby holds stock.
- Ask whether an equivalent product or a different strength can be substituted, and whether that needs the prescriber to authorise it.
- Ask how long treatment can safely be interrupted. For some medicines a few days matters and for others it does not.
- Ask them to contact the prescriber directly rather than doing it yourself. Pharmacies can often resolve a substitution in one call.
When not to wait for the pharmacy
- Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips or throat, or a spreading rash after a dose needs emergency care straight away.
- A suspected overdose, whether accidental or not, needs an emergency service or a poisons helpline immediately rather than a call to the shop in the morning.
- Chest pain, confusion, fainting or a sudden change in someone's condition is a medical emergency regardless of what medicine they are taking.
- If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact your doctor or a crisis line now. This is urgent and help is available.
Afterwards
- Keep the printed leaflet with the box until the course ends, and read the section on what to do about a missed dose before you need it.
- Note the date you started, so that a review conversation later has a fact in it rather than an estimate.
- Take unused and expired medicines back to a pharmacy for disposal rather than putting them in the bin or the toilet.
- Ask for a full review once a year if you take several medicines regularly. It is the most useful appointment most people never book.