Manage Your Prescription With Gaiger Pharmacy

Managing regular prescriptions can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve recently been diagnosed with a long-term condition or have never dealt with repeat prescriptions before. While it can seem intimidating or stressful, at Gaiger pharmacy we’re here to help you manage your prescriptions.

We’re here to walk you through storing prescriptions, ordering them, what to do if you run out of medication, and more. Plus, our pharmacists are always on hand at our Sutton pharmacy if you need any help or advice with your medication.

How to Store Your Prescription Medicines

Storing your medicines according to the instructions is important to make sure that they are kept as effective as possible. This will vary from medicine to medicine but there are some things you should always do with your prescription to store it properly.

Don’t lose the information about your medicine: For as long as you’re using the medication store the box and leaflet near your medication, or even better keep your medication in its original packaging. This helps you identify them easily and ensures you have access to important information like expiration dates and dosage instructions. It also means that if you ever need help with your medication, family and caregivers can access all the information they need easily.

Store your medicine according to the package instructions: Most medications should be kept away from direct sunlight and moisture. A kitchen cabinet or a drawer in your bedroom can be ideal, but avoid the bathroom due to its humidity which can affect certain medicines. Your pharmacist will tell you if anything needs to be stored in a fridge and if it needs to be kept in certain sections of the fridge. If you’re ever unsure about how to store your medicines our pharmacy team will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Keep out of reach of children and pets: It goes without saying, but keep all medications stored in a secure location if there are children or pets in your home. Lots of medicines include child locks for safety, but pill packets in cardboard boxes can be opened by small children and pets, so keep them safe and out of sight.

How To Order A Prescription

The key to staying on top of your medication is ordering with plenty of time to spare before you run out and to allow time for the pharmacy to order any medications you need. We have a few tips to help you remember to order your medication and ways to order.

Set reminders: Use your phone or a calendar to remind you when it’s time to reorder. If you know you’ll see the reminder and keep dimissing it, set the reminder to go off as the prescription line opens if you’re calling in to order. If you’re using an app to order, set the reminder to go off when you know you’ll have some time to sit and order your prescription there and then.

Order your prescription with plenty of time to spare: It’s not uncommon for some doctors’ surgeries to work on a 48-hour turnaround for repeat prescriptions, so try not to leave it to the last minute before you order to avoid running out. This also covers you if the medication you need has to be ordered in from the pharmacy or is more difficult to get hold of.

Plan ahead for holidays and Bank Holidays: If you’re going away this summer, make sure you have enough medication to cover the duration of your trip. We also recommend taking extras just in case you experience any delays. Also, take into account bank holidays and how that could impact your order at home in the UK. For example, make sure you have plenty of medication before the week of Christmas when there are lots of bank holidays and regular pharmacy services could be disrupted.

What to Do If You Run Out of Medicine

Even with the most careful planning, it’s still possible to run out of medication. Whether a prescription hasn’t been delivered or youe medication expired in the summer heat, the first step is not to panic we’re here to help!
At Gaiger Pharmacy we can help you with an emergecny prescription in Sutton. Depending on your medications, you may be able to get an emergency prescription from the pharmacy quite quickly to help you get access to your medication.

Once you have an emergency prescription, it’s important that you get in touch with your GP to order your full prescription as the emergency supply is usually only a partial prescription order giving a few days coverage.

How to Travel with Medication

When travelling, along with everything else to consider, you need to make sure that you’ve planned ahead to manage your medication.

Make sure you’ll have enough medication for your entire trip, with extra in case of delays. If your flights are cancelled or something delays you when you’re travelling, the last thing you want to be worrying about is if you have enough medication to keep you going.

We recommend if you’re travelling abroad that you research ahead of time to make sure you can travel with your medications and get any documentation you need to cross borders with your medications. In some cases, a simple letter from your GP is enough to help you clear customs.

If you’re flying internationally it’s important that you keep all your medication in your hand luggage. There’s two benefits to this: one, if your luggage is lost, you’ll still have your important medication; two, the hold is often much colder than the cabin, so if your medication is sensitive to temperature, you shouldn’t store it in your main luggage for the flight anyway.

Finally, if you’re travelling abroad it’s a good idea to learn in the native language the words for your condition, hospital, pharmacy or chemist. We hope you would never need to know them but it never hurts to be prepared.

Gaiger Pharmacy Is Here to Help in Sutton

Whether you’ve been managing prescriptions for years or you’re new to ordering medicine regularly, at Gaiger Pharmacy, we’re here to help! We know how much having a great pharmacy can help you stay on top of your medication and reduce the stress of managing an illness. All of our team are happy to help you order your medicines, give you advice on managing your prescription and answer any questions you have.

We offer emergency prescription services, repeat prescriptions, and prescription delivery across Sutton to help you stay on top of your repeat prescriptions.

If you need pharmacy advice or want to switch your prescription to Gaiger Pharmacy, contact us online. Or you can visit us at our pharmacy on Sutton high street for advice – we’re always happy to help!