It can be daunting when newly diagnosed with a long term health condition such as diabetes or when you are prescribed a long term medication for the first time. You may have questions such as How do I take my new medicine? How does it work? Or What side effects might this cause? Luckily, your local community pharmacy is on hand to provide the support you need to start a new medicine, know what to expect and how you can better manage your condition.
The New Medicines Service is available from any community pharmacy in England with a consultation room and is in place to support patients newly prescribed antiplatelets/anticoagulants or medicines for blood pressure, diabetes and respiratory conditions, such as COPD or asthma.
When you get your first prescription for your new medicine, your community pharmacist will take you through how to use your new medicine and answer any questions you may have. Then a week later you can pop in and see your pharmacist again or they can call you to check in on how your first week has been and if you’ve had any problems. This is then followed by a final follow up call two weeks later to make sure that everything is ok – at any point your pharmacist will be able to offer practical advice to manage any side effects or offer insights into how to get the most out of your medication. If you’re struggling or the new medication just isn’t quite right, the pharmacist can also refer you back to see your GP at any stage.
For further information about the service your local community pharmacy team can provide more details.