Need help reading your medication label? At Island Pharmacy, we have you covered!
Read on for all you need to know about what a medication label is, how to read it, and how Island Pharmacy can help.
What is a Medication Label?
A medication label has instructions on how to correctly take the medicine that your healthcare provider has prescribed to assist with your treatment plan. By taking the correct dosage, you guarantee the best treatment results.
While taking the prescribed medications recommended by your doctor or pharmacist helps to speed up your recovery from a cold or flu, as well as manage diseases, it can be hard to understand the parts of a medication label. Ask your pharmacist or doctor to go over how to read the label correctly. This helps reduce unnecessary visits to your healthcare provider’s office and the emergency room.
Info on a Medication Label
The information found on a medication label includes the name of your pharmacy, your name, how much the prescription was written for, and your medication’s name and strength. Other important information includes the drug identification number, the expiry date of your prescription, and the number of refills or remaining tablets on your prescription.
Information found on a medication label includes:
- Your pharmacy name, address, and phone number
- Your prescription number (RX#)
- Number assigned to specific prescription fill
- This is the easiest way to identify the prescription for renewals at your pharmacy
- Your name
- The date the prescription was filled
- The name of the prescriber. This could be your:
- Family doctor
- Pharmacist
- Nurse practitioner
- Veterinarian
- Optometrist
- Dentist
- How much the prescription was written for
- Number of tablets
- Grams if a cream or ointment
- Millilitres if the prescription is in liquid form
- Name and strength of your medication
- Brand and generic names will appear
- The drug identification number of your medication
- A number given by Health Canada to that specific drug
- The expiry date of the prescription
- The date the medication expires may also appear on the prescription label
- Number of refills/remaining tablets on your prescription
- Directions on how to use/take the medication
- Auxiliary labels
- Take with food
- Take with plenty of water
- Keep refrigerated
The information listed above will help clear any confusion you may have.
“What if I Can’t Read My Medication Label?”
If you’re struggling with reading your medication label, don’t hesitate to come into Island Pharmacy. One of our staff will be happy to help you.
In addition to answering any questions you may have about how to read the medication label correctly, we can also set up a one-on-one medication review to touch base and make sure your prescribed medications are still working for you.
Have More Questions About Reading Medication Labels?
We hope you found this article helpful and informative. If there are any questions you have that weren’t covered here, contact us today by phone or pay us a visit in person.
