Try the Medicines A-Z  or More information to understand your medicines better.

Share your responses with your healthcare professional at your medicines review or next consultation.

Share your responses with your healthcare professional at your medicines review or next consultation. Let them know what matters to you – be it big or small. This will help staff to work with you to make decisions about your medicines taking into account your personal, individual needs and concerns, wherever possible.

Find out more about the benefits and side-effects of your medicines 

• Think about how you would like to deal with any side effects.
• Share the information about possible side-effects with your healthcare professional at your next medicines review or consultation and ask for their advice. This will help you both to discuss possible approaches – for example:
  • Discuss the balance of benefits, side effects and long˗term effects so that you can make an informed choice
  • Consider adjusting the dosage
  • Consider switching to another medicine with a different risk of side effects
  • Consider what other strategies might be used (for example, changing the timing of taking your medicines).

• If you’re feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or need emotional support, you can phone Samaritans for free on 116 123. If you’re ill and feel it can’t wait until your GP practice opens you can phone the NHS 24 111 service. For an emergency ambulance phone 999.
• Share the information about your mood with your GP or other healthcare professional.
• NHS inform provide a self-help guide for people with mild to moderate symptoms of depression.
• For information and advice when you're feeling down, you can phone Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87.
• Living Life offers a range of structured psychological interventions and therapies to improve mental health and wellbeing. 
• Search for mental health and wellbeing services using the NHS inform directory
• NHS inform tips for coping with depression

Share your responses with your healthcare professional at your medicines review or next consultation. Let them know how you think your medicines are affecting what matters to you in your daily life. This will help staff to work with you to make decisions about your medicines taking into account your personal, individual needs and concerns, wherever possible.

You may find it helpful to use the links in other parts of this section provide to information about your medicines, including their impact on side-effects and mood.

Think about the problems or concerns that stop you taking your medicines correctly. What support do you think would help? Share these issues and your responses to the questions in this section with your healthcare professional at your medicines review or next consultation.

This will help your healthcare professional to discuss what would help you to take your medicines correctly. Possible approaches to discuss include:

• Keeping a record when you take your medicines
• Monitoring your condition
• Simplifying the dosing
• Using different packaging for different medicines
• Using a multi˗compartment medicines dispenser.

If side-effects are an issue, you can:

• Find out more about the benefits and side-effects of your medicines
• Think about how you would like to deal with any side effects.
• Share the information about possible side-effects with your healthcare professional at your next medicines review or consultation and ask for their advice. This will help you both to discuss possible approaches – for example:
  • Discuss the balance of benefits, side effects and long˗term effects so that you can make an informed choice
  • Consider adjusting the dosage
  • Consider switching to another medicine with a different risk of side effects
  • Consider what other strategies might be used (for example, changing the timing of taking your medicines).