Medication Packing

• Taking more than two or three medications or supplments per day?
• Taking medication or supplments more than once a day?
• Confused by different doses with different instructions?
• A carer for someone taking medication?

Then ask your pharmacist about Dose Administration Aids (DAA). A pharmacist can advise whether whether a DAA might benefit the type of medicines you are taking, or the specific dose instructions.

You don't have to be elderly, have poor memory or many prescriptions to benefit from DAA. Small changes in dose can have disproportionate effects on the medicines we take. Forgetting a single dose, shifting a dose from a morning to evening, or taking it at another time of day with another medication are all things that can have consequences for your health. And remembering the specific instructions of one or two medicines can be challenging when we're distracted by other pressures in our lives.

DAA are:

• A visible reminder to take medication
• Easy to check to see whether medication has been taken or not
• Sealed and secure to prevent spills or mix ups
• Suitable for all age groups
• Checked and supervised by qualified pharmacists
• Convenient and portable

DAA set out all the tablets and capsules that need to be taken at each particular time of the day, for each day of the week. This makes it easy to manage medication. Your pharmacist takes the doctor’s prescriptions and dispenses the medication into a blister pack. This pack is securely sealed so the medication is protected and there is no chance of error without noticing the pack has been damaged. The pack lists all the contents plus other medications taken, providing vital information for hospital or ambulance staff in the case of emergency. When it is time to take the medication, the person or carer pushes out the contents of the blister through the foil backing for the correct time on the correct day. DAA provides a visual cue, so you always know where you are up to.