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More than 9 million people take a prescribed medicine every day, with 8 million taking two or more prescribed medicines in a week, according to a new survey into the medicine-taking habits of Australians.

The survey* of more than 1000 adult Australians also estimates more than 2 million people take over-the-counter medicine daily and more than 7 million take a complementary medicine daily.

The findings were released as part of a campaign by NPS MedicineWise聽to raise awareness of the importance of safe and wise medicine聽use by families.

NPS MedicineWise Medical Adviser Dr Jeannie Yoo said: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt medicines are part of many people鈥檚 lives, so it鈥檚 critical we have access to all the information we need about the medicines we鈥檙e taking, including why we鈥檙e taking them and how to take them correctly.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter whether our medicines have been prescribed by a doctor or bought from a supermarket or health food store, medicines can have side effects, and can interact with other medicines if you are taking multiple medicines,鈥� Dr Yoo said.

鈥淓ach year more than 230,000 Australians are hospitalised with problems caused by their medicine¹, and if medicines aren鈥檛 used correctly, the results can be serious.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all approach to taking medicines. We鈥檙e urging people to talk to their doctors and pharmacists about their medicines, and any medicines for children or other family members they鈥檙e caring for.鈥�

NPS MedicineWise suggests patients follow five steps to improve their understanding and awareness of their medications:

1. Ask for聽information about the medicines in order to make better informed decisions. For example, how do I take the medicine, when do I take the medicine, are there common side effects?
2. Know it鈥檚 a medicine. Medicines don鈥檛 just come on prescription 鈥� they include over-the-counter medicines from a pharmacy, supermarket or other store, as well as herbal remedies, vitamins and other supplements.
3. Know the active ingredient. Active ingredients are what make your medicines work.
4. Follow instructions from the doctor or pharmacist and read the labels and packaging carefully.
5. Keep track of all your medicines. Keep a current list for visits to doctors, pharmacies or the hospital.

*YouGov Galaxy Poll: Following completion of interviewing, the data was weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the latest ABS population estimates.

Reference

1. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Literary Review: Medication Safety in Australia. Sydney: ACSQHC, 2013.

Image credit: 漏aliassching/Dollar Photo Club