How to use medicines correctly

How do I buy medicines in Australia?

In Australia there are 2 different ways to buy medicines.

Prescription medicines

Some medicines can only be bought with a piece of paper from your doctor (prescription). This
prescription tells the pharmacy what medicine you need, when you should use it and how much to use.

To get your medicine, take the prescription to any pharmacy. Bring any cards you have that allow you to get discounts on medications such as a Medicare card, Centrelink Health Care card. If you are an asylum seeker, you may need to go to a specific pharmacy.

If you need to take the same medicine for a long time, the doctor can give you a “repeat” of a prescription. This means that you can buy the medicine again using the same prescription without having to go back to your doctor every time you need more of the medicine.

Prescription medicines shouldn’t be used by anyone except the person whose name is on the prescription.

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