How to Make a Medicine List Pharmacists Can Use in Two Minutes

Everything that goes in or on your body on a regular basis, and the things you take only now and then. If you would not think to mention it, write it down anyway.

Think of the kitchen drawer, the bathroom shelf and the bag you carry. Pharmacists often find the surprise in the bag: a daily antacid, a sleep aid, an herbal tea capsule. These matter because many interactions come from the small, forgotten items.

• Prescription pills, patches, inhalers, drops and injections.
• Over-the-counter pain, allergy, cold and stomach products.
• Vitamins, minerals, protein powders and herbal products.
• Creams, ointments and lip products you use often.

Write the product name and photograph the Supplement Facts panel. A multi-ingredient label tells the pharmacist more than the product name does.

Reviralis Complete has 40 names on its label: 22 vitamin and mineral lines with printed amounts and an 18-name proprietary blend of 661 mg with no single amounts. A photo of the panel saves you from copying all of it by hand. Pharmacists check the printed lines, such as B6 at 12 mg or zinc at 10 mg, against your other products and your prescriptions.

For blends, say plainly that the amounts are not printed. The order of the names is useful: the label lists them from most to least by weight (21 CFR 101.36). Our page on the Supplement Facts panel reads it line by line.

Update it the day anything changes, and read it aloud at each checkup. A list that is six months old is worse than none.

• Pick a fixed day, such as the first of the month, to review it.
• Cross out stopped products with the date, rather than deleting them.
• Share a copy with the person who would speak for you in an emergency.
• Take the list, or a phone photo of it, to every appointment.

The label says to consult your healthcare provider before use if you take prescription medicine. No source tests Reviralis itself, so the list is how you and your pharmacist fill in what the label cannot.