Keeping track of prescription refill dates: 5 steps

Opening the last box of a medicine you take regularly and realizing the prescription needs renewing is a surprise nobody wants in a busy week. Reaching your doctor, finding an appointment or getting to the pharmacy can take time. In this post we share five simple steps for seeing your prescription refill dates ahead of time, and what you can do if a medicine runs out unexpectedly.

Why think about prescription refills ahead of time?

How a prescription is renewed depends on the country, the health system and the type of medicine. Your family doctor may be able to prescribe some medicines, while others may need a specialist or a special authorization. In some systems you send your request online; in others you need an appointment. What they have in common: the process often isn't finished on the same day. Your doctor may be on leave, the clinic may be busy, or the pharmacy may not have the medicine in stock that day.

For example, the NHS, the health service in the UK, suggests requesting repeat prescriptions a few working days before you need the medicine. Where you live, the timing may be different; asking your doctor or pharmacy is the best way to know. What matters is not leaving the refill date until the day your medicine runs out.

Missing a refill date usually comes from busy days, not carelessness. Between work, home and family, it's hard to keep track in your head of how many days of a medicine are left. That's why writing the dates down somewhere you check regularly, rather than relying on memory, makes things easier.

5 steps before your medicine runs out

1. Make a list of your medicines. Write down the name of every medicine you take regularly, who prescribed it, whether it requires a special authorization, and which pharmacy you usually get it from. If you take more than one medicine, this list helps in other ways too; we mentioned a similar list in 5 ways to keep your medication times straight when you take several.
2. Note the end date. Write down roughly which day your current supply will run out. If you're not sure how many days the amount in the box will last, don't try to work it out yourself; ask your pharmacist.
3. Set the reminder early. Set the reminder not for the day your medicine runs out, but for a few working days before. That way you have time for an appointment or a request.
4. Check the calendar for special days. If a weekend, a public holiday or a trip falls on your refill date, bring your plan forward. If you're traveling, adjusting medication times to time zones when traveling may also help.
5. Update your record after each refill. When you get your new prescription, change the end date on your list and set the next reminder right away. If your doctor made a change to your medicine, note that too.

What should your list include?

A prescription list works best when it's short but complete. For each medicine, these details are usually enough:

• The name of the medicine, as written on the prescription.
• The doctor or clinic that prescribed it.
• If it requires a special authorization, the date that authorization ends.
• The approximate date your current supply runs out.
• Who to call or where to go for the next refill.

You can keep the list on paper, on your phone or in an app; what matters is keeping it somewhere you check regularly. Taking this list with you to a doctor's appointment is also a good chance to ask which medicine needs renewing and when. Updating the list in a few seconds after every refill keeps the information from going out of date.

When you write down how to use a medicine, copy exactly what the prescription or the patient leaflet says; don't add your own interpretation. If you'd like to keep a regular record of the medicines you take, how to keep a medication log: an 8-point checklist is a good place to start.

If you keep track of medicines for more than one person in your family

Keeping track of prescriptions isn't always limited to your own medicines. You may also be the one who remembers the refills for an older parent, your partner or your child. In that case, the dates get mixed up quickly.

• Keep a separate list for each person; write the medicine names together with the person's name.
• Show refill days on a single calendar, noting whose medicine each one is.
• Ask the pharmacy in advance which documents you need to pick up someone else's prescription; the rules can vary from country to country.
• If you share the tasks with other family members, talk openly about who keeps track of which medicine.

For more ideas on this, see managing an aging parent's medications: 6 family tips. Remember, for any question about medicines, the right person to ask is that person's doctor or pharmacist.

If your medicine runs out unexpectedly

Even with the best plan, a medicine sometimes runs out sooner than expected. If that happens, don't decide on your own to take a break from it, use someone else's medicine or change the dose. Instead, talk to your doctor or pharmacist; they are the best people to tell you what can be done in your situation. In many places, pharmacists are among the first people to turn to.

If stopping the medicine poses a serious health risk, or if you start to feel unwell, call your local emergency number without waiting. You can ask your doctor about how the prescription system works at your next appointment; that way, next time you'll know how far in advance you need to ask.

Keeping track of prescription dates in Oveluni

Oveluni doesn't have a separate prescription reminder, but you can still keep the dates in view with the existing features. When you create a New medication plan, you can enter a start and end date, so you can see in the Calendar when the plan ends. If you need to see your doctor for a prescription, you can save the appointment with Add appointment and choose a reminder such as one day before or one hour before.

You can write down details such as the end date of an authorization or your pharmacy's details with A note in the Quick add menu. If you don't want medicine names to appear in notifications, you can turn on the “Hide medication names” option in Notification Privacy. Oveluni reflects your records; it doesn't calculate doses or provide medical verification. Oveluni is coming soon to the App Store.

Sources

1. NHS: How to order a repeat prescription
2. NHS: Emergency prescriptions and running out of medicine
3. MedlinePlus: Taking multiple medicines safely