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Medicines advice

Medicines when you leave hospital

Your discharge letter will list all the medications that the doctor has prescribed for you to continue taking at home.

There may be some changes to your usual medication during your hospital stay, e.g. doses may be changed, medication may be stopped, or new medication may be started.

When you leave hospital, you will be given:

  • any new medicines, such as antibiotics or painkillers
  • any medicines that have changed (for example, if the amount you take has increased)
  • more of your own medicines, if you don’t have enough of your own left in hospital, or at home

It is usual for us to give a small quantity of painkillers that can be bought, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Read and follow the instructions on your medicines label. If you have been given any medicines without your name on the label, or without any instructions contact the Medicines Helpline, or the ward you were discharged from for advice.

Ward numbers can be found on the below link, or can be contacted via the correct switchboard:

Getting more medicines

You'll get a copy of your discharge letter, which will also be sent to your GP. This letter will list your medicines and any changes made during your hospital stay. Your GP will then be able to give you a prescription for more of any medicines that are to continue, which you can get at your local pharmacy.

Remember that your GP might need 48 hours to issue the prescription, and they might need to see you first. Please make sure you contact them in plenty of time before your medicines run out.

If you have been started on a blister pack to help you with your medicines, it may take longer to organise more packs so get in touch with your GP as soon as you can.

What should I do if my GP can't prescribe medication started in hospital?

Your GP will receive details of all the medication prescribed for you in hospital.

Sometimes GPs have difficulty prescribing some of the specialist medication we use in our hospitals and may need further information. If this happens your GP team can contact the Medicines Helpline for advice.

Finding more information about your medicines

The NHS website has an A to Z of medicines with information on medicines such as common uses and side effects. Find out more using the link below:

All medicines should also have an information leaflet inside the box.

Your local community pharmacist can also answer questions about your medicines. Many community pharmacies run services to help you with your medicines.

If you have nominated a community pharmacy, we will notify them of your discharge so they can discuss your new medicines with you. This is called the Discharge Medicines Service; it is confidential and free. The pharmacist in the hospital will discuss this service with you if they think that you will benefit from help with your medicines. The hospital pharmacist will refer you to your nominated (usual) community pharmacy following your discharge. Your usual community pharmacy will then contact you by phone to arrange a time either in the pharmacy or by phone to find out how you are getting on with your new medicines. This will include advice on coping with any changes to your medicines, side effects, answering any questions you may have and arranging the return of any stopped medicines to the pharmacy. 

What if I experience side effects to my medicines?

If you have a symptom which you think may be a side effect of your medicine:

  • check the patient information leaflet supplied with the medicine. This lists the known side effects and advises what to do
  • ask your doctor, pharmacist, or the Trust Medicines Helpline for advice

You can report side effects using the yellow card scheme in one of the following ways:

  • ask your pharmacist for a yellow card for which you can complete and post, or visit

What should I do if medicines are no longer needed?

If your medication is out of date (expired), if your prescription has changed, or if the person for whom the medication is prescribed has passed away, it will need to be disposed of. 

Medicines can be dangerous and therefore they must be disposed of safely. Never dispose of medicines in the household waste or down the sink. Return any unused medicines to a community pharmacy, or a local chemist.

Storing medicines

Please keep all medicines:

  • tightly closed
  • in the bottle or box they came in (labels intact)
  • in a cool place
  • out of reach and sight of children
  • where you or a carer can easily find them 

Please do not store medicines:

  • within reach of children
  • in a warm place, e.g. mantelpiece
  • in the fridge or freezer, unless the label or your pharmacist asks you to do this

Medicines helpline

If you have any questions about the medicines you’ve received you can contact our free and confidential medicines helpline, run by our team of specially trained pharmacy staff.

We're happy to take questions from relatives or carers, and will just ask them to confirm that you have given your consent for them to call on your behalf. We can only answer questions if you have received treatment at University Hospitals Birmingham, and only about medicines that you've received from our hospital.

Examples of things we can help you with:

  • when and how to take your medicine
  • taking other medicines at the same time
  • advice about side effects
  • how to get further supplies

To contact the Medicines Helpline, call 0121 424 4682

The helpline is open from Monday to Friday between 10am and 1pm, and 2pm and 3pm.You can leave a voicemail outside of these times – please make sure you leave a phone number so that we can call you back.

If you have an urgent question about your medicines, or your medicines are making you feel unwell, please contact your GP or

NHS 111 may also be able to help if you need advice urgently

Please contact the ward you were discharged from if you have questions about:

  • dressings and/or wound care
  • nutritional supplements
  • appliances, such as: catheters, stockings, leg bags, needles

Ward numbers can be found on the below link, or can be contacted via the correct switchboard:

Last reviewed: 17 January 2024