Our medication services
- Webster-Pak (Free)Your regular doses sealed into one pack, set out by the time each is due.
- Prescriptions & eScriptsPaper scripts and eScript tokens dispensed at our Cessnock Road counter.
- Medication ReviewA pharmacist goes through every medicine and supplement you take.
- Free Medication DeliveryMedicines brought to homes in four local areas at no charge.
- Asthma ManagementInhaler technique and spacer help from a pharmacist.
How medication management in Abermain fits together
Most people start with a prescription. Once it is dispensed, you can take the medicine home as it comes, or have it sorted into a free Webster-pak if juggling several tablets at different times has become hard work. Either way, it can be collected over the counter or delivered.
A review ties the rest together. It gives a pharmacist the chance to spot doubled-up products, interactions or confusion before they turn into a problem, and it is a sensible check before a first pack is made up. Asthma support runs alongside, because an inhaler only helps if the medicine actually reaches your lungs.
Which service to start with
- Several medicines at different times: ask about a Webster-pak.
- A new diagnosis, a hospital stay or a changed dose: ask for a medication review.
- Trouble getting to the shop: arrange free delivery.
- A puffer that never seems to work well: have your technique checked.
Not sure which applies? Call us on (02) 4930 4442 and a pharmacist can point you the right way.
Keep a medicines list
Whatever services you use, a current medicines list makes each one safer. Healthdirect recommends keeping one that records what each medicine is for, the dose, when to take it and how, such as with food. You can write it on paper, use an app, or ask your doctor or pharmacist for one at your next visit.
Healthdirect also notes that people who take 5 or more medicines are more likely to make a mistake with them. At that point a list, a regular medicine review and a pack work best together.
When we send you to your GP
A pharmacist can explain, check and organise your medicines, but changes to prescribed treatment belong with your doctor. Healthdirect describes how, after a Home Medicines Review, your doctor talks with you about any changes and writes a plan for managing your medicines. The same applies to asthma: the National Asthma Council says poor control, such as regularly waking from symptoms, should not be treated as normal and is a reason to see your doctor for a review. For a severe reaction, chest pain or a breathing emergency, call 000.
Medication management questions
What do these services cost?
Webster-paks and local delivery are free. Medicines themselves are paid for as usual. A funded MedsCheck costs nothing for people who meet the program rules; for anything else, ask us before you start.
Can a carer organise medicines for someone else?
Yes, in several ways. An agent or carer can be recorded against a person's Active Script List, and a family member can collect a prescription on someone's behalf. Call us to talk through the rest.
Talk to a pharmacist about your medicines
Visit Abermain Chemist at 193 Cessnock Road, Monday to Friday or Saturday morning, and ask which of these services would help you most. Bring your current medicines list if you keep one, or the medicines themselves if you do not.