Medicine safety and side effects

Using medicines safely

• Read the leaflet and follow the doctor’s or pharmacist’s directions: the right dose, at the right times, for the right number of days.
• Do not take antibiotics or steroids on your own. They can do harm, and antibiotics stop working when they are used when not needed.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist about every other medicine you take, your allergies, and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Do not share your medicines, and do not give adult medicines to children.
• Keep medicines out of the reach of children, and away from heat, damp and direct sun, as the pack says.
• Do not use a medicine after its expiry date.

Check every pack when it arrives

• The name, strength and quantity are the ones you ordered.
• The pack is sealed and undamaged. The printing is clear, with a batch number and an expiry date.
• The price of the medicine is not more than the maximum retail price (MRP) printed on the pack. Delivery is charged separately.
• The tablets or liquid look normal: no strange colour, smell or broken pieces.

If anything looks wrong, do not use the medicine. Keep the pack and tell the pharmacy and us. See Returns.

Side effects

Most medicines can cause side effects in some people. Many are mild, such as an upset stomach or sleepiness. Some are serious.

For milder effects, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Do not suddenly stop a long-term medicine (for example for the heart, blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy or steroids) on your own unless a doctor tells you to; ask for advice first.

Report a side effect

Reporting side effects helps make medicines safer for everyone. Pakistan’s drug regulator, DRAP, accepts reports in these ways:

• Ask a doctor, pharmacist or nurse to report it for you.
• Report it yourself online with the MedVigilance e-reporting platform (in English and Urdu), or with the VigiMobile app.
• Fill in the yellow reporting form and send it to the National Pharmacovigilance Centre.

You will find the forms and links on the DRAP page Medicines adverse reactions. Please also tell the pharmacy and tell us, so that we can warn others and check the batch.

Fake, unregistered or suspicious medicines

Be careful if a pack has spelling mistakes, blurred or different printing, a missing or smudged batch number or expiry date, a broken seal, or a colour, smell or taste that is different from the last time. A price that is far lower than usual is also a warning sign.

If you suspect a medicine is fake, do not use it. Keep the pack and the delivery label, take photos, and ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do. Tell the pharmacy and tell us straight away. We take the listing down while we check, and we may suspend the pharmacy and pass the information to the authorities. You can also report it to DRAP.

Emergencies and overdose

MedsPK is not an emergency service and cannot give medical advice.