PATIENT SUPPORT
Storing your medication safely
Your medication is a Schedule 2 controlled drug. Treating it with the same care you would give any strong medicine keeps you, and everyone around you, out of trouble.
AT HOME
Where and how to keep it
Always keep your medication in the original packaging it was dispensed in, with the pharmacy label intact. The label is what identifies the medicine as yours and lawfully supplied, and the packaging is designed to protect what is inside. Never decant it into a tin, a pot or an unlabelled container.
Store it out of sight and out of the reach of children and pets. A lockable box, drawer or cupboard is the sensible standard, and it is worth the small cost. Keep it away from heat, damp and direct sunlight, so not on a windowsill, not in a bathroom and not in a car. Room temperature in a dark cupboard suits most medicines, and your pharmacy will tell you if yours needs anything different.
YOURS ALONE
Never share it, never sell it
Your prescription was written for you, after an assessment of your history. It is not safe or lawful for anyone else to take it. Supplying a controlled drug to another person is a criminal offence, and it makes no difference that it was prescribed to you or that you were only trying to help a friend or relative.
Be sensible about who knows you have it. There is no shame in a prescription, and you may well choose to tell close family or an employer. There is simply no reason for it to be common knowledge, and fewer people knowing means fewer risks to manage.
Sharing is a criminal offence
Passing your prescribed medication to anyone else, with or without payment, is a criminal offence. Keep it for your own use only, and keep it stored where nobody else can reach it.
UNUSED MEDICATION
What to do with anything left over
If your treatment changes, or you have medication you no longer need, return it to a pharmacy. Pharmacies dispose of controlled drugs under proper legal procedures and will take it back without any fuss. Do not put it in a household bin, do not flush it, and do not pass it to anyone else.
Tell us as well, so your records are accurate and your next review starts from the right picture. It also helps us and your pharmacy avoid dispensing something you are no longer taking.
LOST OR STOLEN
If something goes missing
Tell us as soon as you realise. We will talk through what happened, what it means for your treatment and what documentation is needed. If your medication has been stolen, report it to the police and keep the reference number, because you may need it for your records or a replacement supply.
Nobody will be judged for reporting a loss. What matters is that it is recorded properly and dealt with quickly, so your care continues and there is a clear account of what happened.
Safekeeping checklist
Original pharmacy labelled packaging, always.
Out of sight, out of reach of children and pets.
A lockable box, drawer or cupboard.
Cool, dry and dark. Not a bathroom, not a windowsill, not a car.
Never shared, never sold, never passed on.
Unused medication returned to a pharmacy, never binned or flushed.
Loss or theft reported to us, and to the police if it was taken.
Only the people who need to know that you have it.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Careful care, from the first appointment onwards.
Ongoing support is included in the £9.99 per month membership. All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Check your eligibility