Medication questions
Ask an online GP about your medicines
A HerDoc GP can help with questions about your medicines, possible side effects, interactions or monitoring. Have your medicine list and main concerns handy so you can talk through what to do next.
Can an online GP help with medication questions?
Yes. A HerDoc GP can review your medicine questions in a real-time phone consultation. You can discuss a current treatment or a change you are considering. The next step may be individual advice, monitoring or another review; a medicine discussion does not always lead to a prescription.
What would you like to understand?
You can ask why you are taking a medicine, whether it is helping, whether a symptom could be a side effect, or whether another medicine or supplement could affect it. Questions about missed doses, stopping treatment and monitoring are also worth raising.
For advice about taking, missing or changing a dose, the exact medicine and your circumstances matter. Ask a doctor or pharmacist for individual instructions rather than changing treatment based on this page.
Healthdirect’s medicine question guide can help you prepare for this discussion.
- What benefit should I notice, and how will we assess whether treatment is helping?
- When should treatment be reviewed?
- Which symptoms or changes should prompt me to seek advice?
Have your medicine list handy
Include everything you take, even products bought without a prescription. Photos of labels can help if you are unsure of the details. During intake, you can upload relevant photos, records or documents for the GP to review.
- Each medicine’s name and strength, the dose you actually take and how often you take it.
- Why and when it was started, recent changes and advice from your usual prescriber.
- Non-prescription medicines, vitamins, herbal products and other supplements.
- Allergies, health conditions, recent results and whether you are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Describe what changed
Note when a symptom began, how it affects you, whether it is getting worse and what changed around the same time. Timing is useful information, but a symptom starting after a medicine does not by itself establish the cause.
The GP can review your symptoms, history and medicine list. Records, tests, an examination or input from your usual prescriber or a specialist may be needed before recommending a change.
Healthdirect explains possible side effects and when to seek advice about them.
Choose the right help for your question
A pharmacist can help with medicine instructions, storage, consumer medicine information and dispensing questions. A GP can assess symptoms and your broader health and review treatment decisions. Either can help direct you if you are unsure where to start.
If your main concern is continuing an existing medicine, the renewal page explains how to prepare for that review.
Severe reactions, overdose or poisoning
Call 000 now for severe breathing difficulty, swelling of the face or throat, collapse, unresponsiveness, a seizure, severe confusion or another severe or rapidly worsening reaction. Do not wait for a HerDoc appointment.
If someone may have taken the wrong medicine or too much medicine, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for immediate advice, even if there are no symptoms. If the person is unresponsive, not breathing normally or showing signs of overdose, call 000 for an ambulance.
For non-emergency health advice while HerDoc is unavailable, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak with a registered nurse.
Join the HerDoc waitlist
HerDoc is preparing to launch. Join the waiting list for updates, or use current local services if you need advice before HerDoc becomes available.
Related pages
FAQs
What should I do if I missed a dose?
Ask a pharmacist or doctor for advice about that exact medicine. Have the label, usual dose, time of your last dose and time of the missed dose handy. There is no single missed-dose rule that works for every medicine.
Should I mention vitamins and supplements?
Yes. Include vitamins, herbal products, supplements and non-prescription medicines in your list. They can affect medicine safety, so the GP needs to know what you actually take.
Can we review several medicines?
Yes. Have your full list handy and identify the questions that matter most to you. Complex concerns may need more records or a follow-up appointment.
Can I discuss stopping or changing a medicine?
Yes. A HerDoc GP can review why you want a change, how treatment is working and any side effects. Seek individual advice before changing treatment; the GP may need further information or another review first.
Should I speak with a pharmacist or a GP?
A pharmacist can help with medicine-use and dispensing questions. A GP can assess symptoms, health changes and treatment decisions. If you are unsure, either can help you find the right next step.