How to keep a medication list for someone you care for
Keep a medication list by copying from each label, never from memory: the medicine's name, the strength and directions exactly as printed, what it is for, the prescriber, and the pharmacy. Add over the counter medicines, vitamins and allergies. Take the list to every appointment, ask the pharmacist to check it for interactions, and update it the day anything changes. Never change a dose yourself.
Why it matters: An accurate list is what an emergency room asks for first, and it catches duplicate prescriptions.
Steps
- Gather every bottle, box and inhaler, including over the counter ones and vitamins.
- Copy the name, strength and directions exactly as printed on each label.
- Add what each one is for, who prescribed it and which pharmacy fills it.
- List allergies and past reactions at the top.
- Ask the pharmacist to review the whole list for duplicates and interactions.
- Bring the list to every appointment and emergency visit.
- Update it the same day anything is started, stopped or changed, and date it.
Stop and call a professional if
- you see two medicines for the same purpose, or new confusion, falls or drowsiness after a change: call the prescriber or pharmacist
- someone took the wrong medicine or too much: call the poison help line, 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if they are very unwell
Questions to ask the professional
- Does anything on this list interact or double up?
- Is there anything we can stop?
Common mistakes
- Writing the list from memory.
- Leaving off over the counter medicines and vitamins.
- Keeping an old version after a change.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to keep a medication list for someone you care for
What to say
Keep a medication list by copying from each label, never from memory: the medicine's name, the strength and directions exactly as printed, what it is for, the prescriber, and the pharmacy. Add over the counter medicines, vitamins and allergies. Take the list to every appointment, ask the pharmacist to check it for interactions, and update it the day anything changes. Never change a dose yourself.
What to show
- Gather every bottle, box and inhaler, including over the counter ones and vitamins.
- Copy the name, strength and directions exactly as printed on each label.
- Add what each one is for, who prescribed it and which pharmacy fills it.
- List allergies and past reactions at the top.
- Ask the pharmacist to review the whole list for duplicates and interactions.
- Bring the list to every appointment and emergency visit.
- Update it the same day anything is started, stopped or changed, and date it.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you see two medicines for the same purpose, or new confusion, falls or drowsiness after a change: call the prescriber or pharmacist.
Check question
Where should the strength and directions come from?
Answer: Copied exactly from each label. Labels are the accurate source.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national guidance on safe medicine use for caregivers, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .