Medication List Template
Every medicine, dose and timing on one page for a clinician or carer.
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| Name | [name] |
| Date of birth | — |
| Address | [address] |
| Doctor | [doctor and number] |
| Pharmacy | — |
| List correct as at | October 14, 2026 |
| Medicine | Dose | When taken | What for | Prescribed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [add one medicine per line] |
What is a Medication List?
A medication list is one page showing every medicine a person takes, the dose, the timing and who prescribed it. Clinicians ask for it at every admission, every new appointment and every pharmacy review, because the commonest source of avoidable harm is a medicine nobody knew about. Without a written list, the answer at the hospital desk is two white ones and a blue one, and something gets missed.
People keep these for themselves, for an elderly parent, for a child with a long-term condition, and for anyone taking several medicines at once. Carers, care homes, schools and respite services all want one on file. It earns its keep at handovers: an ambulance crew arriving at the house, a locum doctor who has never met the patient, a pre-operative assessment, a pharmacy review, or a holiday where a prescription runs out and a local doctor has to work out what to prescribe.
How medicines are named and supplied varies by country, and that catches people out. The same drug carries different brand names in different markets, strengths are packaged differently, and what is prescription-only in one country is over the counter in another — which is why a list should record the generic name and strength as well as the brand on the box. If you are travelling, check the destination country's rules on bringing in prescribed medicines, particularly controlled drugs, with that country's own authority before you fly.
This list is a record, not a prescription and not medical advice. It does not authorise anyone to give a medicine, change a dose or stop one; only the prescriber does that. It is not a substitute for the pharmacy label, which is the instruction for how the medicine is actually taken. And it goes out of date the moment anything changes, which is why it needs a review date on it. Anything on the page that looks like a clinical decision belongs with a doctor or pharmacist.
What to put in a Medication List
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| This list is for | For example: Alicia Romero |
| Date of birth optional | Free text |
| Home address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road |
| Doctor or practice | For example: Dr. Halbrook, Kinnear Family Practice — (614) 555-0288 |
| Pharmacy optional | For example: Kinnear Road Pharmacy — (614) 555-0301 |
| Medicines | One per line: Medicine | Dose | When taken | What for | Prescribed by |
| Allergies and reactions optional | One per line |
| Anything a clinician should know optional | For example: Wears a hearing aid in the left ear. Prefers written instructions. |
| Emergency contacts, in order | One per line: Name | Relationship | Phone |
How to write a Medication List
Head the page with the person's details
Full name, date of birth, address, health system or hospital number if there is one, the GP or family doctor with a phone number, and the preferred pharmacy. A clinician reading a list they cannot attribute to a specific patient record will not act on it. Add the name and number of whoever maintains the list, which is often not the patient.
List allergies and reactions before the medicines
Name the drug or substance, what happened, and when. ‘Penicillin — rash and facial swelling, 2019’ is clinically useful. ‘Allergic to antibiotics’ blocks whole classes of treatment for no good reason and is often wrong. Include reactions to anaesthetics, contrast dyes, latex and adhesive dressings, because those are the ones nobody remembers to mention until it is too late.
Record generic name, strength and dose
For each medicine: the generic name, the brand on the box, the strength, how much is taken, when, and by what route. ‘Levothyroxine 75 micrograms, one tablet each morning before food’ is complete. ‘Thyroid tablet, one a day’ is not. Copy the strength from the label rather than from memory — 50 and 500 look similar on a bad day.
Include everything, not just prescriptions
Over-the-counter painkillers, antacids, vitamins, herbal remedies, supplements, inhalers, eye drops, creams, patches and anything taken occasionally. Interactions involving herbal preparations, high-dose supplements and common painkillers are exactly the ones a prescriber is checking for, and patients leave them off because they do not feel like medicines. Add anything taken only when needed, with the trigger for taking it.
Date it and review after every change
Put the date it was last updated at the top, in large type. An undated list is treated with suspicion, and rightly. Update it whenever a medicine starts, stops or changes dose — the discharge letter after a hospital stay is the highest-risk moment of all. Keep one copy in a wallet or on the fridge, and give one to whoever else may need it.
Common mistakes
- Writing only the brand name means a clinician in another country or a different hospital may not recognise the drug at all.
- Leaving off supplements and herbal remedies hides exactly the interactions a prescriber is checking for.
- Omitting the date the list was updated means a clinician cannot tell whether it reflects last week's discharge or last year's.
- Recording ‘allergic to antibiotics’ instead of the specific drug and reaction can rule out safe and effective treatment when it is needed.
- Keeping the only copy on a phone that runs out of battery leaves the person with nothing at the moment the list matters most.
Frequently asked questions
What should a medication list include?
Patient name and date of birth, GP and pharmacy contacts, allergies with the actual reaction, then each medicine with its generic name, brand, strength, dose, timing and route — including anything over the counter, herbal or occasional. Add the reason for each medicine if you know it, the prescriber, and the date the list was last updated in large type at the top.
How often should I update a medication list?
Every time something changes: a new prescription, a stopped medicine, a changed dose or strength, or a new allergy. The highest-risk moments are discharge from hospital and a change of prescriber, because that is where a medicine can be added or dropped without anyone reconciling the two lists. Review it as well at each medication review with your pharmacist or doctor.
Should I take a medication list to hospital?
Yes, and keep one in a wallet or bag where an ambulance crew would find it. Hospital teams have to reconcile your medicines on admission, and doing that from a written list is faster and safer than from memory or from a carrier bag of boxes. Take the boxes as well if you can: the list gets them started, the labels confirm it.
Can I take my medicines abroad?
Usually, but the rules are set by the destination country and can be strict, particularly for controlled drugs and some common painkillers and sleep medicines. Check that country's official guidance well before travelling, carry medicines in their original labelled packaging, take a copy of the prescription, and keep them in hand luggage. Ask your prescriber whether you need a supporting letter.
Who else should have a copy?
Whoever might need to act on it: the person themselves, a named family member or carer, the GP surgery, the pharmacy, and any care or respite service involved. If a school or day service administers medicines, they will usually have their own form that must be completed and signed as well — this list supports that form rather than replacing it.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.