Medicine

There are three broad categories of medicines - prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines and complementary medicines.

• Prescription Medicines
  You can only purchase a prescription medicine if you have a prescription for it from your doctor. Examples of prescription medicines include contraceptive pills, antibiotics and strong painkillers.
  
  
• Over the Counter (OTC) Medicines
  Over-the-counter products include cough/cold products, mouthwash and sunscreen. You don’t need a prescription to obtain OTC products. Some OTC medicines can only be purchased from a pharmacy (chemist), and many are also available from supermarkets and health food shops.
  
  
• Complementary Medicines
  Complementary medicines (also known as 'traditional' or 'alternative' medicines) include vitamin, mineral, herbal, aromatherapy and homoeopathic products. Like OTC products, these products are available without a prescription.

What is your medicine called?

All medicines have two names:

• A Generic name
  Each medicine has an approved name called the generic name. This name does not change. A group of medicines that work in a similar way often have similar sounding generic names. For example, penicillin, ampicillin, amoxycillin and flucloxacillin are the generic names for a group of antibiotics.
  
  
• A Brand name
  Many medicines also have one or more brand names. This name is chosen by the company that makes it. Several companies may make the same medicine, each with their own brand name. A product from the same company may also be called by different brand names in different countries.

The brand name is usually written most clearly on any packaging. However, you will always see the generic name written somewhere on the packet.

Some products contain a combination of medicines. Combination products usually have one brand name. However, the individual ingredients will all be listed on the packet.