Telephone: 0191 282 3016 Monday to Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm (excluding Bank holidays)
What is the Medicines information patient helpline?
This is a dedicated Medicines Information Helpline for the patients of the Newcastle Hospitals. It is run by our Medicines Information pharmacists and aims to answer any questions or concerns you may have about the medicines you get from us.
How can I contact Medicines Information?
You can call us on the number above during our normal helpline hours.
If you call with a non-urgent question outside of these hours you can leave a message on our voice mail and one of our pharmacists will call you back during our normal opening hours.
Alternatively your local pharmacy may be able to help with general, non-urgent questions about your medicines.
If you have an urgent question about your medicines, or your medicines are making you feel unwell, please contact your GP or the local Out-of-hours doctor service in your area.
NHS111 may also be able to help if you need advice urgently.
What sort of information can we provide?
Our pharmacists can answer most questions you may have about your medicines such as:
- Can this medicine cause a particular side-effect?
- How should I take my medicine; for example, do I need to take my medicine with food?
- How often should I take my medicine?
- I have bought some painkillers from my local pharmacy; is it safe to take these with my other medicines?
- I have missed a dose of my medicine, what should I do?
- How long should I take this medicine for?
- I have forgotten to put my medicine in the fridge; can I use it, or do I need to get a new supply?
- Where can I find more information about my medicines?
Please note, while we are able to help with most questions about your medicines, sometimes it is not possible to give an answer and we may ask you to speak to your doctor for more advice.
What if I am not a patient of the Newcastle Hospitals?
If you did not receive your medicine from one of our hospitals or you are not a patient of our Trust, please contact the pharmacy where you obtained your medicine, or your own GP.
If your question is urgent or your medicines are making you feel unwell, you should contact your GP or the local Out-of-hours doctor service in your area.
NHS111 may also be able to help if you need advice urgently.
Information that will help us when you call:
- Your hospital number – you can find this on your appointment card or clinic letter
- Your medicines – have all of your medicines with you when you call
- The date that you got your last hospital prescription
If you do not have all of this information to hand we may still be able to help you but it could take a little longer.
