Lost a prescription? What to do next

It happens to everyone. The prescription went in a bag, in a pocket, or off with an insurance claim, and now you can’t find it. Here is what to do.

1. Don’t guess

Don’t try to remember the dose from memory, and don’t take someone else’s medicine because it looks the same. If you’re unsure what to take, ask your doctor or pharmacist first.

2. Call the clinic or hospital

The place that wrote the prescription usually keeps a record of it. Call and say your name, the date of the visit and the doctor’s name. Ask whether they can give you a copy or reissue it.

Be ready to explain that you lost the paper. Doctors decide what to prescribe again, so a copy may need a short visit or a call with the doctor.

3. Use what you have

If you still have the medicine strips, bottles or boxes, take them with you. They show the name and strength of what you were taking. Your doctor or pharmacist can read them and tell you what to do next.

Any photo of the prescription helps too. Check your phone, your WhatsApp chats and any messages you or a family member sent.

4. Ask the pharmacy

The chemist you bought the medicines from may have a record of your purchase. Ask them, and ask them to tell you what the medicines were.

5. Rebuild your list

Once you have the information, write the medicines on a list: name, strength, when to take, what for, and which doctor. Keep the list in your wallet and on your phone. You can use our free medicine list.

Make sure it can’t happen again

• Photograph every prescription before you leave the clinic. It takes ten seconds.
• Keep each person’s prescriptions in one folder, with the newest on top.
• When a claim or a form needs the original, copy it first.

Where Kinsu fits

Kinsu keeps prescriptions as photos or files on your phone, labelled with whose they are, and searchable by doctor or tag. It keeps the records on your phone, encrypted, and doesn’t send them anywhere. It’s a copy for finding things; the pharmacist may still ask for the paper.