Pharmacy Medicines: Information

Pharmacy medicines, or "P medicines", are medicines that are only available for sale in pharmacies or online pharmacies. They must be kept behind the counter at pharmacies so that people cannot help themselves to the medicines. For this reason, they are also known as over-the-counter medicines (or OTC medicines).

When you purchase a pharmacy medicine, the pharmacist is responsible for ensuring that the medicine is appropriate for you. For this reason, when you order such a medicine over the counter, the counter assistant must ask questions about your condition, in order to check that the medicine is safe and appropriate.

The same thing happens when you purchase a medicine at an online pharmacy such as Express Chemist. When you add a P-medicine to your basket, you will be taken to a short form where you fill in details about your condition, the symptoms, your age, and what other medication you are taking. Once you have finished placing your order, the details will be reviewed by a pharmacist who will double-check that the medicine is safe and appropriate for you.

If there is a problem, we will email you and either ask you to provide more details, or we will suggest an alternative.

Your details are always held securely and in strict confidence. Express Chemist specialise in the supply of pharmacy medicines and so we understand how to treat you with respect and discretion. In addition, we supply all of our medicines quickly, and in plain packaging.

There is a good reason for all of this checking. Whereas some medicines are available at your local supermarket or garage, pharmacy-strength medicines are not to be taken lightly. Though they are more powerful than non-pharmacy-strength medicines, P-medicines are also more likely to cause problems if misused. For example, if a child gets hold of a P-medicine and overdoses on it, it can cause serious problems before you realise it. This is why every reputable online pharmacy must carry out these checks.

An A to Z list of conditions for which we have pharmacy medicines.