Ran out of your prescription without noticing? What to do now, and next time

Today: the box is empty

Work through these in order:

1. Call or visit your usual pharmacy. Tell them which medicine, the strength on the label and when your next dose is due. Have the box or an old repeat slip in hand; it shows the exact name and strength.
2. Contact the prescriber's practice if the pharmacy has no prescription waiting for you.
3. Out of hours, use the emergency route where you live. In England, the NHS explains the options on its emergency prescriptions page: if you have completely run out, the 111 online emergency prescription service asks where you are and when your next dose is due, and may refer you to a pharmacy. Pharmacies can provide certain emergency medicines without a prescription, but you may need to pay. Other countries have their own rules, so ask your pharmacist what applies to you.

What not to do: do not take half doses to make the last tablets last longer, skip days on purpose, or take someone else's medicine, unless your prescriber or pharmacist tells you to. If you have already missed a dose, the leaflet and your pharmacist say what to do next; see how to tell if you missed a dose.

Why prescriptions run out without warning

It is rarely one big mistake. Usually it is one of these:

• The box never looks empty until it is. A blister pack or a bottle gives no signal at the halfway mark.
• Packs drift apart. One medicine comes in 28-day boxes, another in 30 or 90. Refill dates that once lined up slowly stop doing so.
• The prescription itself has ended. If no refills are left, the next box needs a new prescription first, and you may only find that out when you order.
• A change in routine. Travel, an extra dose your prescriber added, or a spare strip you used up while away all change when the box runs out.

Next time: notice before the box is empty

Two habits catch it in time:

• Ask how many refills are left on the prescription, and when it needs renewing, so a new appointment does not surprise you the week the box runs out.
• Put a sticker on the box where about a week of tablets is left: when you reach it and no order is placed, order that day.

How to work out an order date for 28, 30 and 90-day packs, and how to handle mail order, is in the prescription tracker guide.

Put the order date in EasyRoutine

In EasyRoutine, add an activity called Order refill to your Medication routine. With Premium, add a Single day plan on each order date in the Plan tab, with a reminder; there is no "every 28 days" option, so refills go in as single dates (up to 20 per activity). Logging is free: log Order refill when you order and again at pickup, with a note such as "ordered 28 days, pickup Thursday", and the month view shows the rhythm of your refills. The app never counts tablets, so keep counting the box.

Common questions

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