5 Questions to ask your Pharmacist before taking any Medication

Chemists Near Me

Chemists and Pharmacies provide vital community health care services, many also offer health and lifestyle management programs and services. They are private businesses found in shopping strips and shopping centres in almost every suburb and town around Australia and are committed to their patients and the broader community. According to Wikipedia there are 5,700 community pharmacies across Australia that provide for 450 million individual patient visits annually and employ over 65,000 Pharmacists and Pharmacy Assistants.

Their main service is stocking, preparing and dispensing prescription medicine and drugs that have been prescribed by a doctor. Pharmacists are an essential component of the local community through their dispensing of medications, providing of specialist advice and guidance, referral of patients to doctors or other medical or health professionals where necessary, in addition to providing primary and preventative health services and checks. In many cases a community pharmacist is often the first point of contact within the health care system as they are highly trained and seen as medication experts, people will often visit their nearest pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for advice. The pharmacist may provide advice on self‐treatment, suggest over‐the‐counter medicines or recommend that the person see a doctor or other health and medical experts.

Local chemists can provide different health and wellness support and treatment options they are no longer just a place for picking up prescription medicine. They stock many different medical, nutritional, supplement and beauty products and they can also provide expert advice on their use for improving general wellness. It’s important to choose a chemist or pharmacy that has a convenient location, reasonable prices, and has an interest in understanding your unique needs, medications and treatments. Your medical history is both personal and private and you may feel more comfortable talking about your health and concerns in a private consulting room if they have one. Most health and wellness issues are not short term and need to be managed over a period of time so you want to find a pharmacy whose staff are professional, personable and friendly. You want to be able to build a relationship with your pharmacist so that they can understand your circumstances and unique requirements, and make recommendations and treatments based on what is going to best suit both your health and lifestyle.

Many pharmacies currently offer health checks and screening, risk assessment and monitoring for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bowel cancer and respiratory diseases as well as lifestyle management programs and services, here is a list of some of the services that may be provided by your local pharmacy:

  • Absence From Work Certificate
  • Asthma Checks and Management
  • Blood Glucose Testing
  • Blood Pressure Services
  • Bone Density
  • Cancer Treatment Support
  • Cholesterol Screening
  • Compounding
  • Chronic pain support
  • CPAP Specialist Services
  • Diabetes Management
  • Diabetes Risk Assessment
  • Ear Piercing
  • eScripts
  • Flu Vaccinations
  • Health advice
  • Hearing checks
  • Home Delivery
  • Home Medication Reviews
  • Iron Testing
  • Medication Packing Service
  • MedsChecks
  • Mental Health Support
  • Mother & Baby Health Nurse
  • Natural health
  • Naturopath
  • NDSS
  • Post discharge services and support
  • Quit Smoking
  • Scripts on file
  • Sleep Apnoea Services
  • Stroke Risk Assessment
  • Testing & screening services
  • Vaccination Services
  • Weight loss & management

Here are some of the popular Pharmacy chains by state:

Chemists in New South Wales

  • Amcal
  • Blooms the Chemist
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Priceline Pharmacy
  • TerryWhite Chemmart

Chemists in Victoria

  • Amcal
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • PharmaSave
  • Priceline Pharmacy
  • TerryWhite Chemmart

Chemists in Queensland

  • Amcal
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Discount Drug Stores
  • Guardian Pharmacy
  • TerryWhite Chemmart

Chemists in the ACT

  • Capital Chemist
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Discount Drug Stores
  • Priceline Pharmacy

Chemists in Western Australia

  • Amcal
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Discount Drug Stores
  • Guardian Pharmacy
  • Terry White Chemmart

Chemists in South Australia

  • Amcal
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Guardian Pharmacy
  • National Pharmacy
  • TerryWhite Chemmart

Chemists in Tasmania

  • Amcal
  • Chemist Warehouse
  • Guardian Pharmacy
  • Priceline Pharmacy
  • TerryWhite Chemmart

Chemists in the Northern Territory

  • Amcal
  • Priceline Pharmacy

Pharmacy References:

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is the Pharmacy Owners' representative.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is a professional organisation of Australian pharmacists.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration

The Therapeutic Goods Administration is the regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration

The Australian Government Department of Health

Develop and deliver policies and programs and advise the Australian Government on health, aged care and sport. We work with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure better health for all Australians.

The Australian Government Department of Health