By Domenic Chindamo – Pharmacist, Lygon Everyday Chemist, Brunswick East

The Christmas and New Year period is one of the busiest - and riskiest - times of year when it comes to medication safety. Doctors’ clinics close, routines change, travel increases, alcohol intake rises, and people often realise too late that they’re running low on important medicines.
At Lygon Everyday Chemist, we see the same issues every festive season. The good news? Most are preventable with a little planning and pharmacist support.

Here are our Top 10 Medication Safety Tips for the Holidays - practical, calm, and designed to help you enjoy the season without unnecessary stress.

1. Check your scripts before Christmas Day.
2. Use e-scripts wherever possible.
3. Active Script Link (MySL) can help if you’ve lost your script.
4. Don’t mix alcohol with medicines without checking.
5. Be careful with holiday pain relief “top-ups”.
6. Stick to your regular medication schedule.
7. Consider a dose administration aid (DAA).
8. Travel with medicines in original packaging.
9. Don’t ignore side effects just because it’s the holidays.
10. Your pharmacist is open when others aren’t.

Christmas & New Year Opening Hours:
Christmas Day: Closed
Boxing Day: Open 11:00am – 3:00pm
New Year’s Day: Closed
All other days: Open as usual

At Lygon Everyday Chemist, we’re here for good - every day.