Nine guides to the medicines people use every day: how to take them, how to combine them safely and when to ask a professional. Each guide links to in-depth articles that answer one specific question, with doses, tables and named products.
How to use these guides: start with the guide that matches your question, then open the article that fits it most closely. Every article names its sources, usually official product information and national health services (NHS, Healthdirect, FDA, TGA), and gives the date it was last updated. The information is general: your doctor or pharmacist can take your own health and other medicines into account. How we write and check the guides.
Pain reliefParacetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin and diclofenac compared
Combining medicinesInteractions, duplicate ingredients and alcohol
Taking medicinesSplitting tablets, missed doses, expiry and storage
Surgery & proceduresWhat to stop, take and ask around an operation
Stomach & gutAntacids, acid reducers, laxatives, anti-diarrhoeals
Skin treatmentsSteroid creams, retinoids, wound care and more
Diabetes careGlucose meters, diabetes tablets and GLP-1 pens
Clinical notesPractical reference for nurses and pharmacists
Vitamins & supplementsVitamin D, K2, CoQ10, omega-3 – what is worth it
Pain relief
How paracetamol (Panadol), ibuprofen (Nurofen), aspirin and diclofenac differ, safe doses, combining them, and who should avoid NSAIDs. Read the pain relief guide.
- Can I Take Nurofen and Panadol Together?
- How Far Apart Should You Take Nurofen and Panadol?
- Panadol vs Nurofen: What Is the Difference?
- Which Ibuprofen Is Easiest on the Stomach?
- Can You Take Nurofen and Voltaren Together?
- Low-Dose vs Regular-Dose Aspirin: What Is the Difference?
- Can a Child Have Panadol and Nurofen Together?
- How Ibuprofen Is Made – and Who Makes It
- Can You Take Endone or Codeine with Nurofen?
Combining medicines
Which medicines clash and why: duplicate ingredients, NSAID combinations, sedatives, alcohol and blood pressure tablets – with a checklist before you combine. Read the combining medicines guide.
Taking medicines
Can you cut it in half? What if you miss or double a dose? Are expired tablets safe? Practical rules for modified-release forms, patches, storage and expiry. Read the taking medicines guide.
- Can Flexeril (Cyclobenzaprine) Be Cut in Half?
- Can You Cut Topiramate in Half?
- Can Estradiol Patches Be Cut in Half?
- Can You Cut Finasteride in Half?
- Can You Take Expired Nurofen or Other Expired Medicines?
- Is Expired Doxycycline Safe? Antibiotics After the Expiry Date
- Accidentally Took a Double Dose? What to Do (Flecainide and Others)
- Does Methotrexate Need to Be Refrigerated?
- Paxil vs Paxil CR: Immediate vs Extended Release
Surgery & procedures
Which medicines to stop before surgery, what is usually fine, fasting rules, and pain relief, laxatives and antihistamines during recovery. Read the surgery & procedures guide.
Stomach & gut
Gaviscon, famotidine, omeprazole, sucralfate, loperamide and lactulose: how they work, how to take them together, and when symptoms need a doctor. Read the stomach & gut guide.
Skin treatments
How topical steroids, retinoids, hydroquinone, 5-fluorouracil, antibiotic ointments and dressings are used safely – strengths, amounts and common mistakes. Read the skin treatments guide.
- Kenalog (Triamcinolone) Injections for Acne Cysts: How They're Diluted
- Triamcinolone Cream Strengths and Tube Sizes
- Fluorouracil and Calcipotriene Together: What to Expect
- Accidentally Brushed Your Teeth with Hydrocortisone Cream?
- Can You Use Neosporin Under a Hydrocolloid Bandage?
- How to Use Hydroquinone and Tretinoin Together
- How Is Testosterone Cream Applied to the Vulva?
- Discharge After Metronidazole Gel: What's Normal?
Diabetes care
Reading glucose meter errors, accurate testing, SGLT2 tablets like Jardiance, metformin, and storing Ozempic and Mounjaro pens. Read the diabetes care guide.
Clinical notes
Buffered lidocaine, drug-level tubes, levothyroxine IV/PO conversion, compounding nitroglycerin ointment, syringe compatibility and saline types. Read the clinical notes guide.
Vitamins & supplements
Vitamin D, K2, CoQ10, omega-3 and magnesium: who may benefit, forms and doses, interactions with medicines, and how to judge a supplement label. Read the vitamins & supplements guide.