Overeating can cause a range of symptoms spanning from heartburn, indigestion, nausea or constipation. We can recommend suitable medicines to reduce and ease your symptoms but there are also things you can do at home. For example, try not to lie down right after you eat and if you are constipated, eat high fibre foods like wholegrains and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

What to do when you’ve had too much to drink...

Alcohol is a diuretic which means that it speeds up the loss of water from the body. This causes dehydration which can then cause many other symptoms like an upset stomach, fatigue and headaches. Try to keep your drinking down to the recommended limit (men: 3 to 4 units per day and women: 2-3 units per day). We can help with remedies to ease your hangover such as over-the-counter painkillers to help with headaches. Paracetamol-based remedies are usually preferable as aspirin may further irritate the stomach and increase nausea and sickness.

Have a winter clearout...

A recent survey by the NPA found that one in ten people admit to never checking that their medicines are still in date. Medicines can become increasingly less effective once they pass their expiry date. For example, most eye drops expire 28 days after opening and for some, the shelf life is even shorter. If you notice that any of your medicines are out of date, breing them to us and we will arrange to have them destroyed.

Children’s doses for liquid paracetamol

Changes have been made to recommended doses for young children of liquid paracetamol – such as Calpol. Until recently packaging on bottles of the children's strength solutions advised that children aged from 12 months to six years could be given the same dose. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now revised its recommendations to reflect the large differences in weight and bodily development between a one-year-old baby and a six-year-old child. Only those aged four or over should be given the maximum dose of two 5ml spoonfuls at a time. Those aged two to four should be given only 7.5ml (a full 5ml and a half a 5ml spoon), up to four times a day. If you’re in any doubt, ask us for advice. In the meantime, parents should follow the advice on the packaging, making sure not to exceed the recommended dose

What if I need emergency contraception?

We can supply the emergency contraceptivepill if you'reaged 16 orover as part of an NHS sexual health service. We have a consultation area where you can ask for advice without being overheard. If you need to see a pharmacist over the festive period just call in.

Tips for coping with travel sickness

If you’re travelling to see relatives over the Christmas and New Year period and suffer with travel sickness, we can give you advice on available remedies. We can also givetips on how to prevent travel sickness such as ensuring there is good ventilation and encouraging children who suffer with travel sickness to look out of the window instead of playing games or reading books as this can make it worse.