Medication List Template (Printable, English & Spanish): What a Physician Wants on It

Lista de medicamentos para imprimir: qué debe incluir, según un médico

Written by a family medicine physician & certified medical interpreter · Ambos Health

When a new patient hands me an up-to-date medication list, the whole visit changes. I spend less time reconstructing what they take and more time on the reason they came in. A good list also protects you in places where nobody knows you: an emergency room at 2 a.m., a pharmacy in another city, a specialist who can't see your primary-care chart. Here is how to build one that actually works, in English or in Spanish (lista de medicamentos).

What to write for every medicine

One row per medicine. A useful medication list template has these columns:

Don't forget the “invisible” medicines

Over-the-counter pain relievers, sleep aids, antacids, vitamins, supplements, herbal teas and remedies, eye drops, creams, patches, inhalers, injections, and anything you take “only sometimes.” These count. Several can interact with prescription medicines or affect lab results, and patients often don't think to mention them unless they're written down.

Add allergies and the reaction

At the top of the page, list drug allergies and what happened: “penicillin, hives” is very different from “codeine, upset stomach.” The second is usually an intolerance rather than a true allergy, and that distinction can open up treatment options later. Include your pharmacy's name and phone number too.

The brown-bag review

A brown-bag review is simple: put every medicine bottle, box, inhaler and supplement in a bag and bring it to an appointment. Your clinician or pharmacist compares what's in the bag with your list and your chart. It's one of the most practical ways to catch:

• two bottles of the same medicine under different names;
• medicines that were stopped but are still being taken;
• expired medicines or confusing instructions;
• supplements that may interact with a prescription.

Good times to ask for one: once a year, after any hospital stay, when a new specialist adds a medicine, or when a family member starts helping manage medicines. Many pharmacists are glad to do this review; just ask when it's a good time.

Keep a copy in your wallet (and on your phone)

A list at home on the fridge doesn't help if you collapse at the grocery store. Keep three copies:

1. Wallet: a folded or card-sized version with medicines, doses, allergies and an emergency contact.
2. Phone: a photo of the list, plus the key details in your phone's Medical ID or emergency information (see our emergency medical information sheet guide).
3. Binder: the full version, with stopped medicines and the reason they were stopped, which is useful history for future clinicians.

Keeping the list current

A list that's six months old can be worse than no list, because people trust it. Update it the same day any medicine changes. Cross out stopped medicines rather than erasing them, then rewrite a clean copy every few months. Put the date at the top: “Updated: ___” tells every clinician how much to trust it.

If you care for a parent, keep their list in a caregiver binder alongside their other documents (see the caregiver binder checklist). Bring the list to every visit; it's item #1 on our what-to-bring checklist.

Bilingual families: one list, two languages

In many households, the person taking the medicine reads Spanish best while the clinician reads English. A side-by-side bilingual list lets both read the same page, and it lets an adult child check a parent's medicines without retranslating. Ask the pharmacy whether it can print labels and instructions in Spanish; many can.

Frequently asked questions

What should be included on a medication list?

For each medicine: brand and generic name, strength, dose and how often you take it, why you take it, who prescribed it, and the start date. Add over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, plus drug allergies with the reaction, your pharmacy, and the date the list was last updated.

What is a brown-bag medication review?

You bring every medicine, supplement and inhaler you use, in a bag, to your clinician or pharmacist, who compares them with your list and records to catch duplicates, stopped medicines still being taken, and possible interactions.

How often should I update my medication list?

The same day any medicine is started, stopped or changed, and review the whole list at least once a year and after any hospital stay. Write the update date at the top.

¿Qué debe llevar una lista de medicamentos?

El nombre de cada medicina, la dosis, cada cuánto la toma, para qué es, quién la recetó y cuándo empezó, además de alergias, vitaminas, suplementos y la fecha de actualización.

General education, not medical advice. Your own clinician's advice comes first. In an emergency, call 911.