Medication list template or app: what belongs on it and what to bring to your doctor
Medication list template or app? What a personal list should contain, when paper is enough, when a medication tracker to share with your doctor helps.
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You are seeing a new doctor, going into hospital, or have several people prescribing for you, and someone asks what you take. You can answer from a printed template or a notes app. You can also use a list in Sam that reminds you and records each dose. This post covers what a personal list should contain, when paper is enough and when an app helps.
What should a personal medication list contain?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and MedlinePlus give nearly the same list. Put on it:
- Every prescription, with name and strength.
- Over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products and supplements.
- What each one is for.
- When, how and how much you take.
- Your allergies and your emergency contacts.
Add the prescriber for each prescription, and mark which medicines you take only when needed. Copy names from the packaging rather than from memory.
Does your country have an official medication plan?
It depends. Some countries issue a standard plan. Germany, for example, has a federal medication plan that doctors and pharmacies issue on paper, with a 2D barcode that software can read. According to the German Medical Association, people with statutory health insurance who take at least three prescribed, systemically acting medicines at the same time, each meant to be taken for at least 28 days, are entitled to one. That is a plan others write, not your own list.
For the UK and US we found no single national plan that patients carry in the sources we read. The FDA and MedlinePlus advise a personal list instead. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, for example, suggests keeping an up-to-date list if you find it hard to remember what you take. They suggest you bring it, or your repeat prescription form. Where your country has an official plan, ask your doctor for it first. Your own list covers what the plan can miss, such as over-the-counter products and what you actually took.
When is a printable template enough?
A template is enough when you take few medicines, they rarely change and you like paper. Ready-made ones exist: Vertex42 offers a medication list for Excel, Word and Google Sheets, and the FDA publishes its own My Medicines form. Vertex42 says its sheet should not replace the advice of a qualified healthcare worker and that you should have the list reviewed by a qualified professional.
A template has limits. It is out of date the day you forget to change it. It cannot remind you. It keeps no record of past changes unless you add rows instead of overwriting them.
When does an app or tracker work better?
An app works better if you want reminders, take medicines as needed, or your doses change. You edit one place, and the app can keep earlier days as they were. The same trade-off between paper and app shows up with blood pressure, covered in Blood pressure log: print a template or use an app.
Apps have limits too. They need battery. They help only while you keep entering, and a list you typed is only as accurate as you made it. No format is better in every case.
How do you keep the list current?
Update it each time a prescription, dose or medicine changes, as the FDA advises. Keep a current copy with you: a photo on your phone, an entry in an app, or a paper copy with your insurance card. Share it with someone you trust.
Your list records what you were told. It does not change anything. MedlinePlus is clear that you should not cut back or stop a medicine without talking to your provider.
What should you bring to the appointment?
MedlinePlus advises bringing the list and the bottles to appointments and to the pharmacy. Bring:
- Your current list, with the date of the last update.
- The medicines themselves, or photos of the labels.
- Last time's list, if you have it.
- Your questions, including what to do if you miss a dose, which your provider answers.
Say honestly what you actually took, even if it differs from what was prescribed. More on preparing is in the doctor appointment checklist and in documenting symptoms when you are not taken seriously.
Log your medication in Sam and take it to the appointment
You keep your medicines as one personal list in Sam, and the ones linked to your program go to the appointment in its doctor report, not from memory.
- Instead of a sheet: you add medicines on a schedule or as needed, log each dose from the Today screen or straight from the reminder, and get one reminder per dose time that names everything due.
- Instead of overwritten rows: a dose change applies from today, and earlier days keep the old plan.
- Instead of loose papers: medicines linked to your program appear in its doctor report. A program is your diary for a condition, for example the program for high blood pressure.
The list in Sam is personal, not an official medication plan. You cannot export it on its own, and Sam does not scan a plan's barcode.
Try Sam HealthSam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.
Related reading
- Medication list to bring to your doctor
- As-needed medication log: what to record
- Medication dose change log: what to record
- Forgot to take your medication: pill reminder on iPhone
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- FDA: Create and keep a medication list for your health
- MedlinePlus: Keeping your medicines organized
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: Pharmacy - Your medicines in hospital
- Vertex42: Medication list template
- German Medical Association: Medikationsplan (in German)
- ABDA: Merkblatt Ihr Medikationsplan (in German)
More on recording and taking it along
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I put on a medication list?+
The FDA suggests your emergency contacts, allergies, and every prescription, over-the-counter product, vitamin and supplement. For each one, note the name and strength, what it is for, and when, how and how much you take. MedlinePlus adds herbal products.
Do I need a template, or is a notes app fine?+
The FDA says a list can live on paper, in a phone or computer app, on its own My Medicines form, or on a template from your provider. The format matters less than keeping it complete and current.
How often should I update my list?+
The FDA advises updating it whenever a prescription, dose or medicine changes, and keeping a current copy with you. Changes themselves come from your prescriber. Your list records what you were told.
Should I include over-the-counter products and supplements?+
Yes. The FDA and MedlinePlus both list over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements alongside prescriptions. They matter to the professional reading your list even if they seem minor.
Should I bring the list or the medicines themselves?+
MedlinePlus advises bringing both the list and the bottles to appointments and to the pharmacy.
Does my doctor see the medication I log in Sam?+
Only if you bring the doctor report of a program in Sam. That report lists the medicines linked to that program. There is no separate export of the medication list on its own.
Is the list in Sam an official medication plan?+
No. It is a personal list. Some countries, Germany for example, have a standardized plan that doctors and pharmacies issue and update. Sam's list is not that plan and does not read its barcode.
What if I miss a dose?+
That is a question for your doctor, your pharmacist and the leaflet that comes with the medicine, and it is best asked in advance. A list or app does not answer it. Log the missed dose so you can mention it at your next appointment.