Be aware that people who are taking long-term medication, dietary supplements, other over-the-counter (OTC) medicines or alternative remedies may not class these as relevant to any other problem they may have. You will need to reinforce this question to make sure you get all the details.

For example, some people with cold symptoms may think you are asking whether they have already taken anything for their cold and will ignore the fact that they've been taking several different prescription medicines for arthritis or heart problems for years. But it is important that you find out because taking certain medicines together can have serious consequences. For example, many people take medicines for high blood pressure, but these can react dangerously with OTC decongestants. And people with stomach ulcers can cause more damage if they take an OTC product that contains aspirin.

You need to listen carefully to what your customers tell you, as well as to how they answer your questions. Depending on what they say, you can either recommend a product or refer them to the pharmacist for more specialist advice.