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This August marks eight decades since Gerry Coady first opened the doors of Caringbah's very first pharmacy. We wanted to take a moment to mark it - and to thank the families who've made it possible. On the 2nd of August, 1946, a young pharmacist named Gerry Coady opened a small shop on Caringbah's main strip, the suburb's very first chemist. He delivered prescriptions on a Lambretta motor scooter. He bred prize-winning poultry on the side. He raised six children, and traine

Most of us have a drawer or cupboard somewhere with a graveyard of half-finished antibiotics, expired painkillers, and that mystery cream from 2019 and most of us never think about it until we're rummaging for something at 11pm. A quick clean-out once a year is one of the simpler health habits worth building. Expired medications can lose their potency (so they don't work when you need them), and in a few cases the chemistry actually changes over time making them less effecti

The new season's influenza vaccines have arrived at the pharmacy, and bookings are now open. This year's formulation has been updated based on World Health Organisation recommendations to cover the strains most likely to circulate over the Australian winter. We'd suggest booking sooner rather than later: appointment slots fill up fast once May rolls around, and it takes about two weeks for your immunity to build after the shot. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-booking guarantees

The first warm days of spring bring out the worst in pollen, and we've already seen the seasonal rush for antihistamines. A few things worth knowing: Start your antihistamines before symptoms hit. They work much better as a preventer than a fix, once your eyes are streaming and your nose is running, you're playing catch-up. If you know you're a hayfever sufferer, start dosing a week or two before peak season. Not all antihistamines are equal. Older ones (like Polaramine) make

This time of year, the question we get more than any other at the counter is some version of: "Is this just a cold, or is it the flu?" The short answer: colds come on gradually and stay in your head, runny nose, sore throat, mild cough. The flu hits you like a truck, high fever, body aches, exhaustion that puts you on the couch for days. If you're still able to potter around the house, it's probably a cold. If you can barely lift your head off the pillow, it's likely the fl