Pharmacists and GPs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are urging people to only order the medication they need from their repeat prescriptions.
This plea comes as part of a new campaign launched by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight on World Pharmacists Day.
Around 150,000 people in the region have repeat prescriptions for multiple medications every month.
It is estimated that 2.5 million repeat prescription items are wasted unnecessarily each year.
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Neil Hardy, chief pharmacist at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: "We are asking you to take simple steps to check your cupboards and see what medications you need before ordering your repeat prescriptions.
"We want people to have the right medicine and the right care, while reducing the amount of medicine waste.
"Unused medicines expire and might not work as intended, meaning your care might be compromised if you don’t check what medication you have.
"We know that ordering unnecessary medications can increase the risk of medication shortages in our pharmacies and we want to make sure that essential medications are available to everyone who needs them.
"Your help in reducing the amount of medication that is unnecessarily wasted each year is greatly appreciated."
Pharmacies in the region can now treat seven conditions: shingles, sore throats, infected insect bites, earaches, sinusitis, impetigo, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Unused or expired medicines can be returned to pharmacies for safe disposal.
For more information about the campaign, visit the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Medicines Waste webpage.
