Clinics run reminder systems, and a good one will contact you before a review is due. You still see parts of the picture the clinic does not: how many repeats are left in your drawer, a trip booked for next month, a move interstate. A one-page record of your own dates takes ten minutes to set up and means you can book a review on time without waiting to be prompted.
Key points:
- An approval runs for the period on its letter. The TGA does not set one fixed term for a Special Access Scheme Category B approval, so the date on your letter is the one that counts.
- The TGA’s own warning comes late. Its online system flags an approval to the prescriber as expiring when fewer than 14 days remain.
- Renewal needs a review and a new application. The TGA states it processes applications in 2 to 5 days, and longer if it asks for more information.
- Two clocks run at once. The repeats left on your prescription and the period on any approval letter can end on different dates.
- Update the page after every consultation. A record you stopped updating three months ago will give you the wrong dates.
Why keep your own record?
Your clinic holds the official dates, and you can always ask for them. The trouble is timing. If you only find out an approval is close to expiry when the pharmacy cannot dispense, the review, the new application and the TGA’s processing time all have to fit into the days you have left.
An approval also names one prescriber. Our guide to your approval and when it expires explains that if you change clinics, your new prescriber applies afresh. A record in your own hands means you can tell the new clinic exactly what you hold and when it ends, rather than waiting for the old clinic to answer.
What goes on the page?
Keep it to one page, on paper or in a notes app. These lines cover most situations:
- Your prescriber and clinic. The Clinician’s name, the clinic’s phone number and email, and how you book a review.
- Approval letter. The date it was issued and the date the approval period ends. Ask the clinic for a copy of the letter if you do not have one.
- Any state or territory approval. Some jurisdictions require their own approval, with its own date. Note it if your clinic has told you one applies.
- Current prescription. The date it was written, the number of repeats, and the date each repeat is dispensed.
- Last consultation and next review. Both dates, and whether the next review is already booked.
- Pharmacy. Which pharmacy dispenses for you and how to contact it.
- Your GP. Their name, and whether you have consented to the clinic writing to them.
A short notes section helps too: what has changed since your last review, any new medicines from another practitioner, and questions for next time. Our post on symptom logs and sleep diaries covers that side of record-keeping.
Where does each date come from?
Most of them are already in documents you have or can ask for:
- The approval letter shows the period the approval runs for. The clinic holds it, and you can ask for a copy.
- The prescription shows the date it was written and how many repeats it carries.
- The pharmacy label on each supply shows the dispensing date, which tells you how many repeats remain.
- Your booking confirmation shows the date of your next review.
If something is missing, ask the clinic in writing. Australian privacy law gives you access to the health information a private provider holds about you, and our post on your right to your health records explains how that request works.
When should you set reminders?
Work backwards from whichever date comes first, the final repeat or the end of the approval period. Our guide to renewing your prescription by telehealth suggests booking a review two to three weeks before your final repeat. Treat the approval end date the same way, and leave room for the TGA’s stated 2 to 5 days of processing on top of the review itself.
Two calendar entries cover it. Set one for a month before the earlier date, as a prompt to book the review. Set the second for the review itself. If the review leads to a new approval, the new letter brings a new end date, so update the page and move the reminders.
When do the dates change?
The page needs an update after anything that resets one of the clocks:
- A new prescription brings a new date and a new count of repeats.
- A new approval brings a new period, which may differ from the last one.
- A new prescriber, including a move to another clinic, means a new application, because the old approval does not transfer.
- A move interstate can bring a different state approval requirement. The guide to moving interstate with your prescription covers what changes.
- Travel can mean you need supply to last longer than usual. The guide to travelling with your prescription covers the planning.
Keep the page somewhere private, such as a locked notes app or a folder at home. If a support person helps you manage appointments, give them a copy so they can help with the reminders.
The bottom line
Write down your prescriber, the end date of any approval, your prescription and repeat dates, your last and next review, and your pharmacy and GP contacts. Set a reminder a month before the earlier of your final repeat or your approval end date, and update the page after every consultation. If you change clinics, give the new clinic the page along with your records.
If you have a question about how reviews are booked at LeafLine Clinic, the free 10-minute info call is with our patient-support team.
This article is general information only and is not medical or legal advice. Approval and processing details come from our guides checked against the TGA; the SAS-B guide was last checked on 16 October 2026.
