Medication Review: What It Is and Why It Saves Lives

When you take multiple medications, a medication review, a structured assessment of all your drugs by a healthcare professional to check for safety, effectiveness, and duplication. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not optional—it’s essential. Think of it like checking your car’s oil, brakes, and tires before a long trip. If you’re on five or more pills, supplements, or even over-the-counter drugs, something could be clashing, overworking your body, or just wasting your money.

A medication review, a structured assessment of all your drugs by a healthcare professional to check for safety, effectiveness, and duplication. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not optional—it’s essential. isn’t just about catching bad combinations. It’s about asking: Is this still helping? Could a cheaper generic work? Are you taking something just because you’ve always taken it? The drug interactions, harmful or reduced effects when two or more medications are taken together you didn’t know about could be causing fatigue, dizziness, or even kidney damage. And those pills, oral medications taken regularly for chronic conditions you’ve been hoarding in your bathroom cabinet? They might be expired, degraded, or just plain dangerous if mixed with something new.

Real people get hurt because no one ever sat down with them and asked: What are you taking, and why? A 72-year-old on eight meds might be getting two drugs that both cause dizziness. A new mom on antibiotics might be unknowingly reducing her thyroid medicine’s effect. A man on antidepressants might be eating cheese and not realizing it could spike his blood pressure. These aren’t rare mistakes—they happen every day because we assume our doctors know everything on our list. They don’t. Not unless you tell them. And even then, they might not have time to check.

That’s why a good medication review looks at everything: prescriptions, supplements, herbal teas, painkillers, and even vitamins. It checks for duplicates—like taking both Zyrtec and Claritin without realizing they’re the same class. It spots timing issues, like taking levothyroxine with a protein shake and getting zero benefit. It finds hidden risks, like anticholinergics quietly eating away at your memory, or corticosteroids slowly weakening your bones. It even uncovers scams—like paying $40 for a generic when the cash price is $5.

What you’ll find below isn’t theory. It’s real stories from real patients who got caught in the system. How a simple review stopped someone from being hospitalized for a drug reaction. How switching to a different delivery method cut side effects in half. How knowing when to taper off prednisone saved someone from adrenal failure. How understanding generic pricing saved thousands. These aren’t edge cases. They’re everyday problems with real solutions.

You don’t need to be a medical expert to protect yourself. You just need to know what questions to ask, what to look for, and when to push back. The posts ahead give you the tools to do that—no jargon, no fluff, just clear, practical steps to make sure your meds are working for you, not against you.