Medication Review: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Get It Right

When you take more than one drug, a medication review, a structured evaluation of all the drugs a person is taking to identify risks, overlaps, and unnecessary treatments. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not a formality—it’s the difference between staying healthy and ending up in the ER. Many people don’t realize they’re on drugs that clash, or that a supplement they swear by is quietly weakening their heart medication. A real medication review looks at everything: prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, herbal drops, even the cream you rub on your knee. It’s not about how many pills you take—it’s about whether each one still belongs in your routine.

Think about drug interactions, when two or more medications affect each other’s behavior in your body, leading to reduced effectiveness or dangerous side effects. That daily aspirin? It might turn your blood thinner into a ticking bomb. The melatonin you take for sleep? It could make your blood pressure meds useless. These aren’t rare edge cases—they happen every day in homes, nursing facilities, and clinics. And pharmacy errors, mistakes made when dispensing or labeling drugs, often due to poor communication or rushed workflows? They’re still common. A 2023 study found that nearly 1 in 5 older adults got at least one wrong dose in a single year. A proper medication review catches these before they hurt you.

It’s not just about avoiding harm. A good review can cut your pill count—sometimes by half. If you’re on five drugs for high blood pressure, but two of them do the same thing? That’s waste. If your antidepressant is making your insomnia worse? That’s fixable. The best reviews don’t just list what you take—they ask why you take it. Did your doctor forget to cancel that old antibiotic? Is your cholesterol pill still needed after your diet changed? This is where the personal medication list, a real-time, updated record of all drugs, supplements, allergies, and dosages a person uses becomes your most powerful tool. Keep it on your phone. Print it. Give it to every new provider. It’s not a suggestion—it’s your safety net.

You don’t need to be old or sick to need this. Anyone on more than three medications should have a review at least once a year. If you’ve seen three different doctors lately, had a hospital stay, or changed pharmacies, you’re overdue. The posts below show exactly how to spot hidden risks—from how PPIs quietly steal your bone density to how anxiety meds can turn dangerous when mixed with alcohol. You’ll find real stories of people who avoided disaster by asking one simple question: "Should I still be taking this?"