Medication Review: What It Is and Why It Saves Lives

When you’re taking several medications at once, a medication review, a structured assessment of all the drugs a person is using to check for safety, effectiveness, and duplication. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not just a formality—it’s often the difference between staying healthy and ending up in the hospital. Many people don’t realize that even if each drug was prescribed correctly on its own, together they can cause serious problems. This is especially true for older adults, who often see multiple doctors and fill prescriptions at different pharmacies. A medication review brings all those pieces together.

It’s not just about counting pills. A real medication review looks at polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications at the same time, which increases the risk of harmful interactions and side effects. It checks for drug interactions, when one medicine changes how another works in the body, sometimes leading to dangerous drops in blood pressure, kidney damage, or confusion. It asks whether a drug is still needed—many people keep taking something long after the original reason is gone. It also looks at whether a cheaper, safer generic could replace a brand-name drug, or if a dose is too high for an aging body. These are the same issues covered in posts about aging and medication, prescriber override, and pharmacist recommendations for generics.

Who does this? Pharmacists, doctors, and even patients themselves can start the process. But it’s most effective when done by someone who sees the full picture—not just one condition or one prescription. That’s why so many of the posts here focus on communication between providers and patients, like how pharmacists suggest generics or how seniors need adjusted dosing. It’s also why tools like drug interaction checkers and therapeutic drug monitoring show up again and again. They’re all parts of the same safety system.

You don’t need to wait for a crisis to ask for a medication review. If you’re taking more than three prescriptions, if you’ve been hospitalized recently, or if you’ve noticed new side effects like dizziness, memory lapses, or stomach issues, it’s time to ask. The posts below cover everything from how to talk to your prescriber about switching drugs, to why certain medications increase dementia risk, to how to store pills safely so they don’t lose potency. Each one is a piece of the puzzle. Together, they show you how to take control—not just of your pills, but of your health.