October is National Pharmacy Month, so we’re going to spend a little time talking about something near and dear to my pharmacist heart: medications.
Most people can tell me what medications they take. Some can even tell me the dose. But that still doesn’t answer the bigger question:
Does your entire medication regimen make sense for YOU?
That’s where a Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR) comes in.
More Than Checking for Interactions
A CMR looks at the whole picture—not one prescription at a time. When I complete one for a client, the review includes things such as:
Drug-to-drug and drug-to-disease interactions
Duplicate therapies
Whether each medication is still appropriate
Age-related medication concerns, including the BEERS Criteria
Prescribing cascades—when a new drug is added to treat a side effect of another
Overall adverse-event risk
Opportunities to safely simplify or deprescribe
That last one gets plenty of attention, but the goal of a CMR is NOT simply to get rid of medications.
The goal is to make sure you are taking the right medications, at the right doses, for the right reasons.
When Should You Consider a Review?
A medication review may be especially helpful if:
Several healthcare providers prescribe medications for you
You take multiple prescriptions, OTC medications or supplements
Your medications changed after a hospitalization
You have new symptoms and aren't sure why
You don't remember why you started taking something in the first place
Sometimes the review uncovers a concern. Sometimes it identifies questions that need to go back to a prescriber. And sometimes it confirms that your medication regimen is doing exactly what it should.
All three are useful answers.
Knowledge Gives You More Control
Medication decisions shouldn't be made based on a computer-generated interaction list or a quick glance at your pill bottles. They should be made in the context of you —your conditions, goals, symptoms and quality of life.
That is what makes a comprehensive review different.
For related reading, see How Aging Changes the Way Medications Work.
For more information, see the FDA’s medication safety tips for older adults.
Wondering whether your medications deserve a second look?
Schedule a Connection Call and we can talk about whether a Comprehensive Medication Review makes sense for you.
✨ Stay confident. Stay informed. Stay Taylormade.
Cheers!
Dr. T