Medication Reviews
Medication Reviews
MEDICATION REVIEWS: PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET
Reviewing your medicines to make sure you are getting the best treatment.
This page is to help you understand why your doctor, nurse or pharmacist is reviewing the medicines you take to check they are still appropriate to treat your conditions.
Why do I need a medication review?
Medicines are prescribed to treat symptoms or diseases. When you are prescribed a medicine, you should be given clear information on: How to take the medicine, the possible side effects, how long to take the medicine for and when to stop taking it. Some medicines may need to be continued for a number of weeks or months and then stopped when symptoms are reduced or the disease is under control such as iron tablets for anaemia or painkillers for pain. For conditions like asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure you may have to keep taking your medicines long term to keep the disease under control and prevent further complications. It is good practice for your doctor(s) to regularly review the medicines you are taking. They should check that you are taking the medicine in the correct way. The review should also check to see that the medicine is treating the condition properly, that the dose of medicine is still right for you and that the medicine is not causing you any problematic side effects. Therefore reviews may be required annually or more often depending on the reason (e.g. newly started or acute medications).
How can I prepare for my review? Think about your medicines, how you take them, how they make you feel and write down notes to take with you to the review. You can also write down questions you want to ask or concerns you may have. Please be honest about what you are taking as this will help in the consultation. Is there someone who helps you take your medicines (for example, a family member, friend or carer)? It may be helpful to bring them with you to your review.
What might happen at my review? Your doctor may suggest stopping a medicine because: Your health or a particular condition has improved or changed and the medicine is no longer needed, there are more side effects than benefits and the medicine is making you feel unwell, you have chosen not to take the medicine, you are not able to take the medicine, other treatments that do not involve medicines are available and can be used instead.
What happens if I do not have my review? We will always notify you when you are due a medication review. However, if no response is received after multiple reminders we reserve the right to not issue the medication, take it off your Repeat or change the quantity we issue to you until you have had your review. This is because our prescribers have a legal obligation to ensure that the medications they are prescribing to you are safe and effective, which they cannot do if it is not reviewed. Sometimes instead of stopping a medicine, your doctor may reduce the dose or offer you a different medicine. Your doctor should always try to involve you in any decision about your medicines.
This website can be a useful guide to helping you have conversations about treatment: https://choosingwisely.co.uk/about-choosing-wisely-uk/
Polypharmacy and deprescribing
Sometimes, through their life, particularly as we age, people end up on more and more medication. As doctors and pharmacists, we should always be mindful of the interaction of these medication together. For example, ‘water tablets’ for high blood pressure or fluid retention can interact with pain killers called NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen) to put you at risk of dehydration, especially if you get an infection that makes you dehydrated. Sometimes we will want to consider stopping less essential medications to lessen the burden of multiple medication but we should always explain this to you. Sometimes as well people end up on medications, such as proton pump inhibitors or sleep medication, which they may longer need and might be causing more harm than good.
Excess medications/ over ordering by pharmacies
Sometimes pharmacies keep ordering medication for you even when you aren’t using it. This seems to happen particularly with medical moisturizers such as zerobase and with inhalers. If this is happening, please let the pharmacy you order from know. If you have told them several times this is happening and the excess supply continues, please let us know also.