A Medication Review

The issue some people face with taking prescription medication comes in the form of side effects. Their doctor could be a specialist who is unfamiliar with other medications prescribed by the patient’s regular physician, so a medication review could occasionally be helpful. Some medications have lingering effects, but others stop causing issues within a day or two of stopping. Continuing to take a medication no longer necessary could be causing more issues, and a good review may help pinpoint them.

Medications are not native to the body, and that is often the reason people have a reaction to them. Even the mildest medicines can create effects that will throw off a person’s entire system. If the medication is necessary, the prescribing physician may order one or more additional medications to combat the effects. It would seem that stopping all those medications at the same time would be for the best, but that does not always occur.

Doctors today are busy, and their patients do not always consult them about their prescriptions. If a person is taking medication that makes them feel dizzy, pairing it with an anti-nausea prescription might work wonders. Once they are off the original medication, the doctor might forget to take them off the secondary one. This could cause further side effects, and they may end up having those treated with yet one more prescription. That third medicine might be unnecessary because it is simply counteracting the anti-nausea medication that is producing side effects because the original medicine was discontinued.

A good review with a doctor of all medicines should be done on at least a yearly basis for those taking several prescriptions. Bringing all medications into the office is recommended, and a list of reasons when and why the prescriptions were given could pinpoint issues and solutions. The doctor may not have originally prescribed all medications, but they can consult with the other healthcare provider to make an educated decision to continue or stop any unnecessary doses.