Medication Review: What It Is and Why It Saves Lives

When you take more than one medication, a medication review, a structured evaluation of all your drugs to check for safety, effectiveness, and duplication. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not optional—it’s essential. Every pill, patch, or injection you use can interact with another, and most people don’t realize how many risks they’re carrying around. A simple medication review can catch a dangerous combo like statins and grapefruit juice, spot a duplicate antidepressant, or reveal that you’re still taking a drug your doctor stopped prescribing months ago.

It’s not just about what’s in your medicine cabinet. drug interactions, when two or more medications change how each other works in your body are behind half of all preventable hospital admissions in people over 65. adverse drug reactions, harmful, unintended effects from medications that aren’t side effects you were warned about often get mislabeled as "just aging" or "normal"—until they’re not. And then there’s generic substitution, when a pharmacist swaps your brand-name drug for a cheaper version. It’s usually safe, thanks to FDA therapeutic equivalence codes, but not always. Some people react differently to fillers or coatings in generics, and without a proper review, those changes slip through the cracks.

Think of a medication review as your personal safety net. It’s not just for seniors on a dozen pills. It’s for anyone on more than three medications, anyone who’s switched insurance, anyone who’s been to the ER for a reaction they didn’t understand, or anyone who’s ever wondered, "Is this really helping?" The posts below cover real cases: how hydroxychloroquine prevents lupus flares, why epinephrine auto-injector training saves lives, how to tell the difference between a side effect and a true allergy, and what pharmacists see when they’re asked to swap your brand drug for a generic. You’ll find guides on tier exceptions to lower costs, how to handle black box warnings, and what to do when injectable drugs run out. This isn’t theory. It’s what happens in clinics, pharmacies, and homes across Canada—and what you need to know to stay safe.