A medication review is a chance to look at the medicines you are actually taking, how well they are working for you, and whether anything has become difficult, confusing or unnecessary. It is not a test of whether you have been a “good” patient. The most useful reviews are honest, practical conversations about benefits, side effects, missed doses, everyday routines and what matters to you.
NHS England describes a structured medication review as a comprehensive, person-centred review in which the clinician and patient work together to consider the benefits, risks and alternatives associated with current medicines. Some reviews are carried out by a GP, while others are led by a clinical pharmacist or another appropriately qualified prescriber.
If you already keep a written record, bring it with you. If not, use our medicine list for appointments before the review so that the conversation starts from one current list rather than several old prescription slips.
What a medication review is trying to achieve
The review should help answer a simple set of practical questions: what are you taking, why are you taking it, is it helping, is it causing problems, and is the plan still manageable? Those questions matter even more when several medicines have been added over time, when prescriptions changed after a hospital stay, or when different services are involved in your care.
A review may cover prescription medicines, but it is also useful to mention non-prescription painkillers, antihistamines, vitamins, herbal products and supplements. Something bought without a prescription can still matter when a pharmacist or prescriber is checking for interactions, duplicated ingredients or side effects.
Bring one accurate medicine list
Write down the medicine name, strength, dose and how often you actually take it. If the label says one thing but your routine is different, record what you really do. The difference is useful information; hiding it makes the review less helpful.
- regular prescriptions;
- medicines taken only when needed;
- inhalers, creams, drops and patches;
- over-the-counter medicines;
- vitamins, minerals and herbal products;
- any medicine you recently stopped;
- known medicine allergies or important previous reactions.
If medicines were changed in hospital, compare the discharge information with what is now being supplied at home. Family carers can use our guide to organising medicines and health information when several documents or services are involved.
Write down what each medicine is for
You do not need to know technical pharmacology. A simple note such as “blood pressure,” “pain at night,” “prevent clots” or “not sure” is enough. “Not sure” is an important answer because it gives the reviewer a clear question to resolve.
- What is this medicine meant to do for me?
- How will we know whether it is helping?
- How long am I expected to take it?
- Which side effects should I watch for?
- Does it need to be taken with food, at a particular time, or separated from another medicine?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- Is there anything I should avoid while taking it?
You do not need to ask every question about every medicine. Mark the medicines you are least certain about and start there.
Bring the problems you normally work around
A medicine can be clinically appropriate and still be difficult to use. Tell the reviewer if tablets are hard to swallow, packaging is difficult to open, timings clash with meals or work, an inhaler feels awkward, or a complicated schedule means doses are often missed.
These details are not minor. NHS medicines optimisation work places strong emphasis on whether treatment is safe, effective and manageable for the individual. The Specialist Pharmacy Service also describes medication review as a person-centred process rather than a simple exercise in counting prescriptions. Its current person-centred medication review guidance is particularly relevant when several medicines are involved.
Talk honestly about side effects
Write down the symptom, when it happens, when it started and whether it changed after a medicine was started or the dose changed. Do not assume a symptom is definitely caused by a medicine, but do not dismiss it either.
Useful details include whether the problem occurs every day or occasionally, whether it affects sleep or daily activity, and whether you have already changed how you take the medicine because of it. A pharmacist or prescriber can then consider the symptom in the context of your health conditions and the rest of your treatment.
Do not quietly stop or alter prescribed treatment before the review
If you are concerned about a medicine, make the concern a priority question. Some medicines should not be stopped suddenly, and the safest next step depends on the medicine, dose, reason for treatment and individual circumstances.
If you are unsure what to ask, our questions to ask a pharmacist guide can help you turn a general worry into a specific question without trying to make the prescribing decision yourself.
Think about medicines you no longer understand
Long-term treatment can continue for years, while the original reason for a medicine fades from memory. A review is a good time to ask whether the purpose is still current, whether any monitoring is needed and whether another prescriber has changed the plan.
This does not mean older medicines should automatically be stopped. It means the reason for continuing them should be clear enough that you understand the plan.
Bring relevant monitoring information
Some medicines require blood tests, blood pressure checks or other monitoring. You do not need to collect every result in your record. Instead, note any monitoring you were told to arrange, any result you are still waiting for, and any follow-up that is unclear.
Our NHS test results and follow-up tracker can help if the medicine review is only one part of a wider sequence of tests or appointments.
If medicines changed after hospital
Hospital admissions are a common point at which medicines are started, stopped or adjusted. Before the review, put the hospital discharge letter, current repeat list and medicine boxes together and look for differences. Do not try to decide which document is “right” by yourself if they conflict. Mark the discrepancy and bring it to the reviewer.
If you are supporting someone after discharge, use the hospital discharge checklist for carers to keep medicines, follow-up appointments and practical support in one plan.
If you care for someone else
A family member or friend can sometimes attend a medication review, especially if they help organise medicines or know what happens between appointments. The NHS-supported My Review medication review resource notes that people may bring a family member or friend and encourages patients to prepare notes about what they want to discuss.
Respect the person’s preferences and privacy. If you are helping with the list, separate facts from assumptions. “She often misses the lunchtime dose because she is asleep” is useful. “This medicine is wrong for her” is a conclusion that belongs in the discussion with the clinician.
Questions about taking several medicines
If you take many medicines, it can be difficult to know which questions matter most. Start with the medicines that create the biggest burden or uncertainty. You might ask whether every medicine still has a clear purpose, whether two treatments overlap, whether the timing can be simplified, or whether any monitoring is overdue.
Structured reviews are particularly valuable when the practicalities of taking multiple medicines have become unmanageable. That does not mean the goal is to reduce the number at all costs. The goal is to make treatment appropriate, safe and understandable for the individual.
A simple 10-minute preparation routine
- Put every medicine and supplement on one current list.
- Circle anything you do not know the purpose of.
- Mark medicines you sometimes miss or take differently from the label.
- Write down possible side effects or practical difficulties.
- Add any recent hospital medicine changes.
- Note outstanding tests or monitoring.
- Choose your three most important questions.
If your review is part of a wider GP appointment, combine this preparation with our GP appointment checklist so medicine questions do not crowd out the other reason you booked the consultation.
What to record before you leave
At the end of the review, write down any agreed changes and what happens next. If a dose changes, be clear about the new dose and when it starts. If a medicine is stopped, confirm whether it stops immediately or follows another plan. If monitoring is needed, note who should arrange it and when.
Also record whether a follow-up review is expected. A useful review should leave you with fewer uncertainties, not a new collection of vague instructions.
Questions people often forget to raise
Some of the most useful medication-review questions are not about the medicine name itself. They are about how treatment fits into real life. If you drive, work shifts, fast for religious reasons, travel regularly, use several pharmacies, or rely on another person to organise medicines, mention it when it affects timing or reliability.
You may also want to ask what to do when you are ill. Certain medicines can require special advice during vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration or reduced food intake. Do not invent your own “sick day” rules from general internet advice. Ask whether any of your medicines need specific instructions and write those instructions down if they apply to you.
Check that everyone is working from the same list
If a hospital consultant, GP practice, community pharmacy and family carer are all involved, medicine information can become fragmented. At the end of the review, confirm which list should be treated as current and what will happen if another service changes treatment later.
If the review uncovers a discrepancy, ask who will update the repeat prescription record and whether you need to tell another service. Clear responsibility matters more than collecting more paperwork.
You do not need to prepare perfectly
If the appointment is tomorrow and your records are untidy, do not cancel preparation because you cannot make it perfect. Bring the medicine boxes, prescription list, hospital letter and a handwritten note of your main questions. A rough but honest picture is more useful than a polished list that leaves out what you actually take.
When not to wait for a routine medication review
A routine review is not the right place to wait with a serious or rapidly worsening problem. If you think you may be having a severe reaction, have taken too much medicine, or someone is seriously unwell, use the urgent-care instructions supplied with the medicine and seek appropriate NHS help. If life may be at risk, call 999. For urgent medical help that is not a 999 emergency, NHS 111 can help direct you to an appropriate service.
For non-urgent uncertainty about where to start, use our guide to choosing an NHS service.
The most useful outcome is a plan you understand
A medication review is successful when you leave knowing what you are taking, what each medicine is intended to achieve, which problems have been addressed and what happens next. You do not need to arrive with perfect records. A current list, honest notes and a few well-chosen questions are enough to make the conversation far more useful.
Use the broader Healthcare Navigation guide when medicines are only one part of a larger appointment, referral or follow-up process.
