How to Schedule a Medication Review — and What to Expect

What is a medication review appointment?

A medication review — sometimes called a med review, prescription review, or polypharmacy review — is an appointment where your clinician (and sometimes a clinical pharmacist working with your practice) goes through every drug, supplement, and over-the-counter product you take. The goals:

• Confirm each medication is still the right choice for your current health
• Check for interactions between medications
• Identify drugs that may no longer be needed or could be consolidated
• Address side effects you may have noticed
• Review doses in light of changes in kidney or liver function, weight, or other health conditions
• Refill or adjust prescriptions as needed

Structured medication reviews are the most commonly recommended strategy in clinical practice guidelines for managing polypharmacy — the use of multiple medications simultaneously 1Ref 1Engels L, van den Akker M, Denig P, et al. (2025).Medication Management in Patients With Polypharmacy in Primary Care: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines.Structured medication review is the most commonly recommended strategy across national guidelines for managing polypharmacy in primary care; recommends patient involvement and pharmacist collaboration. For people who take several medications, this kind of focused visit can catch problems that routine follow-up appointments — focused on a specific symptom or condition — often miss.

How do you book the appointment?

Through your clinician's office. Call directly or use the patient portal to request an appointment. Ask for time to "review all of my medications." If the scheduler asks what the visit is for, be specific: you take several medications and want to check for interactions and confirm everything is still appropriate. This framing helps the office allocate enough time — a medication review for someone on multiple drugs typically needs more than a standard 15-minute slot.

Through a telehealth visit. Most of a medication review conversation does not require a physical exam. Many practices offer video or phone visits for this purpose. When you book, note in the reason-for-visit field that this is a medication review.

Ask about a clinical pharmacist. Some practices and health systems now offer dedicated pharmacist-led medication reviews. Pharmacists have deep expertise in drug interactions and polypharmacy management 2Ref 2Larson A, Herbert J (2024).Polypharmacy and Medication Adherence: How to Do Better for Our Patients.AAFP recommends annual focused medication reviews with patients bringing physical medications; pharmacist collaboration and the PARQ checklist framework for safer prescribing. If your practice offers this, it is a good option for complex medication lists.

How do you prepare to get the most out of the visit?

Bring — or have ready:

1. A complete medication list. Include every prescription drug, over-the-counter medication, vitamin, and supplement you take. Note the name, dose, and how often you take each one. If this feels like a lot, bring the bottles. The AAFP recommends patients bring physical medications to the clinic for an annual, focused review 2Ref 2Larson A, Herbert J (2024).Polypharmacy and Medication Adherence: How to Do Better for Our Patients.AAFP recommends annual focused medication reviews with patients bringing physical medications; pharmacist collaboration and the PARQ checklist framework for safer prescribing. 2. Any concerns or side effects. Note anything you have noticed — muscle aches, fatigue, digestive changes, sleep disruption, mood changes — that you wonder might be related to a medication. 3. Questions written down in advance. The visit can go quickly; having questions ready ensures you do not forget them. 4. Your insurance and pharmacy information. If any medications have become unaffordable or you need a refill, having this ready speeds things up. 5. Recent lab results. If you have had bloodwork done elsewhere — urgent care, a specialist, an ER — bring those results if you can.

Being organized before a medication review makes a real difference in how much you get out of it.

Who benefits most from a scheduled medication review?

Anyone taking multiple medications, but particularly:

• People managing several chronic conditions at once
• Older adults, who metabolize medications differently and are at higher risk from certain drug combinations 1Ref 1Engels L, van den Akker M, Denig P, et al. (2025).Medication Management in Patients With Polypharmacy in Primary Care: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines.Structured medication review is the most commonly recommended strategy across national guidelines for managing polypharmacy in primary care; recommends patient involvement and pharmacist collaboration
• Anyone who has had a significant health change (new diagnosis, surgery, weight change, new kidney or liver issue) since medications were last reviewed
• Anyone whose medications have become unaffordable — a review is a good time to discuss lower-cost alternatives

Keeping an up-to-date medication list and reviewing it with your provider at each appointment is also one of the core recommendations for anyone managing multiple medications safely 3Ref 3MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine (2024).Taking Multiple Medicines Safely.Core patient guidance: maintain a comprehensive medication list including prescriptions, OTC items, vitamins, and supplements; review the list with providers and pharmacists at each appointment.

What happens during the review itself?

Your clinician will typically go through each medication and ask:

• Why was this started, and is that reason still relevant?
• Are you taking it as prescribed, and if not, why?
• Are there any side effects?
• How does this interact with your other medications?

Depending on your situation, some medications may be adjusted, discontinued, or switched to a more affordable alternative. This process — sometimes called deprescribing — is an active clinical strategy to reduce harm from unnecessary medications 1Ref 1Engels L, van den Akker M, Denig P, et al. (2025).Medication Management in Patients With Polypharmacy in Primary Care: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines.Structured medication review is the most commonly recommended strategy across national guidelines for managing polypharmacy in primary care; recommends patient involvement and pharmacist collaboration. The review may also generate referrals to specialists if a medication-related issue needs further evaluation.