Getting the Most From a Medication Review

A medication review is far more useful when you come prepared. Because the quality of the review depends on accurate information about what you take and how it affects you, a little organizing beforehand helps your prescriber make the best decisions with you.

Here is what to bring and think through so the conversation is as productive as possible.

A complete medication list

Bring a full list of everything you take - psychiatric medications, other prescriptions, and over-the-counter products or supplements - with doses and how long you have been on each. Supplements and other medications can interact with psychiatric ones, so a complete picture matters more than people often assume.

Notes on how each is working

For each medication, note what it seems to be doing - whether it is helping, what symptoms remain, and any side effects you have noticed. Even rough observations are valuable, and they keep the review grounded in your actual experience rather than assumptions.

Any tracking you've done

If you have tracked mood, sleep, symptoms, or side effects, bring it. A record over time reveals patterns that a single conversation cannot, and it is especially useful for telling side effects from symptoms or seeing how a recent change has played out.

Your questions and goals

Come with your questions and what you are hoping for - fewer side effects, better symptom control, a simpler regimen, or clarity about whether something is still needed. Naming your goals helps shape the review around what matters to you, and ensures the decisions you make together are genuinely shared.

What should I bring to a medication review?

A complete list of everything you take with doses, notes on how each is working and any side effects, any tracking you've done, and your questions and goals for the review.

Why list supplements and other medications?

Because supplements and other prescriptions can interact with psychiatric medications. A complete picture helps your prescriber make safe, accurate decisions.

What should I track beforehand?

Mood, sleep, symptoms, or side effects, if you can. A record over time reveals patterns a single conversation can't, and helps tell side effects from symptoms.

What questions should I ask?

Whatever matters to you, whether a medication is still needed, how to reduce side effects, whether the regimen can be simplified, or whether it still fits your diagnosis and goals.