Medication Review: What You Need to Know Before Taking or Switching Drugs

When you start a new medication, or keep taking one for months or years, a medication review, a systematic check of all the drugs you’re taking to spot risks, overlaps, or better options. Also known as drug reconciliation, it’s not something you wait for your doctor to bring up—it’s something you should ask for. Too many people just keep popping pills because "it was prescribed," without ever asking if it’s still the best choice. That’s how side effects build up, how interactions sneak in, and how you end up taking five drugs to fix problems caused by one.

Take generic drugs, lower-cost versions of brand-name medications that must meet the same FDA standards for safety and effectiveness. Also known as brand equivalents, they save billions—but for a few high-risk drugs like seizure meds or blood thinners, even tiny differences can matter. Or consider drug interactions, when one medicine changes how another works in your body. Also known as medication conflicts, they don’t always show up on labels. Garlic supplements can thin your blood like warfarin. First-gen antihistamines like Benadryl can fog your brain as you age. And statins? They work great for cholesterol—but if you get muscle pain, alternatives like ezetimibe or inclisiran exist. A good medication review doesn’t just list what you’re on. It asks: Is this still helping? Is there a safer option? Are you taking something just because you never stopped?

People forget how much their meds change over time. A drug that helped with acne at 25 might be unnecessary—or harmful—at 55. A blood pressure pill that worked fine for years might need swapping if your kidneys start to slow down. Even something as simple as storing your antifungal cream wrong can make it useless. And if your prescription label is poorly translated, you could be taking the wrong dose without even knowing it.

What you’ll find here isn’t theory. It’s real comparisons: Soolantra vs. metronidazole for rosacea, Fildena vs. Viagra for ED, albuterol vs. Symbicort for asthma. It’s why hydroxyzine can mess with your heart rhythm, why prilocaine is safer than lidocaine for nerve blocks, and why tibolone might cause spotting but still be worth it. These aren’t random posts—they’re the kind of deep dives you’d get from a pharmacist who’s seen too many people stop meds because they didn’t understand them.

You don’t need to be a doctor to do a medication review. You just need to know what to ask. And what to look for. This collection gives you the tools to speak up, spot red flags, and make sure your pills are working for you—not against you.