Living Well at Home UKClear, practical guidance for later life
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By Does Your Duck Quack

Questions to ask at a medication review

Prepare for a medication review with questions about purpose, benefit, side effects, falls, monitoring and safe changes to your treatment.

Checked: 12 October 2026 · Next review: 12 April 2027 · Applies to: UK, with nation notes
How this guide was prepared

Purpose: urgent guidance · Level: start here

Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.

The short answer

What to do first

Prepare for a medication review with questions about purpose, benefit, side effects, falls, monitoring and safe changes to your treatment.

Start here: Contact your GP practice and ask for a structured medication review with a GP or practice pharmacist. In England, ask a community pharmacist whether the New Medicine Service applies if you have started a medicine. Scotland has a Medicines, Care and Review Service; Wales and Northern Ireland have local routes. Explain your concern and ask what is available.

Do not wait: Call 999 for collapse, severe breathing difficulty, facial or throat swelling, or loss of consciousness after taking a medicine. For a suspected side effect that is not an emergency, contact a pharmacist or GP promptly. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without advice unless emergency clinicians tell you to.

Visual guides

See the decision at a glance

Medication-review questions
  1. Purpose and benefitWhat is each medicine for, is it still needed and how will we know it is helping?
  2. Safety and monitoringCould medicines together affect falls, alertness, blood pressure or kidneys, and are tests due?
  3. Practical useDiscuss swallowing, packaging, timing, missed doses, supply and non-prescription products.
  4. Agreed planRecord changes, warning signs, who acts, and when the next review will happen.
Pharmacist, GP and specialist roles
  1. Community pharmacistExplains medicines, supply, interactions, practical use and where to seek further clinical help.
  2. GP or practice clinicianReviews the whole medicine list, health conditions and monitoring, and coordinates many prescribing decisions.
  3. Specialist teamAdvises on medicines within its clinical area; confirm who makes changes and who follows up.
Medicines and falls
  1. Notice the patternRecord falls, near falls, dizziness, faintness, sleepiness or confusion and when they occur relative to medicines.
  2. Request a reviewBring the complete medicine list and ask about combined effects, blood pressure, alertness and monitoring.
  3. Change only by agreementDo not stop, skip or reduce prescribed medicine without advice; record the agreed change and follow-up.
Post-discharge medicine changes
  1. Reconcile the listsCompare the discharge prescription with the pre-admission list and identify every addition, stop and dose change.
  2. Clarify responsibilityRecord who supplies each medicine, monitoring due, duration and who answers questions out of hours.
  3. Update everyoneShare the confirmed list with the GP, community pharmacy and care provider as appropriate and remove obsolete copies.

Scope of this guide

This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.

If someone may be in immediate danger

Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For an urgent problem that is not clearly life-threatening, use the official NHS urgent-care route for the UK nation you are in. Have the address, symptoms, onset time, medicines and allergies ready.

Who this guide is for

People taking several medicines, noticing side effects or preparing for a structured review with a GP, pharmacist or prescriber.

A medication review is a conversation about whether your medicines still fit your health, priorities and daily routine. A structured medication review looks at the whole picture rather than repeating a prescription automatically. You can ask for one if you are unsure what a medicine is for, have side effects, have had a fall or find the routine difficult.

What to do now

1. Ask the practice for the right appointment

Contact your GP practice and ask for a structured medication review with a GP or practice pharmacist. In England, ask a community pharmacist whether the New Medicine Service applies if you have started a medicine. Scotland has a Medicines, Care and Review Service; Wales and Northern Ireland have local routes. Explain your concern and ask what is available.

2. Bring the complete list

List prescribed tablets, inhalers, creams, drops, medicines taken occasionally, painkillers bought over the counter, vitamins and herbal products. Bring packets or a current list. Mention allergies, past reactions, missed doses, swallowing or opening difficulties, and problems ordering repeats.

3. Ask what each medicine is doing

Ask: what is this for; how will we know it helps; is it still needed; what side effects matter; could it contribute to dizziness, sleepiness or falls; is monitoring due; and what should I do during illness? Explain the outcomes that matter to you, such as alertness, safe walking or pain relief.

4. Agree a safe plan for changes

If a medicine may be causing harm or no longer helps, ask the prescriber to explain options and risks. Some medicines need gradual changes or monitoring. Do not stop, halve, combine or move doses without the prescriber’s advice. Ask who will update the prescription, what to watch for and whom to contact if a symptom appears.

5. Leave with a record you can use

Ask for an updated medicines list in large print or another accessible format. Record changes, reasons, monitoring and who to contact. Share it, with permission, with a trusted carer or clinician. Keep one current copy and replace old versions so people are not given conflicting information.

Warning signs and checks

Common questions

How do I ask my GP for a medication review?

Tell the practice what prompted the request, such as side effects, a fall, several prescriptions or difficulty taking medicines. Ask for a structured review with a GP or practice pharmacist. You may bring a supporter. If it cannot be arranged immediately, ask when it can happen and what to do about urgent symptoms meanwhile.

Should I stop a medicine if I think it is causing dizziness?

Do not stop or change it on your own. Dizziness can have several causes, and some medicines need a planned reduction or monitoring. Contact a pharmacist, GP or prescriber, describe when the symptom occurs and mention any falls or fainting. Call 999 for collapse, severe breathing difficulty or other emergency symptoms.

Should I include vitamins and herbal remedies?

Yes. Include everything you take, even if it was bought without a prescription or used only occasionally. A pharmacist or prescriber can check whether products may interact with prescribed medicines or affect a health condition. Bring the packaging or a photograph if you do not know the exact name or ingredients.

Is the New Medicine Service available everywhere in the UK?

The New Medicine Service is for eligible people in England starting certain medicines. Other nations have different arrangements; Scotland has its Medicines, Care and Review Service, while Wales and Northern Ireland use local pharmacy and practice services. Ask a pharmacist what support is available where you live.

Differences across the UK

Service names and access differ across the NHS. England has structured medication reviews and the New Medicine Service for eligible new prescriptions. Scotland offers Medicines, Care and Review through community pharmacy. In Wales, ask about a Discharge Medicines Review after hospital or a practice review. In Northern Ireland, ask the GP or community pharmacist about a medicines review. Local eligibility varies.

When to get urgent help

Call 999 for collapse, severe breathing difficulty, facial or throat swelling, or loss of consciousness after taking a medicine. For a suspected side effect that is not an emergency, contact a pharmacist or GP promptly. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without advice unless emergency clinicians tell you to.

Primary sources

The publisher checked this guide against the 8 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.

Next useful step

After a fall

Check for injury, arrange review, rebuild confidence and make the home work better.

Continue with: Room-by-room home safety checklist

Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.